“I guess. You gonna talk to Rose then?” Jacob asked.
“Will I regret it, Jacob? If I let her go, will I regret it?” Taylor asked.
“I don’t know how to explain to you. Mates are a part of your soul. When you don’t know them, you live just fine without them. Once you find them, living without them is the most miserable experience ever,” Jacob said.
Taylor sighed and leaned back. “Thanks for talking to me, man,” he said.
Chapter 12
Taylor
It was the opening ceremony for the championship. Taylor was sitting with Dominque and Bellatrix. He could see Rose sitting nearby, laughing with her friends. She looked up, and their eyes met. Taylor looked back, and he saw her expression change. She nodded at him, but Taylor ignored her. She blushed and looked away.
The wolves were starting to perform choreographed acrobatic dances as the ceremony started. Taylor barely paid attention, lost in his own thoughts. He had another Sayor in his hand, even though it was morning. He gave up drinking for Rose, but the way he had been feeling, he had started drinking again. The dances lasted for a while, before the announcer came on.
“My dear wolves! I am your announcer for this year’s championship, Abigail!” Loud cheering followed this, and Abigail waved at them.
“This year’s selection process has been completed, and tomorrow we start with our first match of the quarter finals!” the announcer exclaimed. The crowd cheered at this, and the tournament board was brought out.
“We will have two groups. Group A will include Brenda, Harry, Andrew, and Rose. Group B will have Jacob, Taylor, Andrew, and Romain,” the announcer said. “The first match will be between Brenda and Rose! Followed by a match between Andrew and Harry! The matches for group B will be between Taylor and Shella, followed by a match between Romain and Jacob.”
The crowd cheered and whistled as the matches were announced. “The four people who win their matches will qualify for the semi-finals!” Abigail said. “Now, I would like to show you this champion’s trophy.”
The trophy was raised on a pedestal as everyone cheered wildly. Taylor was barely paying attention, his mind thoroughly preoccupied with Rose. He was very confused about what to do. He wanted to go and talk to her, ask her what was wrong. On the other hand, his ego and pride didn’t let him.
“This year, the championship is special. The winner of this year’s championship will be given the title of the captain of the army. This is why Dominque has decided that this year there will be a match to test the strength, a match to test the brain, and a match to test ethics! Each pair will first battle each other, followed by a match of chess! The ethical test will be taken personally by Dominque when the finals start,” the announcer said. “Now, let the party begin!”
Everyone got up, laughing and cheering. Taylor looked over to Rose and found her dancing with her friends. Some people got together in the centre, where a bon fire had been lit, and started to perform the ancient dance of the wolves. People cheered them on, joining in with the chants. He couldn’t believe it. He was miserable, and here she was, dancing and enjoying herself. He got up from his chair and walked off to his own group of friends.
He grabbed another bottle of Sayor and went to sit with Lucas. Brittany was there as well, along with her entire girl gang. Taylor took a swing of his Sayor, leaning back in his chair.
“Hey, handsome,” a girl said, walking over. “I am Penelope. Nice to meet you.”
Taylor took a swing of his drink again and saw Rose dancing with her friends. He turned towards the girl and gave his best charming smile. “Hey. I am Taylor. It’s very nice meeting you.”
Penelope giggled. “I know who you are. I saw you compete. Also, you are pretty popular,” she said, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.
“Popular, you say?” Taylor said, grabbing her hand in his. A part of his brain told him not to do this, but seeing Rose so indifferent made him furious.
“Yes. Very. In fact, I have wanted to meet you for a long time.” Taylor pulled her onto his lap, and she sat down laughing.
Taylor gave her his most charming smile and pulled her closer. She was chatting away about some party, but Taylor wasn’t the least bit interested. All he could think about was Rose and how she would feel in his arms. Also, he was starting to realise how much more fun it was to talk to Rose. She talked intelligently, about meaningful, interesting things. She was well-read and could converse on any topic.
Taylor had always been used to girls like Penelope. The only thing they talked about was clothes, shoes, and parties. Rose was different, she made him think in a way that he never had. He looked around again, and saw Rose sipping on some Laligurans juice, sitting alone. Taylor had barely slept all night, thinking about her. He felt furious about how indifferent she was.
He pulled Penelope up and took her outside. She followed him, giggling.
“I heard you are a very good kisser,” she said, when they were alone.
Taylor didn’t reply, he just pulled her close, and kissed her. It was unpleasant, compared to how Rose had felt. Penelope tasted bitter and repulsive, and that made Taylor angrier. Rose had ruined other women for him. Now that he knew what it was like to kiss his mate, no woman will ever meet his expectations.
Penelope was moaning against his lips by now, her hands all over his chest. Taylor continued to kiss her, if only to push Rose out of his mind. He couldn’t believe she was out enjoying herself, when he was suffering. He was burning up. She was his mate; she knew the affect mates had on each other. Didn’t she for a minute think that she had hurt him?
He knew they didn’t have anything between them. He had accepted it, but she hadn’t even offered an explanation. She didn’t even treat him with the courtesy one would give to a friend. He kissed Penelope harder, feeling his frustration with Rose build up. Even now, he felt miserable. He just wanted to pick Rose up, talk to her, kiss her, but she had treated him like a worthless pile of shit.
Taylor was so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear Rose calling his name. It wasn’t until she had walked in on them, kissing, that he realised she was standing there. Taylor pushed Penelope away and turned towards Rose, who was standing there frozen.
Then she bolted, running away in the opposite direction.
