19 Ch. 19 Quinn's Shocking Announcement

"So are you coming?" asked Quinn while scooping her ice cream in the cup before feeding it to herself.

"Coming to where?" Aria moaned in delight once she felt the melted chocolate ice cream on her tongue.

"To the masquerade party this Friday to celebrate the seniors' graduation. You might become the chosen mate of one of those shifters."

"Ew… No, thanks. Why would I want to be their mate?"

"Ow, come on. They are our protectors, and every noble girl had a dream to feel how it felt like to be their mate. I heard they would be a passionate lover and great company once they found their mates."

"Yeah?" Aria responded with a sarcastic tone. "Tell the girls how they behaved when they were kids. All of them were arrogant and proud to make me want to vomit. Let's see if the girls still idolized them."

"Nah, no one is perfect in this world. People could behave proud and arrogant when they were younger. They could change over time and realize their mistake. Don't hold the grudge too long. It's bad for your health."

"I'm not." denied Aria while frowning.

"It seems you're the only girl who hates werewolves."

"You're exaggerating it. I'm sure you would find another one or two that hate them as much as me."

"Do you still hold a grudge over how one of the werewolf kids treated you?"

"…"

"It happened a long time ago, and the head principal has already punished them. You saw it yourself. Besides, they were young and mischief…."

"I could've died."

"But you didn't. Aria, can't you see? They didn't bother you ever since they got the punishment. And they even didn't bother you over time."

"Yeah. But their eyes were always eyeing me as if I was their prey."

"Whose eyes?"

"Never mind. I don't want to recall it again."

"Aria…"

"Quinn. I know your fancy about the werewolf thingy, but don't try to persuade me to like them. Because I won't and never will." Besides, I'm a fae's child. Why should I make peace with the werewolf? Aria kept the continuation for herself.

"Alright, if you say so. But please tell me you will come to the party."

"What parties?" Aria knew what party Quinn was referring to, but she acted oblivious.

"You know very well which party I talked about."

"Don't tell me you came back here just to come to the party." guessed Aria while squinting her eyes in suspicion.

Her guess was right on as she noticed the red hue dyed Quinn's angelic face.

"Is it wrong? I miss everyone here before I'm going back to the kingdom."

"What? I think you're back for good."

Quinn shook her head sadly, but there was a happy smile and a dreamy look on her face.

Now, what happened to her dear friend? Why does she look like a lovey-dovey fool who just fell in love?

"Why do I feel like you're being charmed by someone?"

Quinn's cheek reddened at the remark, and she almost choked on her saliva. "How did you know?"

"Ha?" Aria blinked her eyes several times as she couldn't understand the flabbergasted look on her friend's face. "What did I know?"

"I… I…" Quinn looked around her, and when she was sure no one was listening, she waved her hand as if beckoning Aria to move closer. "I found my soulmate in the kingdom."

"You found your what?" Aria was confused because she thought the half-breed would neither find nor feel the mate's presence, like Quinn or she. But it seemed she was wrong. "I never thought you could find a mate, considering your human gene is more dominant. No offense, though."

Quinn gave a burst of hearty laughter while showing a toothy grin as if some weight on her shoulder had been lifted.

"The truth is… he found me. He said I was his mate and couldn't wait to claim me and put his symbol on my heart."

"Symbol??? I don't understand."

"It's a fae thingy. You know… it's like when a werewolf found their mate; they wanted to put their mark on their spouse. In fae races, they put their symbol indicating their partner are theirs."

Aria nodded in understanding but couldn't be happy for her friend even though she wanted to. If only Quinn found a lover… a human lover, she would be genuinely happy for her. But… a fae lover?

Well, it was lucky Quinn was not fated to a sickening boy from those in the werewolf realm… but she still feels sad.

"So, you're gonna leave again? And this time for good?"

Quinn's dreamy smile evaporated as soon as she heard the gloomy voice of her friend. "Oh, it's not like we won't meet again forever. I will visit sometimes, and I can invite you to our house."

"What do you mean 'our house?' It's not like you're going to live together, right?" Aria took her drink glass and took a leisurely sip while waiting for her friend's answer.

"That… he already proposed to me, and I accepted it."

Spurt!!

Cough! Cough!

Aria choked and coughed after spewing the drink's contents from inside her mouth. She patted her chest a few times while Quinn quickly took a tissue and wiped it on Aria's face.

"Are you alright?" Quinn even had to get up and walk over to Aria's place so she could gently pat her on the back. "I didn't expect my words to surprise you so much."

"Surprised is an understatement. I thought I was dreaming!"

"I'm sorry. I thought you would be happy for me."

"Oh, Quinn. Of course, I'm happy for you. But… I don't know. Is it wrong to think it's a saver to have a human lover? But you decided to marry him after four years of knowing each other. Well, it's not a short time, but you're still young, and I know your dream to be a doctor in this realm. Besides, four years is not long enough to know that you want to spend your whole life with him."

"That… Don't be shocked, okay. We… we had only met three months ago, and I never feel convinced whole my life to spend every second with him."

No one could measure how big Aria's opened mouth was. She was utterly shocked… no… she felt like she was in the other universe abruptly to make her loss of words.