The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 3

Xaden's POV.

I don't get any chances to see Noelle again until the end of the day. We're talking completely different subjects.

Suddenly, I wish I was good at art. I'm so jealous of Rory, she gets to spend every lesson with my mate because they're taking the exact same A—Levels.

Not fair.

I get in my car and pull up on the road outside of school. I wait for my mate to come out and then start the engine.

When she gets out of school, she turns left and starts walking down the street. I follow her and pull up next to the pavement in front of her. I roll down the window and lean out.

Noelle looks up from her phone and her eyes widen in surprise.

'Noelle! Do you want a lift' I ask her hopefully.

Her lips press into a line, and she shakes her head. 'No, thanks.'

I frown at her blunt reply. 'Come on, I don't mind.'

She narrows her eyes at me. 'I'm good.'

She keeps walking and I have to drive forwards to keep up with her. I knock the car into first gear and slowly cruise next to her.

'Come on, please let me give you a lift I want to get to know you.'

She snorts and I wonder what I said that's so funny.

'Stop trying to get into my pants, Xaden,' she snaps irritably. 'I know I'm new here, but I'm not stupid.'

What. The. Fuck.

I gawp at her, my mouth slack and open.

She honestly thinks that's what I'm after

I mean, sure, I would love to get her into bed. But, contrary to what she thinks, that's not my only goal. Plus, if I got her into it, she'd never be leaving. She'd be the last one to ever get into it.

'Do you think that's what I want from you Noelle, I want to get to know you, not sleep with you.'

She stops walking and turns to face me. She gives me a cold, deadpan expression and crosses her arms over her chest.

'Really You don't want to sleep with me'

Shit.

I can't lie to my mate. It's almost impossible.

'Well…' I reply sheepishly. 'Obviously I want to sleep with you, but that's not all I want.'

I wince at how bad the words come out.

Shit, that didn't sound good.

She scowls and starts walking again.

'Sure, it isn't,' she says sarcastically. 'Just leave me alone, Xaden.'

I love hearing my name from her lips.

I pull over and cut the engine. I jump out of the car and jog to catch up with her. Noelle scoffs and stops walking.

'Will you stop stalking me I just told you to leave me alone!' She says, her tone exasperated.

'That's not going to happen, sugar,' I reply.

She scrunches up her nose. 'Sugar'

'Yeah, cause you're sweet as sugar.'

Noelle looks at me like she can't believe that I'm being serious.

'You are unbelievable,' she says with a groan.

She turns on her heel and starts to walk away again. I reach out and catch her hand, pulling her back to me.

It's the first time we've touched, and sparks ignite on my skin where we touch. Noelle gasps and looks down at our joined hands.

'Did you realize' I ask her softly. 'Do you know that we're mates'

She slowly looks up and meets my eyes. Her hazel ones blink up at me, surrounded by the longest lashes I've ever seen.

'Yes, I knew,' she murmurs. She tugs her hand free of my grip and I feel lost without her touch. 'But it doesn't mean anything.'

She walks away again, leaving me staring after her, dumbfounded. I run to catch up to her and then jump in front of her, making her stop suddenly. She glares at me for blocking her way.

I put my hands on her shoulders, gently but firmly, stopping her from going anywhere.

'What do you mean it doesn't matter' I demand. 'We're soul mates. That's not something you just brush off.'

Her eyes narrow further and she pushes my hands off her shoulders.

'Tell me something, Xaden, and I know that you can't lie to me because we're mates. So, tell me the truth…'

My stomach twists and I feel instantly sick. I'm not going to like this question, I know it.

'How many girls have you slept with' She asks angrily.

My heart sinks and my shoulders drop.

Someone told her. She knows.

'Look, it's really not like it seems—' I start to defend myself, but she cuts me off.

'How many' She punctuates her question.

I swallow the lump in my throat and shrug. 'I don't know, I haven't kept count.'

She closes her eyes and inhales deeply through her nose.

'There must be quite a few for you to lose count. More than thirty More than fifty' She says quietly.

She looks up and meets my eyes. My heart breaks as I see hers shining with unshed tears. 'More than a hundred'

I let out a shaky breath. 'I don't know, Noelle,' I whisper.

She shakes her head and blinks the tears away.

'Do something for me, Xaden,' she replies, her voice thick with emotion. 'Stay the hell away from me.'

She storms past me and this time, I don't try and stop her. I let her walk away and I think she must take my heart with her, cause my chest feels tight and empty as she goes.

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I take my time driving home. I'm lost in my thoughts and caught in a period of self—loathing.

I resent the old me so much. The one who fucked up, constantly. I made so many mistakes. I don't blame Noelle for wanting to stay far away from me.

Why did I do it Why did I sleep with girls who aren't my mate

I know why. It was fun. It felt good. It made me feel wanted. It made me feel less empty.

But it was only a temporary fix and now, I feel even worse than I did before I started.

When I get in, all of my siblings are already in the kitchen with my parents.

My parents; Rixon and Lexi Moretti. To be fair, they hardly had it easy when they met. My grandparents really hated my dad and didn't want him to be with my mum.

My sister Tahlia is gushing about her mate to Mum whilst Dad helps Talen and Malika with their homework.

I say a quick 'Hi' and then go upstairs to my room. I lay down on my bed and stare at the ceiling, trying to think of what I'm going to say to her tomorrow.

It's obvious that we need to talk. I need to explain myself, try and get her to see how sorry I am for the mistakes that I've made.

Also, I need to know if she's considering rejecting me. I wouldn't blame her, but I really hope she doesn't. It'll kill me.

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In the morning, I get in early and wait anxiously for Noelle in the common room.

As soon as she comes in, I stride right up to her. She's surprised to see me when I stop in front of her and then she grimaces and tries to side—step me. I keep blocking her attempts to leave.

'You're not getting away from me, sugar,' I tell her smoothly. 'We need to talk.'

I grab her hand and pull her out of the common room. She scoffs and tries to pull her hand free of my grip, but I hold on tightly.

I take her down to the silent study, which is empty this early in the morning. The door closes behind us and she spins around to face me. She crosses her arms over her full chest, pops her hip and glares at me.

'What'

'Are you going to reject me' I ask her outright.

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise and her full lips part slightly. She closes her mouth and I watch her swallow. It feels like time drags on forever, waiting for her to reply.

Eventually, she clenches her jaw but shakes her head.

'No.'

I let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I sink into one of the nearby chairs, sighing with relief.

'Thank Goddess,' I murmur.

Noelle watches me with interest. 'You would be upset if I rejected you' She asks.

I frown in confusion. 'Obviously! You're my mate, Noelle. I want to be with you.'

Her hazel eyes narrow at me. 'Yet you slept with other girls'

Shit.

'The keyword being 'slept' in that sentence. Past tense. Used to. Not anymore,' I tell her firmly.

She remains silent, watching me curiously. I take a cautious step towards her. She doesn't back away, just watches me.

I take another and another, until I'm right in front of her. I slowly reach out and run my thumb over her cheekbone. She inhales sharply at the contact and happiness fills me.

'I've made a lot of mistakes, Noelle,' I tell her huskily. 'I've fucked up. But I'm trying to do better. Please, give me a chance.'

Please.

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