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“No.”
With my one word of denial, my palm snapped out and vines burst from the ground before him, stopping him in his tracks with a shocked grunt as they wrapped around his body. Spinning him back towards me, they slammed him to the sodden dirt at my feet, tightening on my silent command to pin him down on his back and leaving him staring up at me with wide eyes. Rain pelted down around us, splattering his face as I stood over him, power sparking between my fingers as I failed to fully wrestle it back under control.
“You are not allowed to walk away from this,” I shouted as a bolt of lightning illuminated the world in a vivid flash. “Not until you tell me it was all a lie.”
His chest heaved as he looked up at me, panting silently as water ran over his naked skin, his body tense as he fought against my hold. A growl worthy of a shifter rippled through me as I realised that he wasn’t going to answer, and I dropped down to my knees beside him, mud splattering up my legs as I waited for the sudden boom of thunder to pass.
“You said that I was yours and you were mine,” I said when I knew he could hear me again. “Were you lying? Was everything between us just pretend?”
I hissed at him as he twisted his head away, climbing to straddle his waist and force him to look at me, a palm on either side of his face. Bending low, I captured his stunning emerald gaze, needing an answer more than I needed to breathe.
“Was it all a lie?”
Water dripped down my skin and onto his as I waited for what felt like an eternity, the relief and triumph of his next word flooding through me so strongly that I almost sagged against him.
“No.”
I pressed my forehead to his briefly before sitting back and pushing my hair back from my face, forcing myself to take a deep breath and control my power.
“So why aren’t you fighting for me?”
Something cracked in his eyes as he heard my question, but he clenched his jaw and swallowed hard before answering.
“Because I’m not worthy of you,” he bit out, his voice like gravel. “I see your strength, I always have, and all I am is the weak link. I was the one who let this happen, who failed you and let her hurt us.”
I watched him closely as the storm clashed above us, unsurprised by his answer even as it hurt me to hear it.
“You deserve more, and if it takes some distance between us to help you see it too, then that’s what I’ll do,” he finished, determination glinting in his eyes.
I fell forward again, planting a fist in the dirt on either side of his head. “Listen to me, Zeke. You had no defence against her magic. None. The only reason the others weren’t affected was because a stronger magic was in play.”
He shook his head but I slammed a hand across his mouth to stop him interrupting me.
“No, youlisten,” I snapped, pushing Alpha strength into the command so he had no choice. “When I’m satisfied that you’ve heard me, then I will respect whatever decision you make, ok?”
At his nod, I lifted my hand and scooted back, releasing the vines and giving him freedom. I’d pinned him down enough to keep him here, and I needed him to hear me more than anything, but I knew at the heart of it that I couldn’t force him to choose this.
“Mina spelled you before we left the Pack Lands,” I continued, trying to keep my tone even. “It was subtle suggestion, meant to bury in and grow roots until you just had a brain full of weeds that affected how you saw everything. You had no chance without a mate bond to override it.”
He huffed at me and I shot him a glare.
“The fact that you fought it off for so long is actually impressive you know,” I said, brushing rain out of my eyes as I paused to let thunder clash again.
“I shoved you down and left you behind,” he growled. “I abandoned and betrayed you.”
I nodded. “Yes, you did. And I forgive you.”
A humourless laugh burst out of him. “Well I don’t.”
I cocked my head at him. “But instead of fighting for redemption, you went with the easy route and gave up on us?”
His eyes flashed angrily, unable to stop his dominant side responding to my taunt. “Easy? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“It was hard to face me, so you ran. What am I supposed to think?” I said with a shrug, gasping as he suddenly lurched forward and grabbed my ankle, yanking me down in the mud and pinning me beneath him.
“Staying away from you was a sacrifice,” he rasped, a low growl of frustration rasping through his chest as I stared challengingly up at him.
“An alpha doesn’t run away and hide, they fight. Even when it looks like they’ll lose.”
