Chapter Sixty-seven

ALLIE

Is there anything better than a good joint and live music? Wait. I knew that answer. There was one thing. Sex with Zane.

I groaned and inhaled on the joint. How could I be hours from him and he still be on my mind? Where was Blake? I needed him to distract me.

I was moving to the music and trying my best to forget my problems because come Tuesday morning, my problems would still be there, but this live music and this joint won’t be so I needed to enjoy both now.

I was in a world of my own when someone wrapped their hand around my upper arm, pulling me from the middle of the crowd.

WHAT THE FUCK!

I turned to yell at them, but who I saw, made me stop.

Ebony.

What did she want?

Why the hell was she here?

Did Blake invite her?

If so, why the hell didn’t he tell me?

I had spent the whole ride here getting on to him, how he needed to get back together with her so why didn’t he just tell me he had invited her? I would have stopped nagging him about him taking her back if I knew.

Because her being here, meant there was a chance they would get back together which I had to encourage because I wasn’t leaving my friend at the end of the year by himself.

“What do you want?” I snapped. She could hear me over the music so I didn’t need to yell, even though I would like to as she was sleeping with my mate.

It was because of her I was having nightmare after nightmare of being alone.

Facing the unknown by yourself was scary, and it was scaring me knowing at the end of the year I was moving countries and starting a whole new life on my own.

“I came to talk to you,” she snapped back about as friendly as a fight dog.

“I think you have the wrong person, Ebony. The person you want to speak to is Blake. Are you drunk or something?”

“WHY do people keep asking me that?! I’m not drunk! Or lost! I want to speak with you.”

“Well, that’s nice, but I don’t want to fucking speak to you. Now, fuck off.” I ripped my arm from her grasp.

She could die a slow painful death as far as I was concerned. It would be nothing compared to what she had put me through.

The memory of her in Zane’s room, in her underwear, flashed in my mind and him walking out of the bathroom with just a towel around him. Fuck it. I had trusted him.

I really was an idiot.

But my idiot days were behind me. I saw people for what they were, and Ebony was a slut. One that liked to sleep with my mate.

I might be encouraging Blake to get back together with her, but that was only because I didn’t want my friend by himself.

“Zane and I, we never slept together,” she yelled, trying to get my attention. “Not once have we slept together since he marked you.”

I scoffed, “Sure. Whatever you say, Ebony.”

“I’m not lying! Well, I was, but not about it now. We haven’t had sex. Zane doesn’t want me, and I don’t want him. All I want is Blake.”

“Well, go find Blake. I think he went to the toilet. Go check there.” I waved her off, not believing a word she was saying.

Then suddenly, Blake appeared behind her looking more furious than usual. He was glaring at her.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay the fuck away from Allie!” he roared at her.

I watched her cringe. I knew what it felt like when Zane roared at me when he thought I had purposely blocked him out, when really my wolf was dying. Yeah, I knew what it felt like to have your mate yell at you so I wanted to yell at myself for doing it, but I was going to stick up for her.

“It’s fine, Blake. She was just looking for you anyway,” I said and reached into the ice bucket and pulled out another beer. “I think I need something stronger than beer,” I said to myself.

“See what you’ve done! You’ve got her wanting the hard stuff!” Blake roared at Ebony.

Well, he was right. I did want something harder because Ebony had just reminded me of her and Zane. Even if she was saying her and him didn’t happen, I didn’t believe it.

I read his mind earlier this week when she said they slept together on the weekend. He honestly couldn’t remember, but his memory had pointed towards a firm yes.

Yeah, it still made me feel sick.

And he had been the one to say I would be in his bed one day and Blake’s the next. Yeah, that really happened. It was the other way around. Me in his bed one night. Ebony the next.

“Zane and I have not had sex!” Ebony yelled between Blake and me. “I lied, ok. I lied because Blake was hurting me, and I wanted to hurt him back, and the only way to do that was to hurt you. So, I lied.”

I looked at her shocked. Was she actually serious right now? I looked at Blake, frowning. Was that believable? I didn’t know when she was lying or not. Blake could tell, couldn’t he?

I arched my eyebrows at him, for him to either confirm her story or destroy it.

“Doesn’t matter anymore anyway,” Blake snapped. “Just piss off, Ebony, and I know your dickheads of friends will be near, so take them with you.”

Wait a sec. “Zane is here?” No, surely not. This whole weekend was to get away from him. I had suffered through school being near him. Feeling him in my mind. I had suffered through that, but this weekend I had left to get away from him.

Ebony nodded her head. “He is, and he wants to see you, but only after you believe me when I say I was lying.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “How do I not know you aren’t lying now because, the situation was reversed, I would lie for Blake?”

She looked at me with dislike. “Do you honestly believe I would try and make you feel better if it wasn’t the truth? You know I hate you. You are basically stealing my mate from me so why would I stand here and say something which is only going to make you feel better?”

She had a point.

“Fuck off, Ebony.” Blake pushed her away. “Now.”

“I’m not leaving until I’ve got you back,” she said, determined. “You hear me, Blake. When you are back with me, that’s when I leave.”

“Well, it sounds like you are in for a long and boring weekend. Enjoy the festival.” Blake gripped my arm and started dragging me away.

“HEY, I WAS LISTENING TO THAT SET!” I yelled, being pulled away from Ebony and the festival I was enjoying. We still had hours of music to go.

“I’m tired,” Blake snapped at me and dragged me back to our campsite.

Just because his mate had shown up and ruined his night, didn’t mean she had to ruin mine. Still being his friend. I didn’t protest when he pushed me inside and closed the door. It was when he went to lock it, I laughed.

“What? Scared she will break in or something?” I said laughing.

He looked at me seriously. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“Aww, Blake, you are funny,” I sighed, and went to the fridge pulling out the vodka and orange juice. “Ok, we need to talk then seeing as you have dragged me from my music.” I closed the fridge door.

“Don’t start, Allie.”

I smiled at him. “I told you on the way here you and her are meant to be and now what do you know, she shows up here, begging for you to take her back.”

“How did you know she begged?”

I laughed at his expression. “It was a figure of speech, but if she really did it, it just adds to my point.”

“I don’t want her.”

“So, your heart doesn’t beat faster when you are around her. Your mind doesn’t race with all the ways you could get her undressed and the pain you feel when you go to sleep at night without her. That doesn’t happen either, right?”

He looked at me with wide eyes. I was guessing I was hitting all the nails on the head.

“Yeah, Blake. It doesn’t get better without them, only worse. Your mate – the one you promised you would spend the rest of your life with when you pierced her skin with your teeth needs you. You can’t fight that.”

I swallowed my vodka and orange juice.

“I can try,” he grumbled, running a hand through his hair. “When I’m with you I don’t need her as much. The pull for her isn’t as strong.”

“But you do realize I’m a band-aid right?” I looked at him, waiting for him to realize. “Just go find her and talk to her.”

“No.”

“Fine, answer this simple question.” I put my drink down. “Do you love her? The need to always put her first, is that there? To always want to please her?”

He remained quiet.

I knew the answer.

“I know she hurt you but… and I don’t say this because I like her, I say this because I honestly think she loves you back and it was my fault she went to another man’s arms.”

My mate's arms, but I didn’t say that.

“What do I say to her?” he groaned. “How the hell do I just take her back?”

“Simple. Just talk. I think what comes from that will be natural. You won’t have to force it.” I smiled at my friend. “Go on, what are you waiting for?”

His hand was on the door. “I’m not turning my back on you. Bringing you here and ditching you. I’m not doing that.”

“You make that sound like it’s possible.” I grinned and pushed him on the shoulder. “Just go see your mate, alright. I’ll be fine. I have vodka and an endless supply of food.”

He smiled and nodded his head. “You’ve always been a better friend than me.”

“Trust me, you’re a great friend.”

“Thanks.” He unlocked the door and then turned back to look at me. “She wasn’t lying earlier about her and Zane. She was telling the truth.”

My smile dropped. So, she had been telling the truth. I knew he would know if she had been or not. Surely, he should have picked up on her lying about it to begin with, instead of having to wait for her to be honest.

“I didn’t pick up on her lying because I wanted to believe it, but hearing her tonight, she was honest, Allie. Her and Zane haven’t had sex since he marked you.”

Should that make a difference? I smiled grimly. “Guess it doesn’t matter anymore anyway.”

“Well, you want me to go back to her when she has been unfaithful, so why won’t you go back to him, when he hasn’t?” Blake made a good point.

“My relationship with Zane is a bit more complicated. You know I don’t trust people. I trusted him, and he broke it.”

“Well, when you think about it, he hasn’t really. Ebony lied.” Blake sighed. “She’s a fucking bitch at times.”

“Yeah, you really hit the jackpot.” I smiled at his bad luck and nodded my head. “Get out of here, Falcon, before she does track us down and I end up killing her. Then you won’t have to worry about not having a mate or not.”

“Yeah righto, Winters, I’m going.” He opened the door and left.

Leaving me by myself with a bottle of vodka. Maybe I should stop mixing the orange juice. I think I could have it by itself now because I needed it as strong as I could get it. Hopefully, I will pass out from alcohol poisoning.