Chapter 15
I truly cannot control how my body and heart reacted to him. It was like a switch had been flipped, waking up every nerve, every feeling I had put to
sleep.
My breath caught, my stomach twisted, and a strange, hot feeling spread through my chest. For a moment, I could only see him, only feel him, as if the rest of the world had stopped.
“Astor.”
voice
The name slipped out, a soft gasp, a quiet plea. I hadn’t meant for my to sound like I was longing for him, like was calling to him from a lonely
night, but it did.
He didn’t even look at me. His wide shoulders, his dark presence, just filled the door, then moved further into the small room as he let himself in.
No questions, no permission, just a natural right to be in my space, my life.
I didn’t dare to look at his face. I couldn’t. The thought of seeing the pure, strong hate he must feel for me right now was a knife I wasn’t ready to face. And I honestly didn’t get it. I thought he would be happy. Joyful, even. Finally rid of me, the trouble, the mistake.
“So basically,” he said, his voice low and full of a sharp anger that hurt me more than any shout ever could, “you left a perfectly good house with everything you could ever want, only to come and stay in this dirty motel.”
I still didn’t lift my head. My eyes were stuck on the cheap, worn carpet. During my time as his Luna, I had learned not to give in to anyone. I was second–in–command, my word often his word, and I had never been truly afraid of him. Not of his power, not of his strength.
I had always been afraid of how he made me feel. The way he could start a
* Chapter 15
+25 Points
fire in my heart with one look, or put it out with a cold word. The way my heart would beat fast just hearing his steps, a natural, difficult reaction
couldn’t stop.
“Pack up. We’re leaving.”
The order was total. It pulled me out of my daze. My head shot up, and I finally met his eyes, letting every feeling I had, every bit of tired fight and raw pain, show in my look.
“Are you not tired?” I asked him, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. I didn’t want to cry. I promised myself I wouldn’t. But even with my promise, a few tears escaped, running hot down my cheeks.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t understand, I pushed on, my voice breaking but firm. “There’s no one here. You don’t have to act like you care about me, so why the hell do you want me back?”
The question was a desperate cry, a demand for answers I felt I deserved. I deserved some peace. I deserved to have the life I wanted, instead of living under his shadow for the rest of my life.
“I-” He began, a flash of something I couldn’t read in his eyes.
I didn’t let him continue. I wasn’t finished.
“I’ve always done what you wanted. I lived the way you wanted. I breathed the way you wanted. But you could never understand me, or even treat me with kindness. And I am tired.” My voice got louder, each word a strong hit against the wall I felt he had built around us. “I’m tired of being treated like I’m some kind of monster just because agreed to marry you. I am your mate, damn it, and I didn’t ask for this, but you made me feel like I did. You made me feel like I ruined your life, and maybe if I hadn’t met you in the first place, then our lives would have been very different, but none of this is my
fault!”
Chapter 15
+25 Ports
The raw honesty of my outburst seemed to hit him hard. I watched his face change into something I’d never seen before, a strange mix of regret, realisation, and maybe, just maybe, a hint of weakness. It was gone almost
as fast as it appeared.
“I know you want an explanation,” he said, his voice softer now, though still firm. “And I promise that I’ll give it to you. But for now, I just want you to come
with me.”
And as always, he just didn’t listen to me. He truly believed he was always right, always in charge. The thought was maddening.
“Where’s my father?” I asked, a sudden cold fear replacing my anger. He better have been joking with me when he threatened my dad. I could forgive him for many things, even for some of the cruelest words and neglects. But I could never, ever forgive anyone who touched my father, or even made him cry. And I was pretty sure he had already done the last part.
“Your father is okay,” Astor replied, his eyes steady. Then, his voice dropped, a chilling sound that turned my blood cold. “For now.”
My heart sank further, a heavy weight dragging me down. The vague threat was clear, a cruel twist of the knife.
“Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I hated this. I hated the desperate, begging sound of it.
He tried to reach for me, his hand out, maybe to comfort, maybe to order. For some reason, I pulled back, moving away as if from a hit.
“I promise you, we will talk when we get home.” He said, his hand dropping. But he didn’t know what home really was.
The drive back to the pack lands was quiet, full of unspoken worries. Every turn of the wheel felt like another link in the chains tying me, pulling me back to a life I no longer wanted. When the big stone walls of the packhouse finally
Chapte 15
appeared, a cold fear rushed in.
The car stopped. Astor was out in a flash, opening my door. I stepped out,
my legs feeling heavy, barely looking at him. My eyes shot up, and my breath
caught.
It was my father–in–law, Alpha Sander. His silver hair seemed to buzz with a strange energy, and his eyes, usually a calm, strong blue, burned with a cold
anger.
He was staring hard at me, his face a mask of furious disappointment, and I knew, with a certainty that chilled me deeply, that the real trouble was just
beginning.
cphakathi28
