Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates novel Chapter 130

Lia

I found Simone exactly where I expected-at the hotel, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger like she didn’t have a care in the world. The second she spotted me, her face lit up.

“There you are!” She pushed off the fence and walked toward me. “I was starting to think you ditched me.”

“I thought about it,” I admitted, trying to keep my voice light, but the weight in my chest wouldn’t budge. “Sorry we’ve been spending so much time in that abandoned city. We need to stay there so I can figure out everything I need to figure out.

Her smile faded as she got a good look at me. “Okay, what’s wrong? And don’t say ‘nothing’ because you look like you just walked out of a horror movie.”

I let out a breath and crossed my arms over my chest. “Do you ever feel like… maybe you’re in way over your head?” Simone blinked, head tilting. “Uh, yeah. Like, every other day. Why?”

“I mean really over your head,” I pressed. “Like… no matter what you do, you can’t fixit.And maybe it’s only going to get worse.”

Her expression softened. “Lia.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the bench, plopping down next to me. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

I hesitated, trying to find the right words. “The coven… they’re helping now. But the more I work with them, the more I realize I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t even know if I can handle this.”

“Of course you don’t,” she said like it was obvious. “You’re not supposed to know how to handle ancient magical dragon nonsense, Lia. That’s not exactly a core class.”

I huffed out a laugh despite myself. “That’s… not helpful.”

“It’s true,” she said, bumping her shoulder against mine. “Look, you’ve already done more than anyone else could. You got the relic, you’re figuring out your powers-honestly, I’d be curled up under a blanket refusing to move if it were me.”

“I thought about that too,” I muttered.

Simone grinned. “Yeah, but you didn’t doit. That’s kind of my point-you keep going, even when everything’s falling apart.”

I shook my head, frustration bubbling to the surface. “I’m barely holding it together, Sim. And what if I make it worse? What if I mess up and people get hurt?”

Her smile faded, and for once, she was quiet. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer. “You probably will.” I snapped my head toward her. “Wow. Thanks.”

“I’m serious,” she said. “You’ll probably mess up. You might even make it worse. But you’re not doing this alone. You’ve got your brother, your mates-hell, you’ve got me.And no matter how bad it gets, I’m not going anywhere.”

I swallowed the knot rising in my throat. “You make it sound easy.” “It’s not,” she admitted, shrugging. “But I’m still here, aren’t I?”

I let outa shaky breath and glanced down at my hands. “What if I can’t fix it?”

“Then we’ll figure it out,” she said without missing a beat. “You think I’m going to let you face all this on your own? Please. You’re stuck with me.”

A warm rush of relief slipped through the cracks in my panic. “I don’t deserve you.” “Nope,” Simone said, flashing me a smile. “But lucky for you, I’m a saint.”

I laughed-an actual laugh-and it surprised me how much lighter I felt, even if only for a second. “Okay,” I said quietly. “Okay. But if this goes bad-“

“If it goes bad, I’ve got your back,” she finished for me. “Always.”

I leaned back against the wall, the weight on my chest easing just a little. “Thanks, Sim.”

“Anytime.” She nudged me with her elbow. “Now, tell me everything. And don’t leave out the dramatic stuff-I live for the drama.”

Simone grinned, clearly ready for every detail. “Come on, give me the juicy bits. I want to know all the stupid decisions you’ve made. The ones that had you thinking you could conquer the world and then made you want to crawl into a hole and cry later.”

I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips. “You’re not wrong. But this is serious, Sim. We’re talking about magic and dragons, not some petty high school drama.”

She scoffed, not taking me seriously for a second. “Please, magic and dragons are an upgrade from regular high school drama. Do you know what would be way worse? Not having me around to keep you sane.” She winked at me.

“Alright, alright,” I said, leaning back and rubbing the back of my neck. “I tried to… bond with the relic, but it didn’t exactly go as planned. Now I’ve got all this power, and it feels like it’s slipping through my fingers every time I try to control it.”

Simone raised her brows. “Whoa, you tried to bond with the relic? That’s some hardcore commitment right there.” She let out a whistle. “What happened? Did it bite you or something?”

“Honestly, it felt like it wanted to,” I muttered. “Like, it was testing me, pushing me, trying to see if I was worthy or if I’d just crumble under pressure.”

She leaned forward, her eyes wide with interest. “So, it was a full-on magical interrogation? I’m kind of impressed you didn’t pass out from the stress.”

“Do you think that I should drop out of school?”

Simone coughed. “Honestly, I’ve been talking to the guys, and I think I should do it too. Have you spoken to your mates?” “No, I don’t know what to say yet. I wonder if they will want to leave the rugby team too.”

It wasn’t going to be easy to save the world when we were busy with our mundane lives. I needed to fight these dragons, and knowing that they were going to be waking up potentially soon was enough stress.

Simone raised an eyebrow, a mix of concern and curiosity in her expression. “Wait, wait. Are we seriously talking about dropping out of school? Just like that?”

I shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know. I mean, what’s the point? We’re not exactly living in normal times anymore. The dragons are coming back, we’ve got magic, we’ve got… everything going on. I can’t focus on school when the world could fall apart any second.”

She leaned back, her arms crossed, thinking it over. “I get it. It feels like we’re on the brink of something huge. But Lia, are you sure you want to throw everything away? You’ve worked so hard to get where you are.”

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. “It’s not that I don’t want to finish school. It’s just… How am I supposed to study for exams when I’m worried about ancient dragons tearing everything apart? I can’t focus on math when there’s a literal apocalypse on the horizon.”

Simone bit her lip, clearly torn. “Yeah, it’s not like you can just push that stuff aside. But maybe… maybe there’s a way to balance it? Like, I don’t know, take a break from the more stressful stuff, and focus on the things that’ll help us get through this.”

I looked at her skeptically. “Like what? What could help us deal with dragons while I’m still trying to pass my chemistry tests?”

“I guess we’ll have to just drop out for the time being.”

The guys had been talking amongst themselves about leaving the rugby team, which I understood. We all needed to deal with this, and if it took leaving school and our jobs, then so be it.

I honestly didn’t see any other option.

“Let’s stay out here for awhile,” I said to Simone, bumping my hip against hers. She flashed me a smile and nodded. “Yeah, you need to get back to your training or whatever the fuck your doing.”

I sighed.

Simone couldn’t have put it any other way.