My Mates Chose The Other Girl novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Silence. Rufus knocked again. Then a third time. Nothing.

Dread pooled in their guts. They exchanged a glance before shoving the door open.

The room was empty.

The place was a mess, just like it had been the night before. The rabbit pelt lay on the floor, impossible to miss. Dust

covered it, like something abandoned and forgotten.

The hearth was cold. The water barrel stood full, but a layer of ice had formed on top.

Nothing was missing, yet somehow everything felt gone.

Gale’s eyes landed on the basket of winterberries sitting on the table. They were shriveled and dotted with mold. Each

one bore a tiny, hesitant bite.

Pain shot through his chest.

Gale lurched forward and knocked the basket over. The stench of decay hit him immediately. Every single berry had

been bitten at least once.

A hand gripped Gale’s shoulder. Aquila stood behind him, his face contorted with rage.

“Look at this place!” His voice shook. “The woodshed’s empty. There’s no food. You let her live like this?”

“You left her here alone, freezing, gnawing on rot!”Gale’s throat worked, but no sound came out. He couldnpeak He’d thought I would go to Father if I ran out of food or firewood. He’d never imagined I’d be desperate enough to hoke down,

rotting berries.

Aquila squeezed his eyes shut. “If I’d known… I should’ve been the last to leave.”

Aquila shoved him to the ground.

Gale lay there, his face ashen, watching Aquila tear through the room. A cold stone slab for a bed. A threadbare fur for

warmth.

Water dripped from the leaking roof, landing right in front of him. The veins in his temples pulsed He looked ready to

break.

Rufus, usually the loudest of them all, stood silent. He just stared at the rotten berries scattered across the floor, despair

all over his face.

A horn sounded outside. The Drawing was beginning.

The village square was packed. Unmated females clustered together, their families huddled close.

The three of them pushed through the crowd, scanning every face. They searched again and again, but I was nowhere to

be found.

Chapter 7

6.09%

Sweat beaded on Gale’s forehead. He caught a woman he recognized by the arm. “Have you seen Elara?”

She shook her head. ‘No. Why would she be here? She’s with you three.”

The words hit him like a slap in the face. He let go of her arm.

Another woman nudged her and whispered. “Don’t you remember? Elara doesn’t have mates anymore. Those three left

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify