A Blessing or a Curse

Chapter Twelve: Mr. Mystery
“You didn’t come-yesterday-I waited for you.” he frowned while I plucked the petals off white daisy.
I wasn’t in my usual spot with Carter this time. We had met up there but wandered around for a bit and finally settled in a field of daisies where the sun shone brightly over our heads. It was getting hot again, May was around the corner.
“Something had come up. I…my aunt and little cousin needed me. I couldn’t leave the house. I’m sorry.” I apologized. I honestly didn’t know if I was sorry or not, but I didn’t care. I’d been up all night thinking and praying. I didn’t care for much other than the well being of my cousin.
“Are you in trouble or something? Did you do something?” he tried to get more out of me. I wasn’t going to tell him anything though. I didn’t want anyone knowing about my cousin’s condition. I hated the fact some people would jump to the conclusion that he’s crazy. He’s not crazy.
The only reason Ashelle knew because she was over my house when he had one of his ‘episodes’ and I had to explain it to her and made her swear not to tell anyone. “No, not really. Family issues.”
“You’re not gunna tell me, are you?” he give me a small smile. Whenever he smiled it melted my insides.
“Nope.” I smiled back.
“Secretive I see.” He ran his fingers through his unruly black hair. I wanted to run my hands through it myself to see if it was as soft as it looked but I kept my fingers busy by plucking the petals out of daisies.
“You’re not the only one.” I smirked at him referring to all the things he hid from me and unanswered questions I’d ask him.
He chuckled humorously and shook his head and brought his amber eyes to my hands. “Do you hate the flowers or something?”
I shrugged and flicked the finished flower and grabbed another one and continued to pluck the petals from it. I guess I just liked to keep my hands busy. I was always playing with my fingers or something. I couldn’t stop it.
“These ones, kind of…” I admitted.
He furrowed his eyebrows together and gave me a slightly confused look, “I thought all girls liked flowers.”
“I do like flowers. Just not daisies.” I continued to pluck out the white petals. “They’re ugly.”
“You really think so?” I watched him as he observed one of the flowers intently as if he was deep in thought.
“Yeah, if I did I wouldn’t be killing them.” I responded truthfully. “You know there’s this quote, I forget who said it but it said something about seeing a beautiful rose and if you see it you shouldn’t pick it and take it. Love isn’t about possession or something like that. You admire it and let it grow and take care of. When you pull it out from the ground to take it you are just going to kill it in the end.”
We were silent for a moment but it was a comfortable silence. We seemed share those a lot.
“I think they’re nice. I mean they remind me of this little girl I knew once. She had this little headband with this fake daisy flower on it and she never took it off. She said when she’d walk down the aisle her bouquet would be made of daisies.”
I glanced at him and he was looking down at the grass with lost eyes. “Carter-”
Before I could finish asking my question about who the girl was he had cut me off. “I feel like you’re so sad today, I want to make you feel better. Talk to me?”
I gave him a short smile and shook my head, “No really Carter I’m fine. I promise. Wanna play 21 questions?”
“And that is…?”
“Okay so we go back and forth and we both answer and ask 21 questions and we go as fast as we can. And you can’t ask a question I asked you.” I explained. I used to play this game in middle school all the time.
“All right, me first…um favorite color?”
I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “What a terrible question and light pink and lavender.”
“Don’t hate on my questions.” He bobbed his head back and forth and displayed a fake girly voice. “You ask now.”
“Hm…how old are you?”
“Nineteen. How old are you?”
I frowned slightly. Would he mind that I was sixteen? Surely he knew I was still in High School, I would talk to him about it sometimes but I mean what if he didn’t like younger girls? What if he thought I’d be too immature or childish for him?
“Sixteen…” I murrmed a bit nervously.
He just smirked, “A little girl, hmm? I thought you were a senior in High School, only a little younger than me. But I guess not.”
I frowned and slapped his shoulder playfully. “I am not a little girl!” I protested. “Three year difference big whoop!”
“Well, technically you are rape age, therefore it is a big whoop. I can be put in prison for you, princess.” He said smugly.
I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “Oh please, for some reason I find it very hard to believe that a rogue is worried about the law.”
He just smirked again; Oh God that smirk was a turn on. “You’re turn to ask a question.”
“Nope, it’s yours. I told you! You can’t ask a question I already asked you!” I re-explained. “Fire away.”
“What is something embarrassing that happened to you this year?”
I put some thought into the question before I blushed and came up with one, “Okay in Chemistry…sometime in like December I was cramming for midterms and I hadn’t slept in two days and it was a Wednesday. So…I fell asleep in Chemistry and my friend woke me up and I realized I drooled all over my desk. It was like a fucking puddle. One kid yelled out ‘Damnn, girl you left and ocean!’ and everyone started laughing and my teacher yelled at me at the top of her fucking lungs and made me clean it up.”
Carter chuckled and ran his hands through his hair. “That’s not that bad. Something that’ll make me laugh for real.”
I sighed and searched my memory for another embarrassing moment. “Oh, I was at the beach with my best friend Ashelle and her cousin Dylan and I was posing for a picture in the ocean when I huge wave made me fall under and when I came back up my bikini bra was gone. I couldn’t find it. And to make it worse Dylan took a picture and posted my boobs on Instagram.” I bit my bottom lip and giggled nervously. “My tits got 87 likes before I realized he put it up and made him take it down.”
Carter growled and his nostrils flared, “Did he think that was a fucking joke? What pervert post pictures of a girl’s tits?!” he gritted through his teeth, “87 fucking likes. That means 87 and probably more people saw that! Who does that asshole think he is? Wh-”
I cut him off and pressed my finger to his lips. “Relax I went through his phone and found dick pics and posted them on twitter, Instagram and tumblr. He learned his lesson. And I got my revenge.”
The corner of his lips twitched slightly obviously amused with my retaliation. “He took dick pics?”
I giggled and just nodded my head. “Okay my turn to ask a question. Do you go to school or…?”
He just shrugged and nodded. “I go too Maldro University. Not that exciting to be honest.”
“What are you majoring in?” I began to toy with the ends of my hair.
“Two things, mechanical engineering is my main thing and art is my second.” He answered. “I study Business, Engineering and Architecture and Art.”
I was taken aback by the fact he actually had goals. I mean I know rogues can’t be ignorant or that careless but it still kind of shocked me. The fact that he does go to college surprises me. I assumed most rogues were just drop outs and didn’t care about an education or career.
Plus he was majoring in art. Fucking art. That was a bit of a jaw-dropper to me.
“Art? You draw? You paint?” I was slightly impressed. I mean he didn’t look like the type of guy who liked art.
He smiled and nodded. “It’s fun. There aren’t that many careers in it but I mean might as well learn how to do what I love as best as I possibly can.”
“Wow, for some reason I’m kind of shocked.” I gave him a bit of a sheepish smile and he returned one back.
“Yeah, most people are. A lot of rogues are usually low-life drop outs who don’t care much about anything other than terrorizing packs.” He growled.
I frowned and began to finger his tattoos again. A habit I grew into whenever he was near. “Your turn to ask a question.”

We continued the question game for about thirty minutes getting to know each other better and better. Certain things he wouldn’t answer though. The simplest questions like ‘Do you have any siblings? Or what are your parents like?
It made me wonder if he did have a family. If he did were the really dysfunctional or something? Did he see them often? Are they with his old pack? Were they the reason he decided to rogue? I bit my tongue and tried to refrain from asking any more personal questions like that. We weren’t ready to get that in depth with each other anyway.

After around an hour Carter out of nowhere became super tense. His smile dropped completely from his face and he wrinkled his forehead and clenched his fist. “Marilyn you have to go.”
I frowned and shook my head defiantly. “No I don’t. I wanna stay with you Carter.”
He frowned and got up and pulled me up with him. “I’m not playing Marilyn. You need to go. Now.”
“B-but-”
“Leave!” he snapped. My eyes widened and I felt my heart sink slowly and my stomach clench.
What did I do? Why did he want me to leave so all of the sudden? “I-…but why?” it came out as a sad whisper.
“Listen to me princess,” he lowered his head so his forehead was leaning on mine and his hands at the sides of my face, “I need you to go home and stay there. Alright? Tomorrow we’ll meet where we usually meet and the usual time and we’re good. But I need you to get home, safely. You cannot be here right now.”
“Is something going on? What’s happening? Carter tell me!”I demanded. You can’t just be all okay and normal one second and then forcing me to go home the next. I wanted to know what was up now. If it was danger I surely didn’t want to leave Carter alone.
He pressed his lips to my forehead making me shiver, “Look Lolita, I’m begging you. Go, get to safety right away. Don’t stop for anyone or anything, do you understand me?”
“But I-”
“Do you understand?” His voice was firm and strong. It made me cringe slightly. It reminded me of Alpha Korlav’s tone.
I just weakly nodded my wolf being submissive to his extremely dominant one. It hurt my pride slightly but I figured I’d ask questions later. “Meet me at the creek, tomorrow at eleven.”
“I’ll wait for you,” he agreed “I’ll see ya then.”

~
“So that’s it? Why did he make you leave so damn quickly?” Ashelle was just as confused as I was.
Instead of going home like Carter had ordered I decided I’d go to Ashelle’s house. I figured she’d try to make sense of the situation but both of us were clueless about what just happened. One moment Carter and I were just talking and getting to know each other and the next he was ordering me away. It didn’t make any sense to me.
I had just explained the whole situation with Carter and caught her up with my life. How we officially met two days ago and the rogue he scared off in Portuguese, my talk with Damien and now how he practically ditched me.
“I have no freaking clue!” I was beyond exasperated. “He just got all stiff and pissed off and was all like ‘Go away Marilyn. Get home to safety.’ Like what the fuck?”
Ashelle sighed and shook her head. She began to put the now heated rollers into my freshly washed and straightened hair. Ashelle and I decided to have another girly makeup cliché night like in the movies. “Well you said you wanted a mystery.”
I rolled my eyes and snorted a scoff, “Oh believe me Ash, I got exactly what the fuck I wanted.”
“Well…on the bright side, he’s hot am I right?”
I shook my head and sighed contently. Ashelle always knew how to get my mind off the negative and cheer me up right away. She was a positive person.
I bit my bottom lip and I couldn’t help but blush, “He is beyond sexy Ashelle. Beyond it.”
She squealed and giggled, “What does he look like?”
“He has these gorgeous amber eyes. It looks just like the sun at sunset. They’re so intense and just…captivating Ashelle…” I trailed off his eyes coming into my mind.
“Captivating?” she finished the last roller in my hair and faced me with an amused smile.
“Captivating.” I confirmed my choice of words. “When he looks at me I-I just…I get lost. I mean they’re so gorgeous.”
“Well there has to be more to him than his captivating eyes. Enlighten me on how the rest of him looks.”
“Well he’s tall. 6’4 to be exact, well that’s what he said. Super buff. Not like an intense body builder, but oh shit he looks like he can kick some serious ass. His muscles are just so fucking hot!” I moaned out. “He has the sexiest hair too! Kind of like Justin Beiber’s new hair with the sides shaved off and it sticking upward but his is black and kind of like messier. It looks so soft, and it’s wavier.”
“Holy hell, this guy kind of sound hot.” Ashelle looked impressed. “Lucky you.”
“Kind of?” I raised an eyebrow. “He is much more than ‘kind of hot’ trust me Ashelle.”
“Hotter than Damien?”
“Way hotter than Damien Ash.”
“Oh shit.”
“Oh he has tattoos too.” I gave a smug and prideful smile.
She gasped and her eyes widened. “Like how many?”
“All on his arms. They’re covered with tattoos.” I described his body art my running my hands down my arms. “A whole bunch of shit. It looks so good on him. It makes him look sort of edgy and badass.”
“Well aren’t all your wishes coming true Lolita?!” she said jokingly.
I knew she wasn’t jealous or anything. I mean Ashelle and I never envied each other. We’d just be happy for each other.
“They really are.” I sighed dreamily. “He has so many secrets though. I can tell.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He’s very closed-off; very too himself. I can’t explain it. I just know he’s hiding something. Like he won’t tell me why he was hiding himself from me or anything about his family; like he doesn’t trust me almost.” I pouted.
“Boys have always been in mystery Lolita.” She sighed and fell back on her bed. I imitated her steps and fell back lying next to her.
“I hope he’s okay.” I said more to myself than to Ashelle. I left him so suddenly I didn’t realize something bad was probably happening and I’d left him to face whatever it is alone.
“He’ll be okay…” Ashelle murrmed “I know it.”
We were silent for a moment. Just then I thought to when he told me he was an artist. I wondered if he did abstract or realist or all the other categories of art. I wondered what gave him inspiration. I wondered if I was ever his inspiration.
A small smile came to my lips of the thought of him drawing or painting me. Like Jack from Titanic, how he drew Rose naked. Then a blush came to my cheeks at the thought of him drawing me naked. He was my mate. To complete the mating process…he’d see me naked eventually. It was meant to happen.
I never really thought of being so intimate with Carter. I was a virgin and the farthest I’ve gone was kissing a boy. I was completely ignorant on what to do or how to do it. Carter looking like that must have all the experience in the world. A low growl came to my throat at the thought of him sleeping or fucking other woman.
I’d kill any bitch who wanted to fuck Carter now that he’d met me. Even though we’re not together-together he was sure as hell mine. I didn’t have a problem letting anyone and everyone know that.
“Loli you okay?” Ashelle snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?” I looked toward her.
Her eyebrows were furrowed together and her pink lips were formed in a frown, “You just growled…are you okay?”
“Err…yeah just thinking.” I sat up and began picking at my nails.
“What pack does he belong too?” Ashelle asked following my movements and sitting up beside me.
“What?” I gave her a look like she was crazy. Carter didn’t belong to a pack.
“What pack does he belong to?” she repeated her question.
I shook my head and realized I hadn’t told her. “Carter’s rogue.”
Her jaw dropped and her baby blue eyes bulged out of her head. “Is that a joke or…? He’s really a rogue?”
“Yeah, why are you acting so surprised?” my frown deepened and I narrowed my eyes at her. I couldn’t help but feel insulted. So what if he’s rogue? Doesn’t make him any less human. “We said that was a possibility before.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think he really would be one!” she gasped. “Damn…he must really be a badass.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “More like Mr. Mystery.”