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.

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