Chapter 88

Anastasia threw him one last grin before she got into her car and pulled out of their driveway, starting on the journey home where her laptop and pasta leftovers were awaiting her.

While she had been telling the truth about hoping to write another chapter today, have wrote one before breakfast and then a second between breakfast and lunch, she doubted that she would be able to now.

In order to be able to drive off pack lands, she had to drive past the pack house and the more she thought about it, the more she felt herself giving in despite the fact that she knew it was a bad decision. Most probably one that she would come to regret later.

But for now, all she could think about was parking up outside the pack house and going into his office just to feel like she was around him.

When she stepped into the pack house and stopped by the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, no one battled an eyelash and instead, they greeted her warmly. Not a single one of them asked what she was doing there but rather, they expressed their wishes of seeing her more often which made Anastasia feel very warm and tingly inside.

Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last long as the second she slipped into his office; Anastasia felt like the breath had been knocked out of her.

Despite wanting nothing more than to wait around for him in his office until he got home so they could talk about everything, her head now in a much clearer state than it had been since their argument over a week ago. While she had a lot of time to think about everything that had gone on between them, she also had, had a lot of time to think about how good they could truly be together if only the both of them allowed it.

While she wasn’t in any state to be able to forgive him and move on from the way he had treated her, Anastasia wanted to give him a chance. Even though things looked quite dull, grim and hopeless from where she was standing, she wanted for things to work between them. She wanted for them to work but for that to be possible, she would need to push her ego to the side and see if he felt the same way, or if he preferred to remain dicking around.

If the former, then she scarcely allowed herself to hope that despite the tragic beginning and rocky middle, they would eventually make it to the end. However, if the latter, then she was prepared to permanently cut him out of her life. Although, despite trying to force herself into thinking positive thoughts and trying to see the positive side of things, she couldn’t help but wonder where he was.

Sitting in his chair behind his desk, running her hands over the same wood that he sat at every day, the musky scent of her mate that wrapped around her, it was almost like he was there with her. Like she was near him. Like they hadn’t been arguing and going at each other’s throats since the first day that they had met.

Anastasia wished for things to be different between them, for things to be easier and simple but alas, things were never that easy.

Anastasia had visited Justas, Raphael and baby Alistair three times that week, and every single time they had mentioned that Marcellus was away at another pack. While she trusted her best friends and didn’t believe that they would lie to her about something as simple as that, she didn’t believe that things were as simple or mundane as a friendly visit.

She sincerely doubted that he was suddenly in a very friendly, gracious mood with the urge to make peace with his fellow Alphas, and couldn’t help but wonder if he had resumed trying to find a choice mate at the insistence of the council.

That thought left a sour taste in her mouth and desperate to get away from anything that reminded her of him, Anastasia rushed out of her office, forgetting her water bottle in the rush as well as leaving the door ajar. Her tunnel vision continued to be fuelled by her anger and loathing of him as she got back into her car and continued the journey home, desperate to get away from him and his pack.

The moment Anastasia pulled her car into her driveway, she felt the itch to turn around and head back to the pack house, now wishing that she had remained waiting for him in his office for when he got home so they could properly talk, and maybe even resolve matters.

“Fuck him!” She swore loudly as she slammed the front door behind her, hating the fact that tears sprung to her eyes. Despite the fact that she attempted to blink them back, they streamed down her face at the thought of him picking out a choice mate; of him mating with someone that wasn’t her.

She hated the fact that she wanted him and didn’t want him at the same time. She also hated the fact that he didn’t seem to want her. Or if he did, he was giving her mixed signals, leaving her thoughts and feelings all over the place.

Desperate to get her mind off him, she dropped herself at the dining table and turned on her laptop, her fingers tapping away at the keys, only pausing a few times a minute to wipe away the tears that clouded her vision.

The fact that she was currently writing a difficult scene where the it appeared that one of the main characters wouldn’t make it just made it all that much worse and as much as she tried to pour her hurt and pain into her writing, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Anastasia wasn’t sure how long she had been forcing herself to write the final chapter of the evening, but when her stomach rumbled multiple times, she knew that dinner time had long passed come and gone however, she still wasn’t finished.

It was only when a knock sounded on the door that she paused. Her head snapped up at the sound and she glanced up from her laptop, not too sure what to do. When another knock sounded, she wiped away her tears on the back of her sleeve before making her way toward the door, confused as to who was dropping by so late in the evening.

“Marcellus?” She couldn’t help but whisper as she headed toward the front door, hoping it was her mate even though he was the last person that she wanted to see right now.

All of these conflicting emotions were starting to take a toll on her as she felt mentally drained however, she wouldn’t be able to sleep without eating something first.

Her lips tugged down into a small frown as she stared out the peep hole, not recognising the man on the other side of the door. She watched as he reached out to press the doorbell again. When he rang for a third and fourth time, she held her breath and forced herself to stay deathly quiet, not at all trusting of the strange man stood outside her door at ten in the evening.

It was only after the fifth ring that the delivery man huffed and took a step back.

Anastasia watched as he bent down and placed the flowers down on the ground in front of the door before finally, he turned around and began away from the house. It was only when he got into his delivery van and drove away down the road until she could no longer see him through the peep hole that Anastasia dare to open the door.

A puzzled expression played on her face as she reached down to pick up the bouquet of roses and closed the door, tugging on the small card that was nestled between the petals.

I’m sorry, my love.

Yours,

Mars

While she would actively deny it if someone asked her about it, but her lips tugged up high at the corners as she read over the simple message again and again. The more she read over the words, the more she felt like her heart would burst in her chest.

A small giggle escaped her as she lifted the flowers to take a big whiff, genuinely touched by his gesture, uncaring of the fact that roses weren’t even her favourite flowers. Another giggle sounded from her as she clutched the flowers to her chest and headed into the kitchen so she could place them in a vase, wanting these flowers to last for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, she was barely able to take three steps before she realised that something was seriously wrong.

Her whole world started to spin and slowly, everything started to go dark. Despite everything and her suspicions of her mate doing this to her, she clutched the card tightly between her fingers, not yet ready to let go.