"Beatrice." Athan's voice has now gone completely sour after seeing me stare at the same waiter again for the millionth time this night. It's his fault, not mine. He's the one who chose to have our date at an Italian restaurant. 

Large mullioned windows take up most of the left side of the room. When I look down at my combat boots, I notice the flagstone tiles make up the entire floor. The room is separated into two by polychromed columns. The shabby booths are shoved into the back of the room where shorter versions of the columns exist. And to top it all off, walls are garnished with various depictions of important events in Italian history. Why go to Italy when I can get the whole package right here?   

In the corner of the room, the waiter just stands there, propped up against a wall, divulged in his phone. I can't get a good look at his eyes or his face, but his hair. Good heavens, his hair. The exact pigment of maple sugar, and shaggy too. His silk skin, kissed by the strongest rays of sunlight, is juxtaposed to his poorly tailored suit leaving me to ponder over the question - is he even an employee here? 

"Beatrice," Athan repeats himself yet once again. This time, he finally grabs my attention. I turn away to face his eyes as he looks down at me with concern. I cross my arms and sigh - this is so not how I saw my first date turning out as. "What do you find so intriguing about him?" 

"He seems familiar," I say in a whisper. My eyes then pull away just in time to catch the walkie-talkie tucked away in a snug area of the man's apron. I then pull myself back together and go back to my date. "He doesn't belong here. I mean, I may not be an expert on these mortal's customs but I do know that he'd have been fired if he actually works here." 

Athan leans over the table, cupping his hands over my fist. We meet eye-to-eye. I try not to notice how soft his eyes are, but still I do. They're so intriguing. While soft, one can't help but not want to explore the mystery behind those eyes. What dark secrets they hold. His whole story basically. 

With a nonchalant chuckle, I pull away and lean back into my chair. Athan tries to mimic me and does the same thing. I bite down on my knuckles laughing. "Have you ever been on a date before?"

"Yes," Athan replies. He looks up at the ceiling and then back down at me. "Although, they signified nothing to me. They thought we were on a date, but in reality, we were merely sharing an afternoon for cordial lunch. Nothing less, nothing more."  

"So, you've never been on a date," I point out. I bite down on my knuckles again with a laughter. "Athan Wellings, you've never been on a date."

"And you have?" he presses back in. He crosses his arm and I shake my head with shame, although a wide smile is on my face. "That's right. We're both on our first date." 

I feel a hard hand cup over my shoulder. His cold voice whispers into my ear, shooting a shiver down my spine. Athan sees it too. "Betrys. Funny seeing you here." Out of all the people, Llwyd sent his own son, Rylan, to spy on me. How convenient. 

I rise from my seat before I can signal to Athan that I know who's here. I turn around quickly to meet Rylan's sun-striken brown eyes and grab his shoulder with a tight grip. I drag him into the back of closet, closing the door behind us. Darkness conceals us. 

"Your father sent you here, I presume," I say. I keep a calm demeanor although my aura is raging now that I'm away from my date. I feel a tingling sensation as his hand touches my cheek.

"Oh, Betrys," I hear Rylan's voice hiss into my ear. My heart stops for a moment as his voice continues. "I think we both know the real reason I'm here." I choke down on my breath. Memories flood my brain.

Rylan and I used to be lovers. It all started one lousy Sunday after church. As part of our confirmation journey, we had to perform community service - Rylan and I just happened to be signed up together, by chance. Halfway through, his hand wrapped around my waist, and next thing I knew, my lips were on his. 

Everything took off from there. Every other day, I found myself sneaking out to the graveyard to meet him. Following that, we'd escape into the woods, or what we called - The Hideout. We'd dance to our song and kiss. There'd be an occasion where we'd hide out on the weekends and have a short three-episode marathon of our favorite show - Once Upon A Time - until the day broke. Then we'd have to leave. 

We held on a secret relationship for two steady years. I still remember the day we broke up as clear as day. That doesn't surprise me because it was also the day Eileene and Kyran got married. 

It was around ten o'clock that Wednesday. After the wedding, all I really wanted to do was to let off some steam. The next day my life was going to change, so what possibly could be better than spending my last few hours of freedom with Rylan?

"Why are we in the graveyard outside the Howlson Catholic Church again?" Keanna asked me as I dragged her out onto the sight of Rylan and I's first hideout. It was a ludicrious idea at the time, but I wanted my best friend to be the first one to know. 

"I need to show you something." The one thing I didn't take into account - Rylan was hiding because of someone being behind me. I was the one who wanted to make our relationship public. Rylan forbade it because he was too nervous about how his father would react. As he explained, future alpha's were forbidden to date anyone until the future luna was chosen. "It's okay. It's just Keanna." 

Rylan peered out from behind a big boulder being used as a cheap headstone for one of the graves. His hair was slicked back with an unhealthy quantity of grease. He reminded me of those bikers in that movie I liked watching. 

"Kee, this is my boyfriend," I told Keanna as I gestured toward Rylan. Keanna's jaw dropped to the grass, and Rylan followed up with a cordial wave. "We've been dating for two years." 

"You're dating the future alpha," Keanna remarked once she got ahold of her composure. Then it fell again once she started squealing with absolute delight - typical. "OMG, B. OMG!" She went running off with shouts of excitement before I could go into more detail about it and get to the "secret" part. 

I turned to Rylan with a laugh. "She'll have forgotten about it betimes she gets home," I assured him. To this day, I assume I was right. Keanna never mentioned Rylan to me anytime after I introduced him to her as my boyfriend. 

"I feel bad for whoever her Match is," he joked. I don't know why, but he always had a joke in handy at the least appropriate of moments. Still, I worked around it. 

I went over to the boulder and sat down next to him. I found myself nuzzled up against his arm, letting the moonlight soak over us in glorious rays. After situating myself, I opened my mouth and words came out. "Judging by the polls, that could possibly be you." 

"The polls don't fully understand how the system works out for alphas," Rylan said to me, holding me close. When I was paying attention the least, he planted a kiss on my forehead. "You see, since there isn't a new alpha every year, extra precautions are taken for their Matching. I won't exactly be Matched tomorrow, but I can start deciding who I want the luna to be tomorrow."

"How long does it usually take?" I asked. 

"From a week up to a month," he replied. His breath drew in heavily as he gave me a confused look only a moment later. "Wait, they actually think Keanna and I would be a good couple?" 

"I guess so," I replied with a shrug. I pulled out my phone and turned on our song. We retreated into the woods where we danced like five-year-olds around the trees and boulders. It was very interpretive. I couldn't help but laugh until I nearly fainted once the song ended. 

Then my joy faded all of sudden when the memory of the long stare Keanna and him shared earlier at the wedding. My mouth opened with a sullen exhale. "You like her, don't you?" 

"Betrys," Rylan tried to assure me of his feelings, but nothing he said could make me believe. "I promise you, there's nothing between Keanna and I."

"Yes, you do like her," I shot back, and turned my back to him. I couldn't let him see my tears. No one except Keanna had ever seen me cry. "I've seen the way you look at her. It's the way my brother looks at Eileene. The look that means she could possibly be the one for you." 

I paused for a moment to choke back my tears and keep my composure. I inhaled with a heavy sigh. "You never look at me that way, Rylan. I was gonna talk to you about it earlier but there was no time." I paused again to compose myself yet once again. "You have no idea what it feels like for someone to love someone yet still know that they'll never be the one."

"That's not true," I heard him protest. I closed my eyes and in my head counted to ten. 

"Find me if it ever becomes clear about what you really want," I said. With that, I broke into a run down the forest, taking the shortcut back to my place. Tears ran down my face faster than a waterfall. A soft melancholic moan emitted from the back of my throat. 

I wasn't paying attention and I stumbled over a rock. When I stopped to check for a damages, I looked over at my knee and noticed a large scar tearing through the skin, leaving a big red, jagged line of my misery. 

"Betrys," Rylan's warm breath meets my ear. My shoulders seem to enjoy the affection when he places his hands on my shoulder. "I want to be with you." I don't answer. I don't react. I keep my stare trained on the closet door. I feel his breath hitch. "You're not falling for the beast, are you?" 

Just as quickly as Rylan manages to spit the words out of his mouth like venom, the idea of falling for Athan enters my mind. What does it even mean? Falling in love? It's merely a saying when you can't get a certain someone out of your mind. I can't say it's easy. It takes time, and it sure cannot be forced. 

Rylan's voice interrupts my thoughts. "This is a simple case of Beauty & The Beast. You're the beauty, he's the beast - it's just not meant to be. But you and I, we can be together if you just take down the leader of the Resistance, and end this once and for all." 

"Why would I do such a thing?" I ask, pulling away from him. I turn to face him. Even in the dark, his eyes glow brighter than moonlight. I can't help myself but keep my eyes trained on such features. 

"Inside, in the innermost depths of your soul, isn't there some part of you that craves vengeance after the atrocities he has put you through?" His voice is very tempting, but I keep resisting until I can't. "A part that wants him to feel as much pain as he has made you feel?" 

"He turned me into a hybrid," I confess. I wish I hadn't told him that. He knows that when I admit big secrets, it usually means I'm conceding. "Of course I want him to feel the pain I did." 

"Then kill him," he enunciates with every possible breath available. I feel a knife being placed in my hands - a dagger, maybe. I hear him digging through his pockets. I feel a metal rim poking into my palm. "And then we can be together." 

~

Hey guys. I have to admit, this is probably one of my favorite chapters I have written for this book. What did you think? 

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. 

X Shay X