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For having rejected her, I never thought I’d be reeling quite so hard after seeing her twice.
The second time hit even harder than the first, and it left me grappling as everything hit me at once.
The bond we shared that I worked so hard to repress over the years seemed to swell despite my wolf’s absence. It had awakened like her presence had touched it, stirring it from sleep.
While I had felt pain myself by denying it, nothing felt quite as difficult to deal with as it did at that moment. The guilt ate away at me, aware that I hurt her more than necessary.
I could’ve let her down gently, but I hadn’t. I was younger, cocky, and surging with my powers. I should’ve known better.
What hurt even more was knowing that I had done all of it to myself. I was the cause of my own pain, alongside Willow’s.
It was cruel and the actions of a version of myself that I preferred to keep hidden, but I was well aware that Willow only knew that me. She would assume I was the same man, incapable of changing.
I wasn’t sure why it bothered me so much, but I sucked in a deep breath as I followed Kai on our way to the hotel. The few men with me, including Griffin, walked along with us while the others had been sent home.
Admittedly, the repressed powers made it easier to go numb to that damaged bond, but seeing her again had relit that ember until it smoldered. It was a small portion of how intense it had been with my wolf, yet it was still palpable.
After we had locked eyes in the street, I had the strongest urge to talk to her, but I didn’t have the chance to reach her. The moment she walked away, I was bombarded with questions from my men.
Kai and Finn had told the onlookers to get back to what they were doing, and from there, the alpha led us to where we would be staying for the foreseeable future.
We reached the hotel building before long, and I was slightly amazed by how impressive it was compared to what was available in most towns. I had expected a motel with shoddy bedding and chipped walls, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was Rose Valley, after all.
“I’ll talk with the manager and get everything sorted,” Kai said, leading us through the main doors. “Just wait here.”
The small group of us waited while we took in the expensive-looking décor. From the shining wood floor, the chandelier hanging in the lobby, and the marble walls, I knew that the town had been well looked after. When we rolled in, there hadn’t been a single building that looked old or out of place.
It made me wonder what the city’s accounts looked like.
Griffin let go of a low whistle, admiring our surroundings. “Makes the old garage look like a pile of shit, huh?”
Snickering at that, I kept my voice low. “No kidding.”
“I’m sure we’ll be more than comfortable here,” he said, not talking overly loud.
After only a few minutes, Kai returned to us and handed me a stack of card keys, all numbered.
“Take the elevator up to floor two. You’ll find the rooms on your left. If you get hungry, we have plenty of restaurants to choose from,” Kai said, glancing at his watch. “And we’ll be speaking with the doctor, Soren, soon. Be ready at a moment’s notice.”
Nodding, I tried not to tense from his lingering eye on me. “You got it. And thanks again, Kai. We’re hoping only for the best outcome from this.”
That stare continued for another beat, and then Kai acknowledged the sentiment and began in the other direction.
Left to our own devices, we found the elevator and went searching for our rooms. If the lobby gave any indication, I knew they would be just as ridiculously lavish.
***
Unpacking some of the clothes I had packed in my saddle bags, I placed them inside the hardwood armoire in the room I had chosen from the pile of card keys.
Thinking about Kai’s lingering resentment, along with everyone in town who had shown disdain toward us, I couldn’t help how it annoyed me. How my dad had managed to taint our image in their eyes so easily.
But it was warranted, and all I could do was try to mend what had gone wrong between us.
Regardless of how I felt, Kai had agreed to work with us, and it was a good enough start.
Honestly, his acceptance was more than I could’ve asked for.
By the time I had grown tired of sitting around in my room, my stomach started to growl. Realizing it was lunchtime, I pushed myself to my feet and left the room with my card key in my back pocket.
