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“Then what are you saying?”
“That I don’t see that you have any right to act so fucking possessive and demand so much goddamn loyalty.” His cat growled, backing him up on that. “If I meant that much to you, you’d have either come home or freed me from my promise at some point. You’ve done neither.”
“I told you I’d come home!”
“You’ve been saying it for running up to three years. In all that time, you never made any concrete plans to back that up. You also fully expected me to let it go when you marked someone.”
The corners of her eyes tightened. “So you decided to punish me? Is that what this is?”
He frowned, affronted. “You know me better than to ask that question.” Deke didn’t operate that way.
“I thought I did. But then I found out you marked another woman. You never branded me. Not once.”
And that was why she was so pissed and upset, he realized. It was more a matter of jealousy and resentment.
Looking at him in disgust, she gave a disparaging shake of the head. “I don’t see how I can trust you after this. Maybe we should just scrap the vow.”
He shrugged, happy with that. “Seems like the best option to me.” His cat couldn’t agree more.
Her jaw went slack, and she blinked rapidly. Apparently she’d thought he’d beg her to reconsider and plea for forgiveness or some shit.
She licked her lips. “Deke, I—”
“There’s no point in sticking to it anymore. We’re just holding each other back.”
Her mouth pinched as a sour expression slipped over her face. “In other words, you want the freedom to go fuck your slut whenever you want?”
His muscles stiffened, and his cat got to his feet with a growl. “Don’t call her that again,” Deke warned, his voice low and soft but lethal.
“So she matters to you?” Dayna asked, bitterness coating every word.
“All my pride mates matter to me one way or the other to some extent, including you. Whatever you might think, I want you to be happy. You wouldn’t be happy with me, because it would mean leaving Evan. I get why you’re finding it incredibly painful to do that. Well, now you don’t have to.”
“You could really walk away from this, us, so easily?”
“There hasn’t been an ‘us’ in a long time.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but then she took a long breath. “That much you’re right about,” she admitted, crossing her arms and gripping her elbows. “We stopped making an effort. But like you pointed out, it’s been over two and a half years. We both kept our word all this time. We couldn’t have done that unless what we were trying to build is worth exploring. To just give up on it seems wrong.”
He felt his forehead wrinkle. “You just suggested we scrap the vow. You said you don’t trust me anymore.”
“You could earn my trust back. It might take a little time, and it would mean you’d have to get rid of this Bailey person. But you could do it.”
“You talk like I owe this to you. Like by hurting you I now have no right to walk away.” His mother was correct; Dayna used his sense of honor against him. “I’m done here.”
She scooted forward on her seat. “Deke—”
“Take care, Dayna.” With that, he ended the call.
He scrubbed a hand down his face. Much as that conversation pissed him off, he felt better. Lighter. Like he could breathe easier.
Pulling out of the vow had been best for them both. He did regret that he’d had to bring his plan forward, considering she was still in mourning, but he didn’t lament that he was finally free of their promise.
So though she tried calling him again, he ignored it. And when she kept calling, he eventually switched off the ringer.
Well-aware that she’d soon call her friends to spill everything, he texted Bailey: Just so you’re aware, the entire pride will soon know that it was me who marked you.
Her response came relatively fast: Why?
I admitted it to Dayna. She won’t keep it to herself. And then Therese would eagerly share it with everyone else. If she didn’t, Gerard would.
Three little dots danced on his screen. You really told her? asked Bailey.
It was the right thing to do.
Dude, you’re so damn ethical. Don’t you find it exhausting?
He frowned. No.
Huh. Weird.
Feeling his jaw tighten, he typed: No, Bailey, it’s not. Most people have ethics.
I pity every one of you.
Snorting, he tossed his phone on the bed. He’d said it before and he’d say it again—the woman was a goddamn nut.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Bailey was feeling blessed. Seriously. Because the mouth currently clamped around her pussy was an absolute champ at going down on a woman.
Another week had gone by during which she and Deke had shared a bed. His touch-hunger wasn’t as severe now. That didn’t mean he fucked her any less often or any less rough.
