Chapter 143: She's Mad

‘Where is she?!’ he screamed in his mind.

“Have you seen Ashleigh?” he asked one of the young wolves leaving the training grounds.

“No, sorry,” the boy replied as he walked past.

He smiled and gave his thanks. A slow-burning rage building inside of him.

‘Is she with him?’ he wondered.

“Granger!” her voice called to him, sending a swell of relief over him.

He turned to look toward her. A charming smile was already displayed proudly on his face.

“Ash! I have been looking for–” Granger called to her as she approached, only to have his words cut off by the force of her hand slapping his face.

“You lied to me!” she screamed at him.

Granger was stunned. He hadn’t expected this, ever. He reached his hand to his lower lip, still feeling the sting.

“Why?” she asked, breathing heavily. “Why would you lie?”

“You hit me…” he said. He pulled his thumb away from his mouth, surprised to see a spot of blood.

“You lied.”

Ashleigh crossed her arms over her chest. Her jaw was clenched, her brows knitted together angrily.

Granger knew how angry she was, clearly, but he couldn’t help but think about how attracted he was to her at this moment. He ran his tongue over his lip, tasting the blood from where it had been split by her slap. He held back his smile.

“What are you talking about?” he asked as though he were shocked by her outburst. Of course, he didn’t know what she was angry about, but the fact was he had lied about so many things lately that he didn’t know where to begin.

“You told me Galen attacked you,” she said.

“He did!” he defended quickly. That was at least true.

“Unprovoked?” she asked.

“I have no idea why he attacked me!” he cried out. Again, he did not know the reason for the attack, at least not which thing he had been the final trigger that set Galen off.

“You said that he warned you to stay away from me,” she took a step closer to him now, “that you were ‘touching what didn’t belong to you’, that he was teaching you a lesson in respect.”

Granger stared back at Ashleigh; he could see that she knew the truth in her eyes.

‘Saul…you bastard!’ he thought to himself angrily.

He took a deep breath and let it back out.

“You’re right,” he sighed, “I lied.”

Ashleigh’s expression fell from a rage-filled manifestation of hostility to one of pained sadness. She dropped down into a squatting position as though she had lost the strength to stand. She lay her head on her arms, now crossed over her knees.

“Why?” she asked into her knees. Her voice was muffled, but the sadness in it was still audible.

Granger squatted down in front of her, putting his hands on her elbows. He was unsure if she would let him touch her. But she did.

‘She’s mad, but she wants to forgive me,’ He smiled to himself.

“Ash… I’m sorry,” he whispered dejectedly. “I don’t have any good explanations or even real reasons. I’m an idiot.”

Ashleigh sniffled; she was crying.

“Baby…” he whispered, leaning forward so he could kiss the top of her head. “Baby, don’t cry… please. I’m an idiot. I messed up. Please, it hurts me so much to hear you cry.”

She wiped her eyes on her arms. Trying to regain some control over her emotions.

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“Why did you tell me that he attacked you? Why did you say that he did it for Caleb?” Ashleigh asked.

Granger let out a low growl.

Ashleigh lifted her eyes. He still squatted before her, but his eyes were looking up, and his jaw was clenched tight. He was angry.

“Granger?” She called his name.

He squeezed his jaw again and cast his eyes down.

He took a moment, alternating between clenching his jaw and turning his eyes somewhere else. Finally, after a deep breath, he spoke. His resentment seeped into his tone.

“You call his name so easily,” he said bitterly, “Caleb. It just rolls off your tongue as though you have practiced it over and over in your dreams.”

“Granger…” she called, moving her hand out toward him.

“Nah, not that one. That takes a little work. But, like you have to think about it, remember it,” Granger spoke cynically, standing up and avoiding her touch. “His name, it’s always there, ready to roll off your tongue. But mine, forgettable.”

He turned away from her.

“You asked why I said that Galen attacked me for Caleb, why I lied about the reason he attacked me… that’s why,” he said quietly. “Because I’m afraid that you’ve already forgotten me.”

His voice was shaking, pain-filled. Ashleigh’s heart ached.

Ashleigh stood up, forgetting about her anger, her frustration, the concern she had felt at how easy his lies were for him to say.

“Granger,” she called to him again. Once more, she reached a hand to him, touching his shoulder. But he pulled away.

His shoulders slumped forward, and she could hear that he was crying. Ashleigh quickly moved around him. When she saw his face, his tear-stained face, her heart was gripped tightly. Her dream floated to the surface of her mind again.

Granger’s pained expression as she had pulled away from him, his eyes begging her to stay with him. To let him keep her safe from the dangers, she didn’t know about. From Caleb. Just before Caleb killed her.

Ashleigh closed her eyes, shoving away the dream and focusing on reality. She put her hands on either side of his face.

“Granger,” she said, trying to get him to look at her. “Baby, please look at me.”

He lifted his gaze slowly, his pale blue eyes glistening with wetness. Ashleigh smiled softly at him as her eyes were filled once more with tears.

“I could never forget you, Granger. Never.”

Granger pulled her tightly to his chest, holding her as though she would disappear if he didn’t keep her as close to him as possible.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered again. “I just wanted to create some distance between you, that’s all.”

“Ssshhh…” Ashleigh cooed, running her fingers through his hair, comforting him.

“I swear, I didn’t mean to hurt you or anyone,” he said sadly, pulling away just enough so they could face each other. “I didn’t attack him, and I didn’t know about the arrow, really. But, I wasn’t lying about being scared for my life. I truly thought I might never see you again.”

He ran his thumb over her lower lip.

“I would do anything to get back to you, Ash, anything.”

Ashleigh looked into his eyes and knew he meant it.

“I understand,” she smiled at him. Then, reaching her hand behind his head, she pulled him down towards her, kissing him gently.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

Ashleigh didn’t like that he had lied. But he had no way of knowing how she would react, that she would blame Galen the way she had. Granger had made a mistake, but he was admitting it. So

Ashleigh needed to admit her mistakes as well.

Granger held her and kissed her head softly.. Then, while whispering ungrateful words of thanks and empty apologies, he smiled to himself, much too wide.

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