Isabel's Choice

Chapter 37 - Isabel

When I get in the car my hands are still shaking with anger at Lars' cold dismissal, and Raya bawling her eyes out on the passenger seat is not helping.

In fact, it is quite irritating.

Eino might have carried her as if she were a deer carcass to the car, but the whole time he spoke to her in a soothing low voice that I have heard only once since I know him. He laughed off her worry that Finn might forbid them from seeing each other. He reminded her that bonded or not, he is her loverboy and she is his lovergirl. She then got all the kisses and all the goodbyes, which is more than I got from my allegedly true mate.

So I don't understand her breakdown. I am tempted to let her drown in her sorrow but we have a long drive to Finn's pack, so we'll need to talk about something.

"Are you upset he's not your mate?"

Much to my shock, Raya nods and sniffles into her sleeve.

"But weren't you the one telling me we should be able to make our own choices?"

"Exactly. I want to choose him!"

"And he seems to be on board with that, lovergirl, so I don't see where the problem is," I note with a smirk, because it's hard to resist making fun of their cozy names.

"He doesn't want to mark me."

Raya's voice is strangled with disappointment, but all I can think of is five stars for Eino for not claiming what is not his. I realize that I have adopted Lars' verbal tics. And his star-based rating system. I already miss him so much that I am about to turn the car around and attempt to reason with him one more time. But then I remember that he did not accept my apology or any of the arguments I had offered to justify my behavior and that I don't have anything else to offer.

"Eino doesn't want to mark anybody, Raya."

"That's what he says now, but there is a female out there waiting for him, " my friend sighs, chewing nervously at her nails. 

"And a male waiting for you."

"Yeah, but I will reject mine the moment I find him. Eino says he will do the same with his mate...but...what if he doesn't?"

He will get more stars for wisely accepting the blessing of the Moon Goddess. I obviously cannot tell this to Raya - at least not now - and also, I know that she has nothing to worry about. Eino seldomly commits to something, but when he does, he sees it through regardless of the personal cost involved.

"So...you would like to have the ability to choose, like regular humans but with the perks of the bond?" I provoke my friend further, and it's finally effective. Her tears dry up and she frowns flashing her fresh fangs at me.

"Since when did you become so...reasonable? And by reasonable I mean heartless?"

"Side effects of being an adult. Which technically you are too," I note, poking her arm hard enough that she needs to shortly rub it.

"I would bite you if you weren't driving," Raya growls in that cute note that young wolves have for some months after their first shift. "Care for a little challenge when we get to my father's territory?"

"A Luna cannot be challenged," I remind her as I turn onto the relatively flat and straight road that leads North.

"And this is why it sucks we don't have female Alphas."

"This is why it sucks? Because you cannot challenge me, your best friend? Not because of the other million things that we cannot do without the full ownership of the land and the pack mind?"