Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 12

Lily's POV

"Well, look who woke up early today. And woah, is that makeup?" A back take. "Did you do something with your hair?" A pause. "Is there something special happening?"

I looked away from the cookies that I was packing into a fancy bag. The one I had bought on my way back from the flower shop yesterday (after I stopped at the grocery store to get supplies for the cookies). And to my mother who was still wearing her bathing robe. She really shouldn't look so surprised.

Then again, it was only six in the morning and I had been up since over an hour ago to bake these for Ren as an apology for storming out yesterday on him. So I understood the look of surprise that she was giving me because I was never the type to wake up early. In fact, most of my days entailed waking up very late and then proceeding to run helter skelter while I tried to make sure that I didn't go late to school.

"No, nothing really." I said, looking away as my face reddened with embarrassment at being caught doing something out of the norm. If she found out that it was because of a boy, I was doomed to have to answer dozens of questions and it would mean that I would be inevitably late for school.

Not that I hated indulging my mother whenever I could, especially now that I understood how hard it was for her to fit into society after the death of my father.

She was also struggling as much as I was to adapt to the new norm of being outcasts in the Shadow Cove community and I knew just how lonely it could get.

She didn't have someone like Bia by her side and even with a best friend, life was still difficult for me, much less her.

I knew that when she thought I was not listening, she cried and of the two of us, she had it worse, because people treated her like an accomplice.

For me, people didn't care whether or not I knew that my father had been involved in the act that they accused him of; just being his daughter was enough to cause disgust. For my mother, even though they didn't outrightly say it, I had heard enough whispers to know that they believed that she was aware of his plan.

After all, how could she be married to him for so many years and not know that he was planning something, they whispered and I knew that even though she tried her best to ignore it, she could only block so much out. That was why I didn't blame her when she was sometimes in her own head.

"Lily?" She whispered and I realized that I had been lost in thought.

"I love you, mum. You know that, right?" I answered, reaching out to take her hand and she pulled me in for a hug that made everything feel like it was going to be alright today.

When she pulled back, there was a smirk on her lips.

"I love you too but you've not answered my question, young lady. Is there anything happening in school today? Because you're up baking cookies at this ungodly hour when this is usually the time you cover up and sleep even harder. Make any friends besides Bia already?"

I thought back to Ren and how it had felt like we had actually bonded yesterday and nodded.

"Yes, mum, I think I have." I answered, making sure to exclude the fact that it was a boy. She did not need to know that anyways.

"Well, I'm glad. Remember that if anything goes wrong at school, you let me know immediately, alright?" She asked, tired green eyes intent on mine.

I nodded with a smile. I knew that I would never tell her anything. She was already dealing with enough and I was already old enough to start figuring my own problems out.

I turned her around and hustled her back inside her room. "Now, get some rest. It's your day off!"

"Alright, alright!" She groaned, walking on her own.

I grinned happily, feeling good about the day for the first time in years. The bus ride to school was smooth and short.

First on my list for today was to find out how to not look like a clown and say the wrong thing to Ren today while presenting the pack of cookies.

How exactly do I go about that? Compliment his hair? The flowers? With any luck, he's not too mad at me. I mean, he followed me back, yesterday. That counts for something, right? Right?

Freaking out, I searched up Bia's number.

"I know that this is probably a bad time to be calling," I said when Bia picked up the call after the third ring on my way to the abandoned studio where I had stayed with Ren yesterday. "Oh, shut up, Lily, I had to race out of the class to the restroom to take this call, so please make this worth my while. Have you seen him yet? What are you wearing?"

Rolling my eyes even though she could not see me, I paused in front of the door to the studio and looked down at myself.

"I wore makeup and did something with my hair. Think it'll earn me cookie points?"

"Ooh. You like him, Lily. Because you never wear makeup. b***h! Send me a selfie! I need to seee!!"

Even though she was right, about the makeup part and not about liking Ren because I did not like Ren that way, I rolled my eyes again.

"I just rolled my eyes again, Bia. I called you to motivate me. So kindly get to that, please?"

The rest of the call consisted of Bia making me laugh with her exaggerated affirmations but by the end of the call, I felt less anxious and ready to face Ren.

I swallowed three large gulps of air before pushing the door open without even knocking and walked inside.

However, by the time I walked into the studio, the smile on my face disappeared and I was left thinking that perhaps I should have knocked first.

Ren was... Ren...

He was on the couch and a girl was on top of him, straddling him. His hands were on her hips and her hands were in his hair and they were kissing each other like their lives depended on it.

Hurt like I've never felt before cracked my heart in two because this was ridiculous. Why was I feeling this way? It's not like I liked him. It's not like he was cheating on me.

So why did it hurt so damn much?

I made a sound like I was dying, piercing the silence and they both stopped the assault they were having on each other's lips. He pulled away from her and turned around to look at me.

But I wasn't looking at him. I was looking at the vaguely familiar girl that was narrowing her cold green eyes at me.

I suddenly realized where I had seen her! She was the girl he had taken pictures with on his feed.

Without a doubt, she was his girlfriend, then. I didn't know why my stomach sank at the obvious fact.

Her dark green eyes remained narrowed at me, as if sizing me up and I could not help but stare at her. If Ren was beautiful in an elegant, archangelic way, this girl was beautiful in a dark way that was meant to seduce. Red hair that fell in waves with tan skin, curves and legs for days, she looked like she could be an instagram model.

Ren quickly moved away from her and when he took a step towards me, I took a step back and quickly spoke.

"I'm so sorry for barging in here. I just wanted to give you this." I thrusted my hand out awkwardly, handing him the bag and trying to look at anywhere else but him.

"Lily," he said softly, grabbing my attention and when I looked, unable to resist his voice, he gave me a calm grateful smile that my heart twisted in a devastating way.

"Thank you very much. How's your leg?" He asked and I was about to answer when the girl cleared her throat meaningfully. I looked up and I saw that the girl was glaring at me even more ferociously than before.

I read the message immediately.

"It's fine. I'll see you around." I answered quickly, feigning a smile even though my eyes were hot with unshed tears and before he could respond, I turned around and ran out of the studio, not stopping until I was far away to finally take a breath. And that was when I finally let myself feel the disappointment.

Maybe Bia was right then. Maybe I liked him a little. But as always, it didn't matter. Ren was never going to like someone like me anyways and I had already learned enough from being with Cade to allow history to repeat itself.