Evaline:
The mont I opened the door and saw Mallory’s face, I knew sothing was terribly wrong.
She was standing there like a ghost with red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. Her lips were trembling as though she was holding herself together by a thread. Her clothes were slightly wrinkled, her hair tangled from tossing around, and the mont our eyes t, she looked away like she was ashad to be seen.
I let her in and let out a sigh of relief when Oscar successfully slipped out of the room.
Mallory brushed past with slow, uncertain steps. Her shoulders were curled inward as though they were carrying the weight of the world. I closed the door gently and followed her into the room.
Instead of bombarding her with questions, I quietly guided her to the small couch near the window. She collapsed onto it, sinking into the cushions like her entire body had finally given out. I grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, poured her a glass, and placed it into her hands before sitting beside her.
Her hands were cold and her fingers were barely clutching the glass.
Without a word, I began rubbing soft circles on her back, slow and calming, letting the silence stretch until she was ready. I was able to feel her shaking beneath my hand. Her breath kept hitching now and then, but I didn’t push.
She broke the silence first... in a cracking voice.
"I’m sorry... I just... I didn’t know where else to go."
I turned to her sharply. "Hey, don’t say that," I said softly. "You can always co to . No matter the ti, no matter the reason."
She swallowed hard, her throat working visibly. Her eyes stayed fixed on the water in her lap, like she didn’t have the strength to et my gaze.
"What happened?" I finally asked as I kept moving my hand gently against her back.
She didn’t respond for a mont, but then her shoulders trembled with a deep exhale.
"It was Jasper," she whispered.
And that was all I needed to understand.
My concern deepened, but I didn’t interrupt her. I just waited as she gathered her words.
"We were... together. Alone in our room. Everything was going well. Sweet. Intense. And then he just... he stopped. Like... completely pulled away."
I frowned but kept quiet, letting her speak.
"I don’t know why," she continued, her voice rising with emotion. "One second he was touching like I was his whole world, and the next, it’s like I had done sothing wrong. Like he realized halfway through that... it’s not right."
"Oh, Mallory-"
"I know, I know I’m probably being stupid," she said quickly, wiping her cheeks. "There’s a part of that knows I’m overthinking this. That maybe he just had a reason. A good one. But there’s another part... the bigger part... that just keeps screaming that he didn’t want . That he was disgusted by ."
My heart clenched as I listened to her voice shake.
"He always keeps his distance," she continued bitterly. "Even before tonight. He never kisses unless I initiate it first, never touches unless I lean into him. And I thought it was just because he respected , that he wanted to take things slow because of my age or whatever. I appreciated that. I liked that."
She let out a sharp breath, wiping angrily at a fresh tear. "But tonight... it didn’t feel like that. It felt like he was afraid to touch . Like he was holding himself back not for ... but from . And that’s what broke , Eva. That’s what made feel so... so unwanted."
She pressed a fist against her chest like she was physically trying to keep her heart from falling apart.
"I’m scared," she whispered. "So damn scared that he doesn’t want . That maybe he’s just with because of the mate bond, but deep down he’s regretting it. And if he ever says those words... if he ever rejects ... I don’t think I’ll survive it."
I didn’t realize I was crying until she turned her face into my shoulder, her small body curling toward mine like a wounded child.
"Oh, Mal..." I murmured, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my embrace. "I’m so sorry. I know how badly it hurts to feel like you are the only one fighting for sothing that should co naturally."
"I thought he was different," she whispered. "He’s so good to most of the ti. So gentle. But now I don’t know what to believe. I feel like I’m going crazy, Eva."
"You are not," I said firmly. "You are not crazy, you are not wrong, and you are not alone."
She sniffled, pulling back just slightly as her red eyes t mine. "You say that like you have been through this too."
I paused.
I hadn’t ant to say those words out loud. They had just... slipped. But now her eyes were locked on mine, expectant and confused.
I sighed.
"Yeah," I murmured. "I have been there."
She blinked. "You an..."
"I had a mate once," I admitted quietly, staring past her and into a mory that still stung. "I have known him since I was eleven. We were together before we ever confird the bond. His na was Ethan."
She stayed silent, listening intently.
"He was older than ," I continued, my voice distant now. "He turned eighteen a few months before I did. We were already close by then. Dating, I guess. Or sothing like it. But he never said anything about the bond. Never told if he felt it."
"You weren’t sure if he was your mate?" Mallory asked gently.
"I hoped," I admitted. "Every night I prayed for it. But I couldn’t be sure. And then... the night I turned eighteen, I felt it. The bond. So strong, so real. It nearly knocked off my feet."
I paused, feeling the old pain rise again. The humiliation. The grief.
"So the next day, I went to him. With my heart pounding, so full of hope... and he rejected ."
Mallory’s eyes widened. "He what?"
I gave a bitter smile. "Said he wanted soone stronger. Soone who wasn’t weak. Who wasn’t wolfless like . He said he couldn’t waste his future on a mate who couldn’t even shift."
Her hand found mine, and she squeezed it hard.
"I thought it was the end of the world," I whispered. "I cried for days. I hated myself. I hated my wolf... or lack of one. I felt like I was unworthy. Useless. Like I was just sothing to be pitied and passed over."
"Eva..." Mallory’s voice was barely audible.
"But I survived," I said softly. "And I ca out stronger. I don’t need him anymore. He made his choice, and I have made mine. I’ll rise on my own."
Mallory stared at with awe and sorrow in her eyes. "You are so strong," she whispered a mont later. "And brave."
I shook my head. "No. Just... determined not to break. And I think you are too."
She fell silent, wiping the last of her tears. But her shoulders were straighter now. Her breathing more even.
"Thank you for telling ," she whispered.
"I’m always here," I said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Always."
For the first ti that night, she smiled. It was small. Shaky. But it was there.
And I knew, sohow, that we would both make it through.
She ended up staying the night.
She curled up beside on the bed. Her hair was still slightly damp from the quick shower she had taken to wash the tears and tension off. We didn’t turn off the lights completely, leaving the bedside lamp on with its warm, orange glow casting soft shadows around us.
Neither of us felt like sleeping.
Instead, we lay side by side, whispering in the quiet darkness about everything and nothing - boys, the Academy, awkward first kisses, the terrifying reality of being mated before you are even ready to love, and the silly little things that used to bother us before the weight of the bond and heartbreak made them seem trivial.
We painted little dreams in the air - of what life could be like if things were simpler, if we weren’t tangled in bonds and complicated emotions. Of maybe living in a tiny cottage with a garden, with no packs or expectations, just freedom. Just peace.
Eventually, Mallory rested her head on my shoulder. Her breathing haf finally turned even and her voice sounded soft as she whispered, "I’m really glad I have you."
I turned slightly and brushed a kiss to her hair. " too."
And in that quiet, safe bubble of shared pain and unspoken promises, we drifted off together. Not as broken girls, but as two best friends who, no matter what, would never let each other break alone again.
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