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“But you didn’t. Instead, you came back when you could have stayed away. For what? To torture me more?”
“No. Exactly why I said. You made me feel safe, and I wanted whatever I could get. To have these memories for the rest of mylife. You could go on, choose a mate, live your life. But I can’t. I’ll always love you.”
“Love? You can’t love someone and walk away from them forever.”
She stared hard at him. Knowing how much she truly loved him right then. But it only brought tears and anger when she realized it didn’t matter. That this had played out exactly how she was afraid it would. Everything she did to ease his pain had backfired, and now he was the one suffering, so she bit through her anger and softened her voice.
“This is why. This right here. You deserve more than me. I’m selfish. I’m not the person you thought I was, and I tried to show you that. I love you, but I love myself more. We only get one life, and I can’t do this to me. I can’t do it to you. I can’t stay here in Tuisa with you.”
She rushed out before the tears came, leaving him in the chair, dick still out, head in his hands. Rushing through the front lobby, she yanked open the front door, hoping to make it to her Jeep without seeing anyone. She had to get out of here. But the second she stepped into the sun, everyone she didn’t want to see was there.
Waiting for them to come out.
Fuckity fuck.
She ducked her head down, knuckling the tears from her eyes just in time to be wrapped in a hug from Nubia.
“Welcome to the family, baby. I’m so excited to have you.”
Then Lana silently pulled her in too, but her hug felt different. Like she knew, like she was comforting her instead of congratulating.
“Thank you. I’m just…I’m sorry I hid it. I…it’s complicated.”
“Doesn’t matter. Things will be so much better now that Nas knows. Poor boy was so confused.”
Panic filled her, and she wanted desperately to get out of here, to stop disappointing everyone she cared about. But Nubia spoke a mile a minute, moving her back inside the office building without a thought. Lana and Zhair followed, with Axel behind. He hadn’t said a word, but the second the front door closed behind them, he locked it and stared hard at her.
The lobby had the typical furniture, and Axel gestured at the chair, while he leaned against the desk intimidatingly, so she sat. She felt like a little kid again, getting in trouble. But when it was Ajax, she felt like she could talk to him, explain her side. Axel was unforgiving and unmoving.
This wasn’t good. This couldn’t be happening. She felt way too vulnerable and emotional to do this shit right now. Especially when Nassau walked out, his face carefully neutral as he stood in the doorway, refusing to meet her eye. So she looked away, waiting for someone to speak.
“First. Congratulations and welcome. I’m sure you two have a lot to discuss and do, so I won’t take up too much of your time. Second, we need to discuss logistics now that Bailey will be a part of Tuisa. I think, until we catch the stalker, Nassau should come stay at the packhouse with her. That way, our guards can be more central. And third, I’m not sure I understand your reasoning for not sharing your mate bond with Nassau, but as my own mate reminded me, that is in the past, and we can move forward.”
That was a lot of information all at once, and she stared down at the floor, unsure what to say. When no one spoke, she looked up at Nassau, waiting for him to tell Axel. He stared at her almost in a challenge, and she knew it was on her.
“Actually, I’m not staying here. I was headed over to my Jeep to go back to Aisling. I have work to do this weekend, and I plan on being back on the road for the next party after Ava gets back.”
The tension in the room was palpable, and it was Nubia who spoke softly. “Nassau agreed to that? Is he going with you?” Nubia looked over at her nephew, but he hadn’t stopped looking at her.
“We are not…no, I…I have decided not to move forward as, uh…mates. I think we would be better off apart. He can choose a mate that would better suit him, and I will keep doing…other things.”
“Nas?”
“You heard what she wants.”
“Baby, I’m asking what you want.”
“She knows what I want.”
Axel’s voice boomed through the room, steely and unaccepting. “Enough. This is not a debate. Or a choice. That’s not how any of this works. We are wolves, and our mates are our greatest gifts. You will not be throwing that away.”
“But, I—”
“No. I won’t be allowing this again. Did you not learn your lesson from Ava and Makaii? The Moon Goddess does not make mistakes, and she does not care about your plans.”
She shook her head, protesting again, but Nubia spoke up, squeezing her hand next to her.
“One of our greatest strengths as shifters is in finding our soulmate, our fated mate, a gift from the Moon Goddess. The rest of the world wastes their time on the wrong person, the wrong goals, but shifters get the advantage of knowing there’s one person out there who will completely and perfectly complement, support, and build them up. We can’t deny someone their fate. It’s not done. I’m not saying you can’t have the things you love too, but maybe find a compromise. You can’t tell me you feel nothing for Nassau?”
