Never again by Malgorzata Uchto

Chapter 2
2. Opportunity
Mandy’s POV

I couldn’t believe it was really happening. Peter was leaving me. Oh My God!
What was I supposed to do now, all alone, heartbroken again? Was this some sick
joke or something? My brain kept shouting all the negative thoughts at me. My
heartbeat increased. Was I going to have a heart attack? This was it. I was going
to die now. He said it. He said it…

Wait!!!! Did he say mate? I didn’t imagine it, right? Or was I starting to go mental?

“Did you say MATE?!” I finally found my voice, still frozen in place.

“Yes.”

I blinked a few times and started to pace around the living room, biting my thumb
nail. My mind started to shut down, and the only word that I repeated constantly
was ‘mate.’

“Mandyyyy?…” Peter’s concerned voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh, my f*****g Gooooood!” I shouted in realization.

Clapping my hands, smiling like an idiot, and jumping in place, I turned to face
Peter.
His face showed a lot of emotions, my outburst must have shocked him, but the
most prominent emotion was worry. He probably thought I was mental, but I
couldn’t control my emotions. I was happy for my friend.

Giggling like a teenage girl, I jumped on the coffee table and let my feelings out.
“My Peter found his maaaaaaate!!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, my Peteeeer,” I
pointed at him dramatically, “fooooound his MAAAAAATE!”

“Get your butt down here, baby girl.” he ordered, shaking his head, “NOW!” he
added. Putting his hands on his hips, he furrowed his eyebrows and pouted his
lips, waiting for me to cool down.

Coming back to my senses, I jumped off the table and took predatory steps his
way.

“You!” I pointed my finger at his chest, and let my words flow. “You made me feel
like I was losing my mind! You were avoiding me, making lame excuses, making
me feel abandoned. And to top it all, you resigned from work without even
telling me!” I punched his arm. “And you feel authorized to scold me?!” Pointing
at myself, I shouted, releasing tears. “I… I…” I couldn’t find my voice. I threw
myself at him and broke down.

He held me close and let me cry my heart out, murmuring sweet nothings into my
ear.

When I finally calmed down, I took a few deep breaths, composed myself, and
moved away from his embrace. “So.” I cleared my throat. “Let’s start again. You
were saying…?”

He chuckled and shook his head in amusement. “I said…I found my mate.”

This time, I reacted properly. “Oh my God, Peter, I am so happy for you! Tell me
everything. Do I know him? Is he a werewolf? When did you meet?…” I shot my
questions at him one after another.
He laughed and led me to the couch. Sitting beside me, he reached the table and
offered me a beer. I took it vigorously and gulped almost half of it to calm my
nerves.

“Easy girl,” he said, taking the bottle from my hand. “His name is Benjamin, Ben
for short. And no, I don’t think you know him. He’s not from here.” he answered
dreamily. “He’s a werewolf, he came here for business purposes, and we met in
the club.” he paused. “We bumped into each other when I passed the VIP room in
‘Stairs’. It was…” he sighed. “I can’t even describe it, magical, I guess. I was
speechless, just stood there starstruck admiring his gorgeousness…”

“Wow.” I blurted out uncontrollably, staring in awe at my best friend.

“He invited me for a drink, and since then, it just went naturally.”

How on earth didn’t I recognize the symptoms? For two weeks, he wasn’t himself.
He wasn’t my Peter, the carefree and spontaneous freak. He was reserved, like
guarding some precious treasure against the ugly world. Now I know. He found
his treasure. I can’t blame him, can I?

“Can I meet him?”

“That’s why I’m here. I wanted to ask can I bring Ben here tomorrow for dinner?”
His eyes pleaded for me to say yes.

I smiled and nodded my head, “Yes, of course.”

We spent the evening talking about Ben, well I was just listening, mesmerized by
his story. His strange behavior had everything to do with Ben. He is a Beta from a
pack in South Carolina and came here to finalize their new project. He told me
about the dates they’ve been on and how complete and safe he makes him feel.
He is undeniably in love. I am happy for him. At least he has his happy ending.

After talking, laughing, and planning tomorrow’s dinner, we called it quits and
ended the night. Peter stayed and occupied ‘his’ bedroom at my place. Lying in
bed, I was exhausted but content, not thinking that, in the end, he will leave me.
South Carolina is on the other end of the country. Sighing, I closed my eyes and
fell asleep.

“Wake up, sleepyhead!” Something heavy hit me. Trying to steal a few more
minutes, I didn’t move. “Come on baby girl. It’s time for coffee.”

“Go away, I don’t know you,” I reached for the sheets in an attempt to hide, but
he predicted my moves, tossed them away and grabbed my ankle.

“If you don’t want me to treat you the same way, you better move your ass and
march to the bathroom. Coffee and breakfast are waiting,” he ordered.

Defeated, I did as I was told. After finding my outfit and putting on my makeup, I
went to the kitchen when the smell of coffee and bacon hit me. My stomach
growled in anticipation. Eating and talking about today’s tasks at work, I couldn’t
help but ask, “Why didn’t you tell me you resigned? You went straight to Ryan.
Why?”

Putting our empty dishes into the sink, he sighed. “I’m sorry I did it behind your
back, but I wasn’t ready to tell you. Mr. Williams never asks for reasons, and I
knew he would accept it without demanding answers,” he explained. “Besides, it
was inevitable, knowing Ben lives in a pack and I don’t,” he added, taking my
empty plate.

“You’re right. I would interrogate you in a flash,” I said, smiling at him. I put my
coffee mug in the sink, then turned around and hugged him. “I’m so happy for
you, really happy.” He patted my head and kissed my temple. A few moments
later, we broke our hug and headed to work.
The day went quite fast, a few members of Peter’s team complained about his
decision, saying he was the best and they won’t work with anybody else. Some
congratulated his bravery and wished him good luck. I was still a little sad about
his leaving, but I knew I could deal with it in time.

Coming back home early to prepare dinner, I quickly took a shower and changed
my clothes to yoga pants and a loose t-shirt. Putting my wet hair in a messy bun, I
started to cook. Forty minutes later, everything was almost ready. I put the salad
at the table with sweet potatoes and white wine. The chicken will be ready in 5
minutes. I quickly went to the bedroom and changed into a simple summer light
blue dress and sandals. Nothing fancy, but classy. Just when I was taking the
chicken from the oven, the doorbell rang.

This was it, the moment I was waiting for.

Opening the door, I was met with a grinning Peter wearing dark blue jeans and a
cream-colored sweater, and when I turned my head right, I was met with a huge
wall of muscles in tight black jeans and a black button-down shirt smiling friendly
at me. He had dark blonde hair pulled into a manly bun and brown eyes. I wasn’t
shocked or intimidated. I have seen such a big man before. He looked similar to
my brother or his Beta minus the tattoos. Through his collar, I had a little peek of
ink on his neck. Big Bad Beta, I thought. Smiling back, I gestured for them to
come inside and closed the door.

“Come in, make yourself comfortable, perfect time for dinner.” I led them to the
dining table.

“Mandy, I would like to introduce to you my mate, Benjamin Owens,” he said,

facing me.

“Ben, this is Amanda Anderson, my best friend,” he added.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ben. Can I call you Ben?” I said, extending my hand
for a handshake.
“Yes, you can, and the pleasure’s all mine,” he replied in a low voice, taking my
hand in his, and to my surprise, he kissed the back of my hand and sent me a wink,
making me giggle.

“Such a flirt you have here, Peter.” I addressed him and looked back at smiling
Ben. “Congratulations on finding your mate. You couldn’t get better than Peter,”
I said, with a smile.

“Thank you, and you’re right,” he answered, sending a playful wink to Peter,
making him blush. I chuckled at that.

When we sat down at the table, Peter immediately started to put food on Ben’s
plate, complimenting my cooking skills. We ate in a comfortable atmosphere and
made small talk about their story. Ben also told me a little bit about his pack,
friends, and family. Sudden and strange pain hit my heart hearing that his best
friend, an Alpha, is a widower. It broke my heart knowing she died giving birth to
their only son. At least he is not alone like some people.

After dinner, the guys sat on the couch, bringing their wine glasses with them. I
quickly cleaned the table and put the plates in the dishwasher. Grabbing two
more bottles of wine, I joined them.

“…And then he said you will probably kill him for not telling you earlier about me
and that I have to protect him from your wrath.” Ben continued talking about
Peter’s concerns, laughing at the same time.

Peter was sending Ben daggers with his eyes, making me laugh. We had recently
finished our fourth bottle of wine. While it made me a little flushed, they stayed
unaffected, damn those werewolf genes.
“Must admit he looked so cute at the time,” he said, putting his right arm at
Peter’s shoulders and pulling him closer to his body, kissing his forehead. That
gesture made me awe them.

“Well, I must admit that at some point I was hurt he didn’t tell me, but I wasn’t
angry – a little disappointed, yes, angry, no.” I answered honestly and took
another sip of wine.

Peter released a relieved breath and smiled satisfied, then apologized sincerely.
We talked until midnight, laughing, and getting to know each other. Ben was a
really good guy, they fit together. Peter is lucky.

After we said our goodbyes and made plans for another day, I took a quick
shower, put on my purple shorts and white top, and went to bed. Before the
darkness consumed me, I thought about the Alpha and his son, and the same pain
hit my heart again. Putting a hand on my chest, I closed my eyes and dozed off.

The next few days were filled with many activities such as trips to bars, watching
movies, or having fun playing paintball, they even let me win once. They
persuaded me to sing one night at the karaoke bar, which was embarrassing.
Although they tried to convince me I was great. Yeah, I know better, no more
singing. That night we ended up in a fight. Some guy decided to hit on Peter,
which made Ben go full Beta on him, and we had to apologize and pay his medical
bills. Thankfully he didn’t press charges against us. After that, we simply hung
around my place or ate at restaurants avoiding pubs.

Although we had fun and spent a pleasant time together. I knew my time with
Peter was coming to an end. In three days, Ben had to go back to his pack and be
in charge during his Alpha’s absence due to an alpha training he’ll take part in. I
wanted to fill my days with Peter’s presence as much as I could, knowing that our
time is limited.

We were shopping at the mall. Our ‘Drama Queen’ needed to purchase new
clothes for his new place to make a good impression. That’s my Peter. Worse than
any girl.
“Can you please hurry up, I’m hungry?” Ben whined after another hour of
shopping.

“You can’t rush perfection besides don’t you want me to look good? ” Peter
answered, looking at the full-length mirror in the changing room checking his
next outfit.

Sighing, Ben plopped onto the couch I was already sitting on and put his head on
my shoulder.

“Goddess, where does he want to fit it all at my place, I’ll need to expand my
closet,” he said, gesturing for at least ten bags of clothes Peter already bought.

“I love him, but I’ll go bankrupt in less than a year if he doesn’t stop.” he sighed,
letting his head fall back onto the couch’s backrest and closed his eyes.

“This is my fault,” I said, apologetically while rubbing his shoulder in comfort. “I

had him for six years, he is my best friend, and I treated him like family. Most of
the time, it was just us, so I might have spoiled him a little.” I made my best
puppy dog eyes hoping for forgiveness.

He only turned his head left, opened one eye, and looked at me accusingly. “A
little?”

“Is 300 dollars for a pair of sneakers a little?” he narrowed his eyes, “What more
did you do to him? I need to prepare myself,” he added.

“Well….” I began, just as his phone started to ring.

“Oh Goddess, please don’t say it, I don’t want to know.” Standing up from the
couch, he took out his phone from a pocket and excused himself to take the call.
“Call me when he’s done,” he said over his shoulder, heading to the exit.

“Ok, I’m done, I have everything I need. Where’s Ben?” Peter appeared in front of
me with at least ten different clothes in his hands, his eyes searching for his
mate.

“Great, so let’s pay,” I said, taking out my wallet while walking to the counter.
“Ben had a phone call, so he went outside to answer it.”

The shop assistant smiled at us when we argued about me not paying, but I won.
Peter took his bags, and we left the shop in an attempt to find Ben.

We spotted him in Domino’s sitting at a table, probably waiting for the food he
ordered, still with a phone attached to his ear. He looked funny. Dressed in all
black. Showing his muscular body covered in tattoos and a cold face emitting his
domineering aura. He was surrounded by giggling teenage girls trying to be
noticed and boys feeling intimidated by his cold demeanor. If you didn’t know
better, you might think he’s some mafia leader.

We made our appearance just in time to hear him ending the call. “Yes Boss, I’ll
be there as soon as possible.”

“Problems, babe?” Peter asked, concerned when he sat next to Ben and gave him
a peck on his lips. Ben growled in pleasure and put a hand at Peter’s neck while
he was retreating and brought him back, just to smash his lips with Peter’s. That
made Peter let out a little moan, and the giggling girls whined in dissatisfaction.
The boys instead whispered a little ‘yes’ and made a winning gesture with their
hands. Not waiting for live porn in public, I cleared my throat.

“Em, guys, you have an audience, and as I’m happy to see you in love, I’m sure this
strange couple in the left corner is about to call the manager, so I suggest you
wait until you get home,” I advised taking the empty chair across Ben and sat
down.
“I don’t mind, he’s mine, and I can kiss him whenever and wherever I want,” Peter
announced a little loud for the whole restaurant to hear and smiled at Ben.

Ben only smirked at him mischievously and responded. “Wherever, you say? I
have plans for later, so I hope you don’t mind being caught.” he winked at him,
and Peter gulped.

“So, what’s the problem Ben, we heard you before you ended the call,” I asked
worriedly.

“Well, first. I hope you don’t mind me ordering for all of us. Pepperoni pizza and
extra cheese and mushrooms for you, Mandy,” he said while putting his arm
around Peter’s shoulders. We both nodded, waiting for him to continue.

“My Al….” he looked around checking if there was anyone listening. “My boss
wants me to come back sooner. There are some issues with our rivals (probably
describing rogues), and I need to take care of the matter. Because he already left
for his trip,” he said apologetically, looking at me, because he knew that my time
with Peter was precious.

“When?” Peter asked the dreaded question I couldn’t form because of the
dryness in my throat. We both looked, expecting Ben to answer.

“Tomorrow” was his simple answer.

Tomorrow. I have only this night with my best friend, and then he’ll be gone. I
know that South Carolina is not the end of the world. But not having him here
with me will be different, difficult. I’ll need some time to adjust to my new life
without him. Can I manage? If someone asked me if I can manage to take another
department and lead an extra 500 new people, I would say yes in an instant –
piece of cake. This is something I can do on a daily basis, but we’re talking about
private life. Letting someone important to you leave you to live on the other side
of the country, that’s different. But I think I’ll have to figure out a way to survive
that. I still have Ryan, although he rarely has time for me, preferring to relieve
stress in his favorite way. Man whore. So, it leaves me with my brother and his
mate. Shit! Still not a good idea, he’s not around either, living far away in South
Dakota.

“Mandy? “Peter’s concerned voice brought me back from my daze.

“Sorry I zoned out a little.” I giggled. “You were saying?”

“I asked, do you want to help me pack my things tonight? The flight is at 9.00 am,
and I need help with all the new stuff I bought. Are you ok?” He took my hand and
gave a reassuring squeeze.

I smiled at him in response just as our order was delivered. My appetite was long
gone after the bomb Ben threw at me, but I couldn’t show how devastated I felt
so I said a quick, “I’m ok.”, took a slice of my pizza, and started to eat. There was
an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Ben excused himself and went
to the restroom.

“I’m sorry Mandy. It was not my intention to make you feel sad,” Peter said
looking straight into my eyes, pleading for forgiveness. I stopped eating.

“I’m not sad honey, he’s your mate, and understandably you want to be together,
either here or at his place. It’s just…” I took a deep breath and continued.” I
never thought it would be so far away, I’ll miss you.” Tears fell from my eyes
when I said the last words, causing Peter to grab me and put me on his lap to hug
me tightly. I put my head on his chest and let myself cry harder. It must be some
show to people around us seeing me falling apart in a guy’s lap after his
boyfriend left.

“I’ll miss you too, baby girl, but we always have phone calls or FaceTime, or you
can come to visit me on weekends, thank Goddess, you are rich, so you can afford
the tickets.” he joked, kissing my head repeatedly, making me laugh.
“At least I won’t spend it on your new unnecessary shoes.” I giggled, looking at
his face, God he’s gorgeous. I want a Peter for me too. He’s perfect.

He pushed me away from him a little and held my arms, raised one eyebrow and
gave me the ‘are you f*****g serious’ face. “Unnecessary shoes?” he asked
accusingly.

I just sniffed and nodded.

“You are all wrong, woman. Without those ‘unnecessary shoes’, I wouldn’t have
found my mate, because I was bending over to lace my ‘unnecessary shoes’ just in
front of the VIP room at that club. If I didn’t, I would have just passed by and
never met him. So I should thank you for buying them for me. It’s all thanks to
you that I’m complete now.” he assured me, and with a final sniff, I put my hands
around his neck and hugged him tightly. His hands went around my waist, and he
put his head in my hair, giving me another kiss.

“Please, just don’t forget me.” I pleaded into his neck.

“Never.” was his simple reply, and he tightened his grip around my waist. After a
few moments of us hugging each other, I took my previous seat and continued
eating. Ben came back shortly after our moment, and the talk went smoothly
again.

Later in the parking lot, I was searching for my keys, when a voice from behind
made me turn.

“You didn’t answer my question!” Peter shouted from about six parking places
away.

“What question?” I shouted back.

“Will you help me pack this evening?” his voice was pleading.

Smiling at him, I answered. “I’d be honored, see you later!” I waved and climbed
into the car, starting the ignition. Checking my view, I stepped on the gas and
drove my way home.

….

“Deacon?” I sniffed after hearing the other side pick up the call.

“Are you alright, Mandy girl? Are you hurt? Why are you crying?” my brother’s
concerned voice invaded my ear.

I sniffed a few more times before I could make a coherent sentence. “He’s leaving
me, D. He’s leaving me all alone here.” my voice broke down at the end and I let
my tears flow freely. I promised myself to be strong, to take it like a champ, but I
couldn’t. When I entered ‘his’ bedroom at my house, all the memories came, and I
collapsed on the white, fluffy carpet and cried my heart out. Maybe if I cry now, I
won’t later. Bullshit. I’ll cry myself to sleep at least for a month before Ryan will
intervene and give me his famous speech about life being hard.

“He’s leaving D. He found his mate, and now he’s going to live with him and will
forget about me like everyone does.” I said, climbing into his bed and smelling
the pillow that still has his scent of citrus and something earthy.

“Who’s leaving?” Deacon asked, concerned.

“Peter.”

“Oh, Mandy, I’m so sorry to hear that, but it’s a good thing. He’s a werewolf, and
finding a mate is the most exciting thing for us. You know that.” He tried to
reason with me.
“I know, but still, it hurts,” I whined.

“Mandy, you should support him, not make it harder for him, you knew this would
come eventually. When he finds out you cried about it, he will feel guilty for
finding his mate and might do something stupid.” Deacon lectured me, “and you
don’t want that, right? You don’t want him to reject his chance to be happy just
because he’s moving a little away from you.” he deadpanned.

He was right. I can’t take this opportunity from him just because I feel insecure.
Remembering my happy time with my mate, I forgot who I was talking with and
spilled the beans unintentionally.

“If finding a mate is so important to werewolves, why did mine reject me?!” I
shouted to the phone without thinking.

There was dead silence at the other end, and when I registered what I had just
said, I clapped my hand over my mouth with a hard slap, but it was too late.

“What did you say?!” my brother growled into the phone so loud I had to pull
away the phone to not make me go deaf. He was seething with anger. Oh, my
stupid ass, why did you say that?

“Nothing, I didn’t say anything. I’m just an emotional mess right now, and I say
whatever my tongue wants.” I said, jokingly, hoping he would buy it. But of
course, he didn’t, he’s my brother after all, not by blood but still.

“Mandy, did you just say you found your mate?” he asked coldly. Sighing, I
answered, defeated.

“Yes.” I think it’s about time to share my little secret with him. It’s been so long,
keeping it to myself, that saying it out loud made me feel a little relieved.
“When?”

“Five years ago,” I answered and immediately put him on speaker, placing the
phone on the bed. I knew he would shout and probably cause some damage. I
wasn’t disappointed. I heard a ferocious growl and a sound of wood breaking.
Probably his office desk, God why me?

After a few moments of hearing cracking noises and heavy breathing, he finally
asked, “Who?”

His voice was so deep I instantly knew his wolf emerged. And that’s not a good
thing. Almost, immediately I heard Linda’s concerned voice asking what
happened. After a second, I heard her voice through the speaker, confused.

“Mandy, is that you? What happened?” her voice was between plea and demand.
Deacon was still breathing hard.

“I told him my secret,” I whispered.

“What secret? What are you talking about, Mandy?” she asked, intrigued and a
little confused.

I took a deep breath and explained. “I found my mate five years ago but got
rejected.” I sighed at the end, waiting for the drama to start. As expected, the
questions were thrown at me.

“What?!”
“Who?”

“I’ll kill him.”

“Calm down Deacon, she won’t say anything unless you calm down,” Linda said
soothingly.

“Why didn’t you say anything, Mandy? Goddess – five years! If I knew, I would
have…” Deacon asked, finally sounding calm. Probably Linda had something to
do with that.

“I know, you would have killed him. That is why I didn’t say anything.” I explained.

“But why? We’re family. Does Peter know?” Linda asked.

“No, he doesn’t. You’re the first. And I guess I was embarrassed. I know
everything about mates, from how to recognize them to how they complete each
other and all that stuff,” I stated, “but I didn’t do my job properly, he was
disappointed in me being human, that’s why he rejected me, even after….” I
stopped.

“Even after what?” Deacon’s angry voice hit my ear.

“After we mated,” I whispered. The growls and breaking sounds started again.
Deacon was furious. Well, what did you expect from an Alpha?

“Mandy, can we call you back in a while, please?” Linda asked pleadingly to say
yes.
“Yes, of course, I’m sorry Linda. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.” I apologized,
grabbing my phone to end the call.

“Don’t, we’re family. We’re here to help. Now let me calm down this Alpha male,
and then we’ll talk, ok?” she suggested.

“Ok, bye.” I ended the call and collapsed on the bed exhausted and fell asleep
instantly.

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing somewhere in the bedsheets,

searching with my hand and closed eyes. I finally found the culprit and answered
the call.

“Mandy, I’m sorry for my outburst, but I was shocked.” my brother’s apologetic
voice filled my ear.

“That’s understandable, D. It’s not every day you find about your little sister’s
rejection. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner,” I said with my eyes still closed.

“Still, I’m sorry, but I’m your older brother, it’s my duty to protect you, so why?”
he asked.

“As I said, I was embarrassed. As a mate, I was supposed to be everything he

needs, and seeing you and Linda or Nick and Anna despite all the differences,
you’re still together. I thought it was me. That I’m not worthy to have a mate,
that’s why I was silent. I know you love me D, but you can’t fight all my demons. I
need to do it myself, starting with my ex-mate” I explained. Hoping, he’ll
understand.
“Who?”

I knew he would ask that. “D, I love you, but this I won’t tell. I don’t want you to
do something reckless. I’m fine now. Please understand.” I reasoned with him.

“Ok, but promise one day you’ll tell me?”

“I promise,” I vowed, looking out the window. It’s almost sunset. In an hour, I
should be helping Peter packing.

“I have an idea. Maybe it’s stupid but hear me out sis.” I focused on his words.

“Why don’t you take a vacation. It’s almost summer, and what’s better than
changing the environment to let yourself heal. Come home or go to Europe, just
let yourself relax, what do you think?” he asked hopefully.

Thinking about his proposal, I didn’t see anything wrong with that. It’s a good
idea. “You might be right. I’ll think about it.” I answered in excitement. “Thank
you, D. You’re the best big bro a girl could have. It’s a great idea. I’ll call you later,
I need to head to Peter’s now.” I said, and we said our goodbyes.

Taking a quick shower, I thought about our conversation. It was a good

opportunity to deal with my emotions, and slowly adjust to my new situation.
Without Peter close.