Tish POV
I have a ladle in one hand and a smile on my face. I am filling up bowls with soup as the rogues and homeless people walk by. Everyone seems pleased to see me. I recognize a lot of the faces from last night, and it makes me feel at home.
A twinge of pain radiates in my chest, causing me to drop the ladle into the pot. Soup splashes out, and everyone turns to look at me. The pain seems to be getting worse, and I press my hand over my heart. A few of the onlookers narrow their eyes in my direction, and one of the men rushes to the back to get Cedric.
Tears of pain are rolling down my cheeks as I try to continue my job. The pain is so intense I can barely lift my arm. A woman is standing in front of me. Her clothes are tattered, and her hair is a mess, but her eyes are zeroed in on me. She drops her bowl on the bar and races around the side.
She wraps her arm around me and helps me to a chair. She doesn't let go of me until she is sure I am settled. Pulling up a chair, she sits across from me and stares at me sadly.
"First time?" She asks.
I don't understand what she is asking me. "I've never had pain like this before," I respond. "It is a strange burning pain. Like I have been stabbed in the heart with a hot knife."
"Don't worry," she tries to sound supportive. "It will end when they are finished."
"When who are finished?" I breathe through the pain.
She sucks in a breath through her teeth. "You don't know."
Cedric comes rushing from the back, but the pain has started to subside. My tears have stopped, and I am filled with what feels like irrational anger. I look between the woman and Cedric, waiting for one of them to explain what happened, but they both seem to be tight-lipped about the situation.
The longer they stay silent, the angrier I get. "What don't I know?" I whisper, trying not to cause more of a scene than I already have.
"We should go to the back," Cedric is speaking slowly.
"Just tell me," I grind out.
Cedric looks at the woman, who glares in his direction. Eventually, she relents and leans closer to me. "I know you are a human, but do you know what a mate is?" She asks.
I groan, "Yes. I have two."
She tries to smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Whatever she is going to tell me next is going to hurt. Possibly more than the pain I just felt.
"One of them betrayed you," she says in a low voice.
I huff loudly. "What kind of betrayal?" I ask, my voice squeaky because I already know the answer.
"I think you know," Cedric says softly.
"It was Kai," I whisper knowingly. "Kaden had only just left. It couldn't have been him. He would never do this. But Kai… he has Jessica."
"Your mates are the twins?" The woman practically chokes on her words.
"They are," I reply.
"Luna," she whispers as she backs away from me awkwardly.
Cedric is trying to cover the smirk on his face with his hand, but he is failing miserably. He knows I don't want to be a Luna thingy. I just wanted my twins, but that is behind me now.
I shake off the aching that is left in my chest and get to my feet. "I should get back to work. This place isn't going to clean itself."
Cedric grabs my arm as I try to pass by. "Take a break. Get drunk. Don't work."
"It's fine," I sigh. "Really. It was casual anyway."
"We both know that is a lie," he whispers in my ear. "Go take a break."
"Whatever," I grumble.
I put my famous fake smile on my face as I walk through the bar and into the back room. The bar is silent, but as soon as the door shuts behind me, I can hear the chatter picking up again. I lean my ear against the door, trying to make out what everyone is saying, but there are too many conversations happening at once. It doesn't take a genius to know they are all talking about me.
Pushing away from the door, I let my anger unfold. I punch the wall beside the door, bite my back my pain, and hit it again. My knuckles are bleeding, but it doesn't make me feel better like it used to. I feel empty inside. I feel used and dirty. I meant nothing to them.
I would always turn to Mae in times like this. She always knew the right things to say. I pull my phone out of my pocket and stare at it. Her number is not saved in my contacts, but that doesn't matter. It is one of the few numbers I committed to memory.
"You would be stupid to call her," I tell myself, but it doesn't stop me from plugging her number into my phone. "She doesn't want to hear from you."
The ten digits on the screen are bright, and my finger hovers over the call button. I just want to hear her voice for only a minute. I press send.
I know she won't answer. She doesn't know this number, and she doesn't answer calls from people she doesn't know. The phone rings loudly, and then it stops.
Her voice comes through the speaker, "Hello?"
I am frozen, too stunned to speak. I want to tell her everything that has happened. I want to tell her I am sorry. No, I need to tell her I am sorry.
"Hello," she says again. This time, her voice is a little more annoyed, and it makes me smile. She never did like it when people wasted her time.
There is silence on the other end of the line, and I think she has hung up. I pull the phone away from my ear and am ready to end the call when I hear it.
"Tish," she says. "I know it is you."
My hand is shaking as I lift the phone back to my ear. Words come spilling out of my mouth. "I am so sorry. I never meant to put you or the Luna Queen in danger. I was reckless and stupid. I should have known that you couldn't be mine forever. I was just so jealous…"
"Tish, Tish, Tish," she shouts through the phone, trying to shut me up.
"Yes," I whimper.
"I forgave you," she says kindly. "I forgave you instantly. Now, why are you upset?"
"What makes you think I am upset?" I chuckle.
"I can hear it in your voice," she says. "I bet your knuckles are bloodied and need stitches. Now, what is it?"
I take in a breath and prepare myself for the worst. "Has Kieran ever betrayed the mate bond?" I whisper.