Ivy sat on the floor of her basement struggling to put on her roller skates. She whined as she peeked over at her mother who was watching her with a fond smile. "Do you need help, Ivy?" Her mother asked her softly.
Ivy nodded her head softly while holding the skate towards her mother. Ivy's mother moved so that she was kneeling in front of Ivy, placing her skate on for her. "Mommy," Ivy called out to her mother. Her mother hummed softly, letting her daughter know that she had heard her. "You know my best friend, Ace, right?"
Ivy's mother helped her stand with her skates on before replying to Ivy. "Yes. What about him?"
Ivy instantly became flustered and looked away, trying her best to avoid her mother's piercing gaze. "Well, I sort of have a crush on him. I know that it's forbidden to be with him bu-"
"What they don't know won't hurt them."
Ivy's eyes widened as she looked back at her mother. "Huh?"
Ivy's mother ruffled her daughters hair with a soft smile played on her lips. "I see how much he means to you. I know that your father haven't given you many options when it came to friends because of what you are. Do what make you happy, sweetheart. I know that your father may not be happy about the relationship at first, but I think you deserve it. You're a teenager now, you should enjoy your youth before it's all gone," Ivy was stuck as she listened to her mother speak.
She was okay with it?
She didn't care if Ivy and Ace had a relationship?
"Well then, I have something to tell you," Ivy announced as she looked at her mother with eyes filled with determination.
Her mother sent her a knowing look. "I already know. I wasn't born yesterday, Ivanna."
Ace ran around his house with his small Avenger action figure clenched tightly in his hand. Zachary chased him around with his own action figure. They were screaming and laughing at each other. Ivy snuck into the house by sneaking through the small window that led into the basement.
The sound of Ivy's body hitting the floor caught Ace's attention. His father noticed how his son's eyes lit up with excitement as he darted towards the staircase that led to the basement. Ace's father had no idea about Ace and Ivy's friendship let alone their romantic relationship. Zachary followed Ace with the action figure still in his hand, flying around.
Ivy stood up, dusting herself off. Her eyes widened as she smiled brightly at Ace. He wasted no time in crushing Ivy in his embrace. Zac made sure to shut the door behind him so that they'd be able to hear if someone was coming. "It's too dangerous for you to be here, Iv. You know that my dad is still home, right?"
Ace seemed worried. There was no saying what was bound to happen to either of them once his father found out about their relationship. "I just wanted to come and tell you that I told my mom," Ace's face contorted into a shocked one. They had both agreed that they wanted to tell their parents at the same time, this way they wouldn't have to deal with the consequences in two different manners. "No, no. Don't make that face. She's okay with it!" Ivy squealed softly.
"You're kidding!" Ace asked. He was beyond thrilled that Ivy's mother approved of their relationship. Deep down he knew that either of their mothers would actually have a problem with it. Ace's mother was extremely supportive of his and Ivy's friendship and always teased him about her when she had gone back home. Ivy's mother and father were both okay with the friendship, or her father more or less tolerated the friendship because it made his only child happy.
Ace's father was completely different. He was always fighting with Ace to start looking for people who he believes could potentially be his mate. He was a firm believer in mate bonds, which Ace never understood why. He never knew why his dad pushed him away and the only time he'd bother with him would be when he had a new girl that he thought could be Ace's mate. Ace hated it. He despised his father for neglecting him.
Ivy shook her head. "Nope. She wants to see you again too," Ivy voiced. She turned her head to look at Zachary who stood in the corner of the room, awkwardly. "You too Zac!"
Zachary smiled at Ivy and nodded his head. Agreeing to meet Ivanna's mother for the first time. They were all caught up in their conversation they didn't hear the basement door open.
Ace ran through the woods hoping to catch up to Maya before she could make her way back to Charlie. He needed to apologize. He could still smell her. She was still nearby. His heart ached. Ace couldn't believe that Maya really mated with Charlie before breaking off the mate bond with him. He struggled to continue running in his human form. His breaths were starting to come out in pants.
"Shit," He mumbled as he felt as if his legs were going to give out on him. "Maya!" He called out to her making everyone around her freeze. Maya looked up at Charlie who was shaking with anger. Zac looked shocked. He didn't think that Ace would actually chase after Maya, especially after she had just rejected him from being her mate.
Maya tugged herself away from Charlie. She couldn't risk him seeing Ivy just yet. It was time. She started running in his direction before Charlie could reach out to stop her. "What the hell is she doing?!" Charlie's voice came out in a growl.
"She doesn't want him to see me yet," Ivy released a humorless laugh. "Dumb mortals, I swear," Ivy started chasing her. "Stay here."
With that, she was gone in the woods. Zac and Charlie looked at each other. Maya stopped running when she spotted Ace. "What?" Maya asked in annoyance when Ace stopped a few feet in front of her. He heaved, trying to suck as much air into his lungs as possible. "You okay?"
Ace nodded before standing up. "Sorry, I don't normally run in my human form, you could say I'm out of shape," He chuckled and Maya cracked a smile. She didn't want things between to end terribly. He was still a great guy who was seeking some sort of affection from anyone at this point in his life.
"So? What happened?"
Ace walked closer to her. He softly gripped her shoulders before tugging her into an embrace. "I'm sorry. I've known that you were in love with Charlie since the first time I've seen you two together. Yet, I still tried to force you to love me. I'm sorry. I'll willingly let you go, My. You deserve happiness and I don't want to be the reason why you don't receive it."
Maya wrapped her arms tightly around Ace. "So you do, Ace."
His grip on Maya tightened as he started to sob heavily into her shoulder. His body dropped to the ground, taking Maya with him. She didn't fight, she simply allowed him to sob quietly against her. Ivy watched from the distance, her heart clenching from watching the scene in front of her.