Chapter 66 – Falling for the Alpha As a Student Novel

Filed To Story: Falling for the Alpha As a Student Novel

“He’s stable for right now; they are keeping him monitored and will know more at a later time,” I explain.

She doesn’t say anything to that. I reach over and touch her hand, trying to provide her with some sort of comfort.

“Rachel… I’m so sorry…” I breathed. “I can’t imagine what you are going through.”

“You know… Ryan saved me…” she breathed, keeping her eyes closed.

“In the fire?” I asked.

“In high school,” she answered.

“I had no idea you’ve known him for that long.”

“I was angry when I first met him,” she admitted. “But he was always kind to me regardless of how angry I would get.”

“How did he save you?”

“I don’t know if I ever talked to you about my home life… but it’s not a good place,” she told me; she opened her eyes so she could peer over at me. “My father was incredibly abusive…”

I couldn’t help the gasp that came out of my mouth. I instantly covered my mouth with my hands and stared at her in shock.

“He was an alcoholic and he abused me and my mother for most of my life. My mother ended up leaving… she left me behind…”

“Oh, Rachel…” I breathed.

My heart shattered for her, and I didn’t know what else to say to her.

“Bears are naturally known for their tempers and my father was incredibly temperamental. The smallest things would set him off. Living at home was like walking on eggshells. I could never do anything right by him. I would go to school with bruises that just wouldn’t heal.”

“Because bears don’t have a quick healing ability like wolves do?” I asked.

There wasn’t much I knew about bears; in fact, Rachel was the first bear shifter that I knew. There were a bunch of bears that went to our school, and they would be referred to as the weaker of the species.

“Right,” she answered. “So, my bruises and cuts would be very visible despite how hard I tried to cover them up. I turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain… not the physical pain. The emotional pain. I just didn’t want to feel anymore…”

“I never knew this…” I whispered, gazing at the ground.

“I never wanted anyone to know this,” she admitted. “But Ryan found me lying under the bleachers of our school and he brought me to the hospital. I took a pill too much and almost died. I didn’t even know who he was and he stayed by my side until I woke up. But because he was strange kid that I recognized from school and because I was so angry, I was cruel to him…”

“Obviously you didn’t chase him away seeming you are still together,” I told her.

She gave me a small and crooked smile.

“It wasn’t always like that though. Like I said, I was very cruel to him. He tried to get me to talk to him and to let him help me, but I refused all forms of help from him. He knew I was going down the rabbit hole of drugs and alcohol and he tried to get me to stop. He was a stupid boy, but his heart was in the right place,” she said as she shook her head at the memory.

“He sounds genuine,” I said in return.

She nods at my statement and then sighs.

“I was never the one who believed in mates and falling in love. It was clear what Ryan’s intentions were and I thought of myself as broken and unlovable. I told myself that I didn’t want a mate…”

Her words struck a chord with me. It was like Enzo not wanting a mate. I wasn’t sure if Enzo was the mate that I wanted as well, but when it came down to it, he was my mate and unless he rejects me, I don’t think I have much of a choice in the matter.

My heart ached at the thought, knowing that Enzo doesn’t have any desire to have a mate.

But then again, if Rachel had no desire to have a mate when she was younger, but then changed her mind, maybe Enzo would change his mind too.

Would it make me feel better if he did?

“What made you change your mind?” I found myself asking. “Why did you decide to give him a chance?”

“I admired his persistence for one… nobody has ever cared about me in that kind of way before. I was sitting with him after school, and he wanted to walk me home and I told him no. He started to ask me about my bruises and of course, I brushed him off… but then I broke down and I couldn’t stop crying…”

“Oh, goddess…” I whispered sadly.

“The night before… my father almost killed me, and I was terrified to go home. I finally told him everything I endure at home, and he wouldn’t let me return. He convinced his mom to let me stay there. I found myself wanting to do better by him. I wanted to be the person he wanted me to be. He became my best friend, and I was falling in love with him… but I was so broken and I knew I couldn’t be that person for him. I continued to use it throughout high school and at one point I almost died again…”

She paused to gather her thoughts and I sighed.

“You had to go back to the hospital?”

She nodded once.

“Ryan told me that he couldn’t keep doing this and his mom told me that she was going to kick me out if I didn’t get help. She found this small rehab facility outside of town. I was afraid because I’d never been outside of our town before. I feared what would happen to me if I strolled too far from my comfort zone. As a bear, I’m vulnerable to attacks and I was worried that I would be victimized once again. But Ryan went with me to the rehab place… and he left me there.”

“What happened? You got clean, right?”

“Yes…” she said, but she sounded uncertain. “But I was the only bear there. There weren’t many bears in that region and the rehab facility was made up of all werewolves.”

“So, you felt out of place?”

She was quiet for a moment longer, staring down at her hands.

“They did some terrible things to me there. I was tortured beyond belief. Even by the nurses there. They weren’t sure how to help a bear because most of their treatments were for wolves… so they did a bunch of painful experiments on me. I didn’t think I was going to live to see the outside world again. The only way I could survive was if I just stopped cold turkey. I wanted there to be nothing to treat…so they couldn’t hurt me anymore…”

“Rachel, that’s awful. I’m so sorry this happened to you. What kind of cruel place could treat someone like that…?”

She didn’t answer my question; she was hesitant.

“I vowed to never go back to that region ever…” she breathed.

“Where was that place?”

She met my eyes and then her next words punched me in the gut.

“It was in Elysium…”

Layla’s POV

“Elysium?!” I gasped, standing to my feet. “Those in Elysium did that to you?”

That explained why she didn’t want to step foot in Elysium again, even for my birthday. My heart ached so much hearing this and I couldn’t even contain my emotions.

I paced the room, trying to calm myself down. If I lost control of my emotions, I would soon lose control of my powers and I couldn’t have that happen here.

“I didn’t tell anybody,” she told me. “I just waited it out until I was able to be released. Ryan was the one and only person I wanted to see. Once I got out and lived with him again, I finished getting my high school diploma, graduating with honors. I was able to get into the shifting academy with Ryan and then I met you.”

“So, Ryan’s been there through it all,” I breathed.

She nodded.

“Yeah… he never let me forget how much he loved me…”

My heart squeezed in my chest. That was the kind of love I aspired to have, and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get that from Enzo.

“Give our mate some time,” Val chirped. “He will come around, just like Rachel did! Didn’t you hear her story? She was against having a mate too and then Ryan convinced her that it might be worth it. They don’t even know if they are one another’s mates! They are going off their feelings and believing in fate. That’s exactly what you need to do as well.”

“It’s easier said than done… especially when my mate won’t give me the time of day.”

“You both said cruel things to one another. Just give it some time and then talk to him. He’s not going to hurt us. He can’t hurt us. Can’t you tell when he refuses to reject us?  He’s our mate… he isn’t able.”

I wanted to believe her and maybe a part of me did.

“I’m going to leave this hospital until I know for certain that Ryan will be leaving it too,” she finally concluded, staring over at me. “I just can’t leave…”

I nodded, completely understanding.

“Then, I’ll stay too,” I assured her, reaching for her hand. “I’ll stay by your side.”

…

Enzo’s POV

It’s been a while since Layla went into the room to see Rachel. They must have been talking about something important.

I couldn’t seem to get her question out of my mind.

“Did you mean what you said about being ashamed to have me as a mate?”

That question haunted me because of course, I didn’t mean it. But I needed to say something to push her away. Having me as a mate was only going to put her in danger. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to her.

But how was I going to answer her question?

Thank Goddess the nurse interrupted us before I had to say anything. But I’m sure it’ll come up again at some point.

I shuddered at the very thought.

“Alpha, you don’t need to stay,” one of the doctors said, approaching. “I know you are very busy. If anything happens, we will call you.”

I frowned; I didn’t want to leave without Layla.

“What about Layla?” I asked, keeping my eyes locked on his. “Shouldn’t she be leaving too? Visiting hours are almost over.”

“She actually asked us to bring an overnight cot and some extra pillows,” the doctor answered. “I think she’s planning on staying the night.”

---