Chapter 16 - Edited Once
Skye (Edited Once)
When I got a call from Julian, he told me he wanted to speak with our uncle about an important matter related to Joey. He asked if I could stay with Stella while he was away and I was more than thrilled to hang out with my best friend outside of school. I made her breakfast, seeing as she was still sleeping, and looked exhausted from yesterday’s events.
Even though we were best friends, she never told me about her situation, nor how did she end up in my cousin’s house. I was elated when I learned that she was Julian’s mate and our future Luna, but how did they meet was what bugging me. When I asked Aunt Nancy, she told me that it was not her story to tell, and I kind of felt hurt that I did not know about what was going on in her life. I would wait for her to open up to me, and trust me with her secrets.
As I was thinking of what could her secrets be, Stella stood near the counter, rubbing the sleep from her unique gray eyes. I smiled. “Good morning, sleepy head, did you enjoy your dreams?” I asked while flipping the pancakes. They landed perfectly on the big plate. “Nailed it,” I commented happily and saw Stella with a wide smile.
“That was awesome, and good morning. Did Julian send you to babysit?” she joked as she sat on a chair near the fridge.
“Yeah, and I missed my best girl. I want to spend some alone time with you. Don’t think I forgot you owe me an explanation, young lady.” I pointed the spoon at her face with a smirk. She sighed and whispered something very low, even my ears did not catch. My wolf got irritated that her high sense of hearing did not work here.
“Okay, but I need to eat first,” she said, and I handed her some pancakes. I sat next to her, texting Cody, telling him my whereabouts. I did not want him to worry and go berserk.
“I hope you liked your food.”
“Are you kidding? This is amazing, when did you learn to cook? You sucked at everything related to housing stuff.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh please, I always knew how to cook. I was just hiding my talent and giving other people the opportunity to shine,” I reasoned.It was just pancakes. A couple of seconds later, we burst out laughing. She knew that I suck at everything related to being wife material, but I did not want to agree.
“Are your new talents for your boyfriend?” she asked, and I felt my cheeks heat up.
Darn, she’s smart.
Except, he’s not just my boyfriend. He’s my mate, my one and only love.
I can’t tell her that until Julian tells her the truth about him.
“Yeah, I really love him,” I replied honestly as we got up and headed to her room.
I really give credit to Julian for being patient with her. It was hard for mates not to come in physical contact with each other as soon as they saw each other. Julian was strong, but he could not last more than a month without touching her, to be more precise,markingher, to let everyone knows that she was his mate and Luna.
“Awe, I wish you all the best and to live happily ever after with him,” Stella prayed, and I giggled.
“Thank you. Now, enough about me, let’s talk about you, Stella.” I said as we sat on the couch, facing each other.
She sighed. “Okay, what do you want to know?”
“Start with you being in my cousin’s house. I’m not being rude or anything but I need to know. You are always welcome here,” I cleared.
A few seconds passed, and she looked determined. “Do you remember my brother Raymond?”
“What about him?” I never liked him. He was weird.
“He’s not the ideal brother you might think he is,” she said, and I wanted to correct her by saying that I never thought of him as ideal, but let her finish. “Raymond... is abusive.”
That son of a bitch!
“Elaborate, please! He hit you?” I asked, getting angry and ready to kill. Even my wolf got mad since she was our future Luna.
She averted her eyes and sighed. “Yes, and not just your typical domestic violence... He always found new ways to... torture me for his own pleasure.”
Oh if I see him...
“I felt off when I saw him once. Never liked him. How could he do that to you? That sick fucking bastard.” I raised my tone, surprising her in the process. “Sorry, but since when? When did it all start?”
“I received my first beating when I was ten. The abuse lasted until I escaped and ended up here by chance.” My eyes widened. I was an awful friend for not noticing anything odd.
How did I miss the signs?
“Eight years? Why the fuck you didn’t say anything? I’ve been your best friend and sister for years. How can you not tell me? I could have helped!”
‘I will tear his body to pieces if I see him, Skye!’My wolf growled in my head, and I understood her rage.
“I g-got scared. He threatened to hurt whoever I told, so I stayed quiet for years. I did not want to drag anyone with me,” she replied, and I felt angry at myself.
She was ALWAYS smiling.
She ALWAYS gave the feeling that she was a strong, independent, and happy girl.
I’m such a terrible sister.
I did not realize I was crying until she wiped my tears. She was abused, and I was crying.Woman up, Skye!
“Don’t cry,” she whispered soothingly.
“I’m so sorry, Stella. I should have known. I should have asked. I’m sorry.” I apologized over and over again until she pinched my lips together. It kind of hurt.
“Just shut up, will ya? It’s not your fault. I’m glad to have you. You were one of the main reasons I stayed happy at school. I always looked forward to our meetings. Thank you for that, Skye.”
I suddenly remembered her saying something important. “Why did you break into Julian’s house? I get that you wanted to escape, and I am happy that you did, but why now? What triggered it?”
“Raymond wanted to sell my body to his friends to do whatever they wanted to me, possibly rape me, so I escaped. I ran into the woods until I saw a sign of civilization, so I dashed toward it. It happened to be Julian’s house, and I am grateful that he was nice enough to help,” she explained, and I nodded in understanding.
I embraced her real tight. “Oh, I’m so gonna kill that bitch when I see him. How fucking dare he?” I yelled in a frustrated tone. He was worse than rogues.
She hugged me back. “Thank you, Skye. I really needed a friend. It felt nice to finally tell you. I always felt guilty for not sharing that part of my life with you. What can I do without you?”
“I know I’m awesome, no need to say it.”
Julian better tell her fast because I could not keep my secret from her, especially after she told me her deepest one.
′Let’s just tell her, ′ my wolf commented.
′No. It’s Julian’s job, and he better do it quickly,′ I replied.