an Everlasting Pursuit

forty five

I successfully managed to avoid Blake for the rest of the day, but I knew it would be inevitable when dinnertime came around. Piper had understood my concerns and stayed beside me the whole time. My jaw had started to ache too, and it made opening my mouth harder than normal.

"Ready to go?" Piper wondered.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Not at all, but if I hide, he is going to know something is up."

She smiled sadly at me, and we made our way back inside. We had gone for a walk since the weather was nice. A gentle breeze brushed the hem of my dress as I walked. Entering the house, the smell of dinner invaded my senses. It smelt of spice today, a smell that was guaranteed to linger for the next twenty-four hours.

"Mm, smells amazing." Piper grinned, dragging me into the dining room.

The Bain Marie's were set up with steaming pots of curry, chicken and different rice and noodle dishes. Piper was quick to grab a plate and force one into my hand. I giggled at her eagerness as I helped myself to some chicken and vegetable rice, and a drink.

Sitting down at a table, it surprised me to find Mya wasn't here yet. Eve was, though, and gave me a small greeting as I sat beside her.

"Where's Mya tonight?" I asked.

Eve rolled her eyes. "She got in a fight and had to go cool off."

"A fight?" I gasped.

"Yeah." She snorted.

"Who would go up against her?"

"More like who would she go up against..." Eve rolled her eyes.

I was about to ask further when Piper's plate clattered against the table beside me. She pulled out the seat and sat down, shooting Eve a wide smile before digging into her dinner.

"Piper loves curry night." I commented and Eve smiled in understanding.

As we ate with comfortable chatter, the rest of the pack slowly filtered in and the sound in the cafeteria/dining room picked up. My jaw ached with every bite, and I ended up leaving the larger parts of the chicken on my plate.

When Asra walked in with Rio on his heels, a strange feeling of want overcame me. His eyes immediately flickered to me, and I dropped my gaze, glaring into my dinner.

Pushing my fork around my plate, I tried my hardest to keep from staring around the room. No one seemed to notice or take too much interest in the alpha male and by the time Piper had finished, I declared I was, too. We took our plates away together, and I kept my head down, my hair shielding most of my peripheral vision. The kitchen was quiet, servers bustling around and tidying away. A young girl took our plates with a bow before turning around to place them in a dishwasher.

I frowned, remembering that I wanted to complain about their unfair treatment to Asra.

Heavy footsteps filled the air as we turned to leave, and I looked up just in time to see Blake entering the room. His dark eyes flickered to me straight away, and I tensed, ready to run if I had to. His eyes crinkled with an unspoken promise as I ran around the corner to catch up with Piper. A hand came out to brush my hair behind my ear and I turned my head to stare at him with unease. My eyes unwillingly met his before catching sight of Rio standing from his seat in the background.

I blinked; my movements slow as the beta's eyes met mine. His lips pulled into a frown as Blake's hand ran through my hair, but as soon as it started, I was past him and out of the entryway. A shiver rolled over my shoulders as I caught stride with Piper again. She was glaring at Blake over her shoulder, but I paid no further attention to the disgusting Alpha and kept moving. I hoped he would leave me be...