Chereads / I THE SCENTS / Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Ceres’ Soul part 1

Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Ceres’ Soul part 1

Frizabelle

Night 1

We all arrived at home at exactly 6:45 pm for dinner but I'm not in the mood to greet everyone. I really want to go upstairs to my room yet I felt something might have gone wrong if I didn't show myself to my parents that were in the kitchen. So, even though I'm not in a great mood, I still went there and i could tell that everyone seemed happy apart from me. I went in the kitchen and kissed my parents on their cheeks as my respect.

"Honey, change up and dine with us." Dad said to me with such fatherly love within his voice but seriously this wasn't my night tonight.

Dad noticed my gloom face as my mom held my arm. She really knew if there was something not right within her pack – she was a powerful Luna within this area.

"Eat." Mom insisted that made me obey.

7 pm

We all ate our dinner at the dining area as lively as usual but not for me this time. I just ate my dinner quietly until someone opened the door at the kitchen. We all knew who it was and my mom called her to join us at the table. As her presence was getting closer, I suddenly held the table knife on my right tightly. She's here, Ceres. I can feel my nerves were getting high and my chest was getting tighter in pain. I'm afraid. I'm...

"Oh sorry, I was late from…" Ceres apologized as she came into the view at the dining table but her words were being cut off when her eyes found mine.

I don't really understand but I suddenly shaken up which made me gripped the knife more tightly than earlier. If it keeps up, I might bend the knife.

"Come on, take a seat and join us." Mom invited her that snapped me from my uneasiness.

'She's our mate, Frizabelle.'

I heard Lena behind my thoughts as I hesitated then I unwarily shook my head. My temper was getting the best out of me.

"NO!" I shouted to no one in particular as I slammed my hand on the table and stood from my seat.

Everyone gasped on my sudden shout which I can feel their confusion and worry over my outburst. I was snapped from my thoughts when I heard some chairs moved and I saw Mom with Yume immediately run to where Ceres was.

"Are you okay, Ceres?" Mom asked with such care.

She didn't reply or make any sign of movement. She was just standing still like a frozen statue and shocked. To be honest, I felt some pain on the top of my chest as I looked sorry at her which didn't stay for long. I looked down on my plate like I don't know what to do anymore until Dad noticed it.

"Did you just reject her?" Dad asked me out of the blue that made everyone in the table look at me like I did something bad.

Mom and Yume let Ceres sit by the end of the table. I looked and met Ceres eyes, my eyes widened and at the same time I felt electrified before I shook my head in confusion. I can't look much at Ceres' eyes as I can feel some tears were threatening to fall down onto my cheeks. Then there it goes again, the pain in my chest was indeed bursting and tightening in my stomach. I snapped from the pain that I am feeling when I heard Ceres' groaning in pain, again.

'STUPID, YOU'RE HURTING HER!'

My wolf, Lena roared madly at me as she wanted to take over my body so she could meet and showed herself up to cuddle Ceres. But I didn't let her, so I just shut her behind my thoughts since I don't want to deal with it for a moment. It was too painful.

"CERES!!!" Yume shouted and mom tried to calm her back from the pain of rejection that came from me.

"You rejected her?!" Dad raised his voice that jolted and snapped my thoughts. He was using her alpha tone on me which made me shivered and speechless.

"Alpha, I – I'm fine. I can handle this." Ceres said weakly to him while smiling in pain.

"No you're not fine." Mom said in her worried tone which I can't believe that I'm hearing them from Mom toward a stranger.

Why did everyone care about her?

'STUPID. OF COURSE THEY WILL CARE BECAUSE SHE'S YOU MATE TO CLAIM!'

Lena growled angrily to my head again which immediately made me dizzy. She was not helping my case. I'm losing over my temper and I want not to just kill but to rip anyone or anything my hand reached. I was being cut off from my private thoughts when Ceres stood up and walked toward me, wobbling. I was about to run away but instead, I went back on my seat since my knees were not doing its job on supporting me. As I took my seat again, Ceres reached in front of me then she kneeled down so I could meet her fixed gaze on mine. She raised her hand and hesitated for a while before she put her cold-warm hand on my shoulders then fell as it was caressing my arms down to my hands. I can feel the calm and loving intention coming out of her hands against my skin. I looked at her as I wonder why she's doing it, I'm hurting her didn't I? So why she's doing this? She met my gaze once again and fixed on them on me then she smiled.

"Just be hush, my queen. Calm yourself. It's going to be okay. I will be just fine soon so, again, let yourself be hushed." Ceres lovingly told me while her pained smile still could send such sweetness like in my dream.

There was something in her voice soothes me but as I felt her hands caress mine, I suddenly began to be stiff when I felt those electrifying sensations flowing through me and making me at ease. I was calmed now.

"You're cool?" Ceres asked which made me nod and I can feel my lips were upward from smiling gladly at her. I was glad that she could calm my overdrive temper inside of me.

"Good." She continued as her smile began to flatter as I also noticed that she was sweating. Do vampires sweat?

"Ceres…" I mumbled and about to cup her cheek by my right when she suddenly fell onto my lap. She collapsed.

'See what you have done…'

I was shocked at what just happened to her which I couldn't hear what Lena just said to me. I was just staring at the collapsed Ceres on my lap and when my hand urged to touch her, I halted midway. I hesitated again as I felt some sudden emptiness on my chest which let some tears fall down to my cheek. I was blank and never could hear clearly what my father was saying except from grounding me inside my room with Ceres till she regained consciousness. I know that I must apologize to her but my mind didn't want to, which was really killing me.

'I told you to accept it.'

"You seriously know how to brag in my thoughts." I sighed to the comment of my wolf through my mind while I'm watching Ceres sleeping onto my bed.

I might be alone with Ceres but she was sleeping still on my bed which made me feel so bored though her scent really irritates me big time. I even pinched my nose to prevent it from itching but again, I sneezed. I groaned irritably and stood up from sitting on my couch with my distrubed thoughts about this incident. I went to my bedroom veranda that was a few feet away from my study table and my couch. I looked out to the night sky thinking nothing. I felt a little blank because of what just happened but I knew there was something deep within me that knew what it called but I shook my head and let it be for now. I sighed and took a seat on the cemented ground which almost felt like an hour. I was dozing off when something behind my thought came bragging.

"LENA!" I shouted.

'Its not me.'

"Lena?" I asked. I'm not sure but when I heard Lena's voice in her sad tone then whimpered, I immediately stood up from my seat and went back inside my room.

Ceres was still on my bed and not moving but breathing. I sighed and went back to the couch and tried to listen to Lena but there was nothing. No response at all. I released another sigh before I closed my eyes and relaxed my entire body on the couch, I entered Lean's sight within my mind. At Lena's view, I saw Ceres within my room and lying onto my bed but there was something different that made Lena whimpered. I looked and studied Ceres body carefully but nothing. I'm confused and puzzled which made my eyebrows knotted as I let my eyes fix on Ceres. There, I saw Ceres' aura which seemed like it was her soul and it was been…

"Broken?" I mumbled.

'Yes, she's been broken for 500 years and when she found her soulmate, she resisted her big time. So tell me, are you sure you want to resist her?'

When Lena explained and asked me while we're both watching Ceres' soul in agony, I was lost within my own thoughts. I looked around Ceres soul which really looked like a fluffy and colorful cotton candy but there was something else that hit my nostrils - her scent. Even though it was still irritating, I still managed to follow where it was leading me. Getting deeper around this fluffy and colorful cotton candy soul scenery, I found a super scarlet rose that kept bleeding a sweet chocolate like it was the core of her very soul. I was in awe of the view but what I just realized was that she loves sweets, especially chocolate. I might be amazed and mesmerized over this one which made me want to get a simple feel of it but as I tried, everything began to shake like she was in pain or worse in agony.

'Frizabelle, don't, if you are still rejecting her.'

I was caught up from what Lena said which made me stop from reaching for a touch toward the bleeding rose. I also can feel the worry and care in her tone toward Ceres' condition.

'How could I not. She's my mate and yours but you kept hurting her.'

"I don't want to hurt her but I don't know – I don't want to be in love with her because the moon and you felt it but I want it to come from me." I said with a pained voice.

'I know but why don't you try, you might fall for it too.'

I know Lena was concerned about that thing as well but my mind was jumbled the more I thought of them but seeing Ceres' soul like this really hurt me. One wrong move, she'll fall into pieces and if it happens, I don't know if I can help her. I might not be able to…

'Don't fear her; she belongs to you so does she.'

"NO! Not like this, Lena. Not like this." I shook my head like I was rejecting her. I already know that Lena was right but I also felt that it was wrong to fall for someone because your other side was the reason for it and not the very person who you are.

'Whatever brat! Figure it out yourself soon, because if not – you'll lose her. I will lose her forever…'

As she said that, I was immediately kicked out from her sight then she went back on whimpering. I was forced to open my eyes which I tried to call Lena but she didn't respond – she blocked me and I was to blame. I only sighed before I glanced to check on Ceres for a second then went out to stare again to the night sky at the veranda. I was digesting everything I saw from Lena's sight and letting my feelings answer them but it only pained me. The pain wasn't that deep but it was too great for me to cry over it. I was indeed crying as I let my feelings on top of my chest. It was swirling in pain which clouded my thoughts and wanted to scream but I couldn't. Instead, I went back inside the room and carefully sat next to the sleeping Ceres. I watched her sleep like she wasn't broken and it was hurting me as I recalled those images earlier but I wonder what's the cause of her brokenness. I sighed heavily as I wiped my tears away from my eyes then sneezed over her annoying scent. I groaned but looking at her this close, I can't help but to be mesmerized by her beautiful features not because she's a vampire or what but I'm lured by her. I like it – wait! what?!

I sighed from my confused and disturbed thoughts then I lay down next to her because I'm getting tired waiting for her to wake up.

'She'll be lost forever…'

I heard the last whimper from Lena as she howled behind my thoughts then darkness invaded my consciousness to make me sleep.

Day 3

I was tossing and turning over and over as I've got the feeling I have to wake up but when I turned to my left, there was something in there which made me smile. I love the feeling that I'm having over what was next to me. I was about to go back to sleep but my stomach began to crumble. I groaned and tried to go back to sleep but nothing happened. I started to open my eyes from a dreamless sleep but what made my eyes widened was my arms wrapped around Ceres' sleeping body. I was about to remove my arms but I noticed that she was not moving at all. I just watched her sleep before I curiously poked her cheek but still nothing. I sighed before glaring for her not responding to my touch then out of the blue I was smirking like I'm thinking something naughty which I did. I straddled on top of her and started poking her face or even pinching her cheeks but still nothing I groaned. I don't know how to wake her up, which made me give up and just lay on top of her. I could hear the faint beating of her heart which made me smile.

"You're still here." I whispered which snapped me back from reality.

I suddenly sat up on top of her which seriously made my eyes ever wider like it was going to pop out from my face but I just shook my head before I headed to the bathroom. I could swear that my cheeks were on flame because of what I unconsciously did on the top of Ceres' sleeping body. Good thing I was all alone in my room, so no one would have seen that.

'I did as I felt it.'

"Shut up!" I groaned when I heard Lena chuckled which made my heart pounding so hard.

'Don't try to deny it. I was totally okay with that. I mean seeing you on the top of our mate. It was indeed a lovely sight.'

"Lena, shut up will you. I just...not now...argh!" I was totally flushing over Lena's teasing but my heart - it was indeed beating so loud that it almost rang through my ears. I want to ignore it but I can't anymore.

'Just admit it.'

I just ignored Lena's comment and continued my daily routine inside the bathroom.

7 am

After doing my routine in the bathroom, I tied my wavy brunette hair in a high ponytail then wore a black muscle fit racer back shirt, a very comfortable black jagger pants and a pair of black running sneakers. I didn't go down stairs to meet their eyes instead, I just jumped out from my veranda which I landed smoothly at the ground without any echo from it. I skipped my breakfast as I immediately ran into the woods for some exercise and some perimeter run. As I was running around the perimeter, I noticed a huge pure black wolf with white moon tattoo on his forehead sniffing around in a wary way. I came closer to see what exactly my Dad was doing that made him shifted in his wolf form. As I was standing next to the black wolf which was my Dad, I noticed the tracks that wasn't belong to any hunters alike or even just a human

"Dad." I called him through our link since we both felt that it wasn't a safe place to talk about the tracks he just found.

'Vampires.'

As my Dad whispered that through the mind link, I was confused on why some vampires would cross our territory without being invited to step foot in here.

'Honey, what are you doing here?'

"Jogging." I replied as he turned his wolf's head to me.

'I see, how's Ceres?'

"Still sleeping without flinching." I replied with a bit of a sarcastic tone.

'Heh, but if she doesn't wake tonight, that will be a serious case.' 

I was about to ask what he meant about it but he seriously dashed off and left me in my thoughts over it. I just groaned and finished my run after that since I have classes to attend to.

8:45 am

I arrived at school like usual, I parked my car at my spot, got my things to my locker then went to classes which was my usual routine. But at lunch break, I found my pack eating at the usual table for us. Everything seems similar apart from my meal which was not mine at all.

"Yume…where's my meal?" I asked Yume who suddenly stopped from taking a bite from her double ham and cheese burger.

"They don't have your set." She replied with a bit of confusion in her look.

The meal in front of me was so not my favorite one. It was set B: deluxe burger, tuna salad, mushroom soup and orange juice. I'm not that heavy meal person but this – seriously, I can eat them apart from orange juice. I groaned. But food is food. I must eat them. I ate quietly while they were chatting non-stop about random things they came up with until Nate changed the subject to Ceres.

"Hey, do you think she'll be okay?" Nate asked them which I think that also includes me. They shook their heads before setting their looks at me.

"What?" I asked as I felt their gaze on me.

"She's sleeping in your room, at least you know something." Ethan said with conviction in his tone.

"Not that I care." I sarcastically replied to them while I'm trying to enjoy my meal.

"She's your mate." Nate said calmly but irritated.

I know that part but there was something else ringing in my chest that none of them could understand since I can't put any words for it. Or if I did, it's not appropriate to say them now. I guess.

"So what if she is? I don't care much at all." I said emotionless like there was nothing bothering me but I must keep my strong façade.

'You're killing her…'

As I heard that from Lean, I suddenly groaned before glaring at her but I was cut from my thoughts toward Lena when I heard Yume say something.

"She's not going to last…" Yume mumbled under her breath that didn't escape from my ears which made me look confused at her. She didn't say anything or meet my eyes which made me turn to Nate and Ethan who were just shaking their heads in disbelief like I said something really wrong.