Chapter 5: Hurt Me

But it was too late. I couldn’t run away without looking suspicious and besides, she was partially blocking my way. I have to talk to her and pray to the Goddess that whatever this is, I get out of it immediately and in one piece.

“Uh… hi…” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before finding a piece of small leaf on it and quickly throwing it away hoping she didn’t see it. 

She chuckled. 

She saw it. 

Damn it. 

“You weren’t at the Banquet last night. You missed a really good party.” She said and acted as if what she did yesterday didn’t happen at all. 

What the hell kind of game was she trying to play here?

“Uh… I was asleep.” I responded before my eyes wandered around her, trying my best to look everywhere but her because my insecurities will get the best of me if I look at her more.

I hate that she’s pretty much perfect in every aspect and exactly how everyone expected for River’s mate to be like. And though River’s parents and his younger brother Skye had to leave on the day she arrived for some kind of trip, I’m sure they would love every bit of her too. 

She belonged here. She was the chosen one. His chosen one, and I was a nobody. Always have been and always will be. No matter how hard I tried.

“Oh,” she says with a frown that was so fake I almost gagged in my mouth. “Well, that’s alright. There’s always a next time. That is, if you’re still here.” Her frown turned into a smirk in seconds. A smirk that looked so… unnerving.

My brows furrowed at her words. “What?” 

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” She asks with a glimmer in her eyes, and I used to think she was so beautiful the first time I saw her, but looking closely at her now and knowing who she really was, all I could see was the ugliness in her heart that broke out into her physical attributes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to go.” I told her and just as I was getting ready to leave, she spoke up again. 

“River talked to me about you last night,” she said.

My body stiffens up at the mention of his name, but also at what she said. River told her something about me. I wouldn’t have expected it knowing that he seemed to not want to do anything with me. 

“What did he say?” I asked, curious and annoyed at myself that I even felt that way. 

I shouldn’t care. Just last night I told myself today was another day to start anew, but I just can’t help it. Maybe one day I’ll get over River, that my heart won’t skip a beat at the thought of him, but today’s not that day because my heart is thumping and my mind is going crazy just knowing he was thinking of me with her. 

“That you were found by his parents and they took you in. I mean, I would have guessed you weren’t from here because of you know, the way you look–” I noticed her eye me up and down quickly which made me feel uncomfortable. “But anyways.” 

“He said I shouldn’t treat you badly,” she says before crossing her arms in front of her.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. He… he said that? He actually told his Luna not to hurt me? I think my heart just did a somersault. I would have never expected him to say that to her. Maybe he is still trying to protect me after all.

I cleared my throat and tried my best to act as if the words didn’t bother me, keeping a straight smile. 

“Cool, yeah. Uh, I’ll go ahead. I need to wash up and–”

“That’s not all though.” 

My body was halfway turned to run away from her sight, but when she spoke again, I stopped. 

When I turned back to face her, her expression had changed from a wide smile to an eerie one that sent shivers down my spine. 

What did she mean that wasn’t all? 

“And this is the best part,” she giggled. 

This didn’t sound good, but I couldn’t leave. A big part of me wanted to stay to know what else he said, but I knew doing so would be a bad idea.

“He said I shouldn’t treat you badly… in front of others,” she finished and that’s when it felt like my whole world was crumbling into pieces.

“Wh- what are you talking about? I- I don’t believe you. River would never say that,” I stood my ground. 

Ivy smiled as if she was proud she finally got a reaction out of me. 

“Oh believe it, honey. He said I was free to do whatever I wanted with you as long as nobody saw because when they do, it’ll be on him, too. Sweetie, he cares more about his reputation than you. Isn’t that just so romantic of him? Is that the guy who you thought you had a chance with?” She laughed and somehow, it sounded like a witch was laughing in my ears and it was screeching and uncomfortable. 

“I know you used to fuck him, but those days are long gone. You will never ever be able to touch my mate again, you disgusting pig!” She shouted before shoving me and because I was not expecting it, I lost my balance and my back hit against a tree hard. 

“Ow!” I shouted out in pain before I hugged my body into a fetal position. 

At that moment, I hoped that she would let me go, that to see me broken like this would be enough for her. I was very wrong. 

She lowers herself down to meet me in the eye and when I wouldn’t look at her, she grabs my chin and moves it for me to meet her eyes.

“How does it feel knowing that River’s all mine now? That he’ll never look at you the way he used to? Touch you the way he did? Hm?” She tilted her head and the eerie smile on her face turned to a taunting smirk. 

She looked deranged and I was starting to feel very unsafe. I have to get out of here. Staying really was a terrible idea. 

“I- I have to go.” As I was gathering the energy to stand up, she took my arm and squeezed it with so much force I thought she would almost break my bone.

Ivy was smaller than me. Not by a lot, but my build was bigger because it was obvious I do much more physical activities. If I wanted to get away from her by pulling my hand, I could, but a part of me didn’t want to move. A part of me somehow wanted to know what else she was going to say.

“Don’t play stupid, Keina.” 

“Keira,” I still managed to correct her, but she didn’t seem to care, continuing with what she was saying. 

“When you two were mateless, you found each other, yadda, yadda.” She tightened her grip and pulled me closer to her. “How does it feel knowing you’ll never have him again like that, Keina?”

I grit my teeth. It’s Keira, I think to myself but I don’t respond. I just look to the side, away from her eyes.

“Fucking look at me and answer!” She shouted before she slapped me. Hard. It was so hard that the sound made the birds around the area fly away.

My eyes closed and I almost teared up, but I bit my lip and pushed the tears back. 

I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to fucking cry. 

She was intimidating as hell, but I didn’t care nor did I have the patience for this. Even if I admit it, so fucking what? What good was that going to get me? 

I didn’t bother to say anything else. I didn’t want to give her any more of my time nor any satisfaction to whatever she was planning. I pulled my hand away from her hold in which she looked at me dejected, before pushing myself up off the ground.

“What a bitch!” She shouted and a growl escaped my lips without me meaning to.

I could also feel Fuyu getting angry, but I calmed her down. This fight wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t worth it at all.

“I know what you want,” she said in a devious tone and her eyes darkened as she looked at me. 

She shot me a proud smirk, pushing her chest up. “Hurt me. Do it. Don’t you want to? If I disappear, you can have River back again. No mate means he’s all yours, right? I know you want to, Keina. I’ve hurt you so many times and this is your chance to get back at me.” Her eyes darkened. 

“Do it.” 

Her proposition derails me. I hadn’t thought about that but now that she mentioned it, it started to make sense in my head. Without her, things could get back to normal. River would come back to me and love me the way he used to before she showed up. I can be his Luna without the fear of someone coming to ruin what we have again.

We could be together for the rest of our lives. 

The dream. My dream. I could make it all come true with two, or maybe even just one punch and she’d be nothing again, nobody to River, as she should have stayed so in the first place.