Chapter 3 I'm Leaving

• Selene’s POV
• “Damm,” I whispered as I stooped down to pick up a shattered piece of plate off the floor.
• That was the second thing I broke today. Mrs. Rose will murder me.
• “What’s wrong with you, Selene?” my closest friend Alexandra questioned me. “You are so clumsy today.”
• I ignored her query and proceeded to the storage closet to retrieve a broom and a dustpan.
• “Selene?” Alexandra called my name.
• I glanced up at her as I started sweeping.
• “My mom isn’t feeling well today,” I whispered as I looked back at the mess I had caused.
• “She is still refusing to take her pills?” Alexandra questioned worriedly.
• I nodded, stooping down and swiping the broken pieces into a dustpan.
• “Did she tell you why?” Alexandra questioned.
• I rose back up and proceeded to the garbage can. I emptied the dustpan and stared at Alexandra.
• “She said that the pills made her numb,” I said.
• I grabbed the broom back up and put it back into the storage cupboard along with the dustpan.
• “Isn’t being numb better than being in pain?” I heard Alexandra inquire as I walked back.
• “Not,” I moaned, resting on the counter. “She said that she doesn’t know where she is after she takes the pills. She replied that she couldn’t feel her wolf.”
• Alexandra bit her bottom lip and wrinkled her eyebrows. She looked me up and down and took a long breath.
• “You need a night out,” she murmured, folding her arms over her chest.
• I shook my head quickly.
• “That’s the last thing I need, Alex,” I responded. “I can’t leave my mom. It’s awful enough that I have to leave her to go to work. I can’t leave her to go to a party.”
• I worked at the diner and the library. I took as many shifts as I could. I needed money. We were in debt, and I had to find a method to pay it or we would lose our house.
• “It’s not a party, Selene,” Alexandra remarked. “It’s just you and me hanging out. You need to relax a little.”
• I groaned and grabbed up a dishtowel. I started cleaning the glasses.
• “Besides, we need to hang out as much as we can before we turn 18,” Alexandra continued. “I’m sure that I won’t get to see you after you find your mate.”
• I snorted and looked up at her.
• “I don’t have time for a mate,” I remarked.
• Alexandra gasped significantly. “You don’t want a mate?!”
• I looked up at her and grimaced. Could she have been louder? Luckily, we were alone in the diner. It was approaching closing time.
• “Be quiet,” I whispered. “I want a mate, but I’m not sure that I want to find him right after I turn 18. I have to take care of my mom. I have bills to pay. What if my mate didn’t grasp that?”
• “A mate loves you unconditionally, Selene,” Alexandra remarked tenderly. “He would understand.”
• My father didn’t love my mom wholeheartedly. He left her. He abandoned me.
• “I can’t be sure of that, Alex,” I said as I started washing the countertops. “It’s better if I don’t find him immediately.”
• I kept my eyes down, but I could feel Alexandra’s scorching glare on me.
• “Have you ever even liked someone?” she questioned me. “I’ve known you my entire life, and I’ve never seen you interested in a boy.”
• I felt heat rush to my cheeks.
• The only boy I’ve ever liked was my rescuer.
• Being a fatherless pup wasn’t a wonderful thing. I was bullied in school a lot. Kids would laugh at me, call me a bastard, yank my hair, and occasionally even punch me.
• One day, I was leaving school when one of my classmates tripped me. He tugged my hair and proceeded to call me names. The other kids were laughing and pointing at me. I felt ashamed because I started weeping. I’ve always tried so hard not to weep. I didn’t want to give them the pleasure of watching me cry. But something about that day was simply so overpowering that I couldn’t stop my emotions. Alexandra was nowhere in sight, but someone else arrived to help me.
• He pushed the bullies aside, kneeled next to me, and cleaned my face. He promised me that I was secure and that they wouldn’t hurt me again. He mentioned some other things as well, but I didn’t hear him. I couldn’t look away from his lovely blue eyes. I became lost in them. He had somewhat curled black hair, and he was extremely tall.
• He went after he saved me, and I never saw him again. I didn’t even know his name.
• But every time someone mentioned having a crush, he sprang to mind.
• “Maybe when I was a kid,” I shrugged.
• “Who?” Alexandra gasped.
• I stopped scrubbing the countertops and glanced up at her.
• “I don’t remember,” I answered. “He was just a boy.”
• Well, it wasn’t the truth. He wasn’t simply a boy. He was my salvation.
• “I can’t believe that you never told me about him,” Alexandra replied.
• “It wasn’t that serious, Alex,” I muttered, laying the dishtowel down. “I was 12.”
• “I don’t care,” Alexandra replied. “I’m your best friend. I should have known about it.”
• I wanted to emphasize that it was just a dumb infatuation on a lad, but my phone started ringing. I slipped it out of my pocket and glanced at the caller ID. It was my mom.
• “Is everything okay, mom?” I asked her as soon as I answered the call.
• “Flower?” she called me by my nickname.
• Her voice was soft and raspy. She sounded like she was short of breath. Did she try to get up on her own again?
• “Yes, mom?” I murmured as I grasped the edge of the counter.
• “I love you, my baby,” she replied gently. “Always remember that.”
• My heart stopped beating. Why was she telling me that?
• “I love you too, Mom,” I murmured, glancing at Alexandra. “What’s wrong, mom?”
• “I’m leaving, Flower,” my mom murmured gently. “I love you.”
• I froze. I was utterly frozen. I couldn’t move. I wanted to rush home, but I couldn’t move. I didn’t feel my legs. I didn’t feel my body.
• No.
• Please, Goddess, no.
• Don’t take my mom away from me! Not yet!