My Mates Chose The Other Girl novel Chapter 2

When I stepped out of Father's room, Gale was waiting in the hallway. He leaned against the doorframe, twirling a buttercup between his fingers, lost in thoughtcompletely absorbed.

I recognized the flower—the same one he’d been so eager to get from Ivy earlier today.

When he spotted me, he tucked the flower away, his face softeningbreaking into a smile. "Elara?"

I wiped my eyes and walked past him without a word.

"Elara, where are you going?"

I didn’t answer, didn’t even look back.

I'd only gone a few steps when the silence behind me registered. I spun around to find him standing where I’d left him, several paces behind.

He frowned, cupping the buttercup gently as the wind tried to bend its delicate stem.

A tightness twisted in my chest.

Frustration surged within me.

"Gale!" I shouted. " Are you coming or not?Why aren’t you coming?"

My voice rose, sharp and urgent enough to turn heads down the streetmake shifters down the street look over. He barely glanced up, his shadow stretching long in the fading light.

Panic suddenly flared up in my chest. I stamped my foot, teeth clenched, ready to march right back to him.

Then he spoke.

"I can't walk you home anymore, Elara."

He turned and headed toward Ivy’s place.

By the time I got home, the house was empty. Just me. The fire Gale had started that morning still crackled in the hearth. I reached for more wood, but a spark caught my hand.

My lip trembled, and the realization hit me—no one was left to care if I got hurt.

My nails dug into my palms as I shot to my feet and bolted outside.

The winter air bit through my clothes. I stood there in nothing but a thin linen tunic, pale and shivering, until Gale finally appeared. His clothes were rumpled, his hair mussed.

A fresh bite mark stood out on his neck. He glanced at Aquila with barely concealed impatience before his eyes landed on me.

Irritation flickered across his face.

Ice flooded my veins. I stepped back without thinking.

A blanket landed on my shoulders. When I looked up, all I could see was the hard set of Aquila's jaw. Gale stepped closer, wearing that familiar, gentle expression.

For a moment, I almost believed I had imagined that flash of irritation.

"Elara—what happened to you?"

I bit my lip.

"Gale, I... I won’t ask you to go all the way to the mountains for winterberries anymore. I won’t complain about the furs not being soft enough, and I won’t bother you when you’re tired... From now on, you’re the only one I want. I don’t need anyone else. Please don’t leave me."