My Mates Chose The Other Girl novel Chapter 3

The words tumbled out faster and faster, like a dam breaking. I didn’t notice Aquila standing right beside me, or how his expression changed.

Gale listened, but his eyes stayed fixed on my bloodied knees.

Old habits took overWithout thinking, I reverted to the spoiled, petulant girl I used to be. I even reached for his hand, desperate.

"You promised you'd always stay with me! Gale, you can't just—You promised!"

My fingers closed around empty air as he pulled away.

"It’s cold out here. Come in."

The room felt warm. I sank into a wooden chair, its seat lined with soft fur.

Everything was neat and orderly—the walls sanded smooth, firewood stacked high in the corner, enough to last through deep winter.

I thought of my own house, cold and empty. After Aquila and Rufus left, Gale still came by, but his heart was never in itbut his mind was always somewhere else.

The roof leaked no matter how many times he patched it, and he only chopped firewood when we were down to the last logs.

On the coldest nights, I didn’t complain like I used to. Instead, I’d slip into his arms without a word, terrified he’d leave me as well.

Voices drifted in from the next room, low and hushed.

"Going soft on her?"

"I’m telling you right now—if you're having second thoughts, don’t bother coming back."

I froze, leaning in closer to listen. Gale’s voice returned, flat and cold.

"No. I just don’t want her running to the Chief again, making trouble for Ivy. Don’t worry. I know how to handle herShe’s easy to deal with."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My mind went blank.

Aquila laughed, low and amused.

Footsteps faded down the hall. Then someone crouched in front of me.

I threw my arm up without thinking. The motion sent the scalding water splashing back. Droplets hit the pup’s bare calf and the back of his hand.

For a heartbeat, the boypup froze completely. Then he let out a wail that could wake the dead.

The door burst open, and cold air rushed in. Hands gripped my throat.

Rufus loomed over me, his eyes flashing with green fury. He was laughing, but there was no humor in it.

"Bullying Ivy wasn’t enough for you? Now you’re going after her kid?" His grip tightened. "You really are something, Elara."

Of the three of them, Rufus had been the cruelest when he leftOf the three of them, Rufus had left the worst. I’d gone crying to my father, and Ivy had almost been exiled because of it.

To keep her in the clan, Rufus took on a suicide mission without complaining. He’d barely survived, and that was the cost of letting them stay.

The look in his eyes when he left still haunted me.

"I was an idi0t." His voice had been flat, empty. "The biggest mistake of my life was treating you like you were precious."