Shadow Mate - Jen L. Grey Page 0,36

and full of happiness. "What's he like? What's his name? When will I get to meet him?"

"You're not going to get to meet him." I didn't mean to make it sound so bad, but it hurt.

"Why?" Her voice was a little breathless.

"It's complicated. He's fighting the bond." I paused for a second as my words sunk in. "His name is Liam Hale."

"Liam Hale?" Her voice lost all of the happiness with anger replacing it. "The heir to The Blood Council?"

I shouldn't be surprised that Mom knew his name. I mean, Dad was a fairly high-ranking alpha. "Yes, the very one."

"He's not good for you." Her words were short.

"What? How do you know?" Out of all the reactions I expected, this was not it. I figured she'd be ecstatic and help me figure out this whole mess. She was doing the exact opposite though.

"Anything that council touches turns to ash. They're selfish and only in it for what they can get." Her breathing increased. "You can't complete the bond for your own safety."

Everything I'd ever heard from Mom had always been praises of the council. Wait. Now that I thought about it, that wasn't true. Dad had always praised the council, and Mom would sit there with a strange smile on her face. I never found it odd since that's what she'd always done until now. "I thought you'd be happy for me, and I'm having these dreams that are tearing me apart since we aren't together." I needed a Mom right now. Someone in my corner to help me figure things out. Not make them worse.

"You'll be even worse off if you don't stay away from him." Mom's voice did turn a little more sympathetic. "I hate that this was what destiny chose for you. Maybe you should come back home. Some distance might do you good."

"I can't believe you're saying that." A few minutes ago, I was relieved to have my Mom back, and now a stranger was on the other end again. Even though she was probably right, I couldn’t leave for two reasons. I was going to succeed here, be the best damn graduate they ever had just so I could rub it in Liam's face. However, the last and most important one was I couldn't bear to think of leaving here because I wouldn't at least get to see him in the hall or passing between classes, which was messed up.

"It's not good for you to be there. Look at the pain you're already in, and it hasn’t even been a week since you left home." Mom took a deep breath. "I can be there in two hours."

"No, I'm not leaving." Seriously, she wanted me gone today, but it didn't make any sense. "I've got to go. I'm sorry I called." I pulled the phone away from my ear, and I heard her call my name, but I still hung up.

I threw the phone on my bed, and as soon as it landed, it was ringing. It was her calling again. I thought about not answering, but she was my mother. I couldn't treat her like that, but that didn't mean I had to do what she wanted either. I picked up the phone and hit the green ANSWER button. "I'm not coming home. Just stop. You're only making this worse."

"Honey, I'm sorry." Her voice cracked as if she was crying. "I'm just worried about you."

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Is there something you need to tell me?" It was strange for her to be acting this way, and not like her usual self at all.

“No, it’s just been weird with you gone.” She laughed, but it was awkward and felt forced.

I hated the strangeness between us. "I just had a bad dream and needed to talk. I've got to get ready for class. I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"I love you too."

I pressed END and took a deep breath. Even though I felt like I should be here, what if I was wrong? Mom was right about one thing. It wasn't healthy to be around my mate like this. It couldn't be. Except, the thought of leaving felt more like failure to me, and that was exactly what Liam wanted. I took a deep breath. Maybe Mom had a good idea. In spite of it all, I could choose my own mate and stick my middle finger up in the air at fate.

Chapter Eleven

As I made my way to the building for endurance training, something