Ghosted My Onlinemate Chapter 03

Ghosted My Onlinemate Chapter 03

I forced myself to stay composed. “Go ahead, take it.”

“You got to it first.”

“I don’t really want it that badly,” I lied, squeezing out a smile as I pulled my hand back. “It’s yours.”

Elias studied me for a moment.

He didn’t argue. He picked up the yogurt bottle and gave it a little shake. “Thanks.”

He turned and walked a few steps, then glanced back.

“Hey, you’re the Omega assigned to my squad, right? Sarah?”

“Sienna.”

“Sienna,” he repeated, then smiled. “I’ll make sure to enjoy it.”

I nodded dumbly.

He didn’t say anything else. Just left.

I stood there, staring at his back until it disappeared through the convenience store door.

Days blurred together, monotonous and flat.

Another round of practice exams came and went.

During a break, my homeroom teacher called me to his office.

“Sienna, do me a favor.”

He set down his red pen and adjusted his glasses.

“Elias hasn’t been himself lately. His combat theory score dropped fifteen spots this time around.”

“Go ask him if he’s fighting with Yvette.”

When I hesitated, he explained:

“You’re classmates, and you’re the class rep. It’s convenient. Besides, you need to start building rapport with the Alphas.”

I lowered my eyes.

“I’m sorry, sir. Elias and I aren’t close.”

“Ask around with the other students, then.”

He studied me for a moment.

He seemed surprised by my refusal but didn’t push it.

“All right. I’ll ask someone else.”

I nodded and left the office.

Not close.

Those two words felt almost funny coming out of my mouth.

Right. Not close.

The number of times we’d actually spoken could be counted on one hand.

But every single word he’d ever said to me online? I remembered them all. Every last one.

That evening, after a shower, I was getting ready for bed when my phone buzzed. I picked it up.

A message from Elias.

[Sia, you there?]

I typed a single “Yeah.”

[Got into another fight with her.]

[Sometimes I wonder… is she really the mate I’ve been looking for?]

[Ugh…]

[You’re the only person I can just talk to. Sorry, Sia. I’m always bothering you.]

I stared at the screen, not understanding what Elias meant by “the mate I’ve been looking for.”

But I didn’t ask.

Didn’t reply at all.

Flipped the phone face-down and went back to studying history.

But my thoughts stalled on page seventy-eight.

The words blurred into meaningless ink.

That night I tossed and turned, the sheets tangling around my legs like shackles.

I couldn’t sleep at all.

Finally, I sat up so abruptly the rush of blood made me dizzy.

I opened Elias’s contact, my thumb hovering over “Delete Contact.”

One cold swipe. Gone.

For a long time after that, I stopped paying attention to Elias and Yvette.

All I knew was they’d stopped giving each other the silent treatment.

Elias reclaimed the number one spot.

But on the bright side, once I stopped obsessing over Elias, my own grades actually improved.

During a break in combat theory class, Maya leaned over.

“Sienna, can I borrow your phone to look something up? I’m out of data.”

I handed it over.

“Is the passcode your birthday?”

She was already unlocking it as she asked.

“No. It’s 0922.”

“Hm? That date sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?”

I didn’t answer.

It was Elias’s birthday.

I’d always used his birthday as my passcode.

I’d just been too busy lately to change it.

Maya suddenly froze.

I followed her gaze.

On the phone screen, a notification from the anonymous app had popped up.

[Dear user Sia, this is your third year with Little Tree. Are you really going to leave so cruelly?]

“Wow, Sienna, your username is ‘Sia’ too?”

“Yesterday Elias was asking in the group chat if anyone knew someone named ‘Sia.’ Said it was someone he’d been talking to on that app for a long time. The person deleted their account and vanished.”

She realized too late. Elias was sitting just a few desks away.

My scalp prickled.

The color drained from my face.

I tried to speak but no sound came out.

The next second, Elias turned his head.

His gaze landed on me, but his question was directed at Maya.

Voice calm, slightly rough.

“What did you say? Who’s called Sia?”