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8
Theo
I held Becca all night and refused to part from her side until the last possible second. An entire army of hunters could have stormed that doorway and been unable to pry my fingers away. It didn’t escape my notice that Becca gave in to our night of pleasure and admitted she was mine, but she didn’t say she loved me in return. In fact, she made no promise to stay by my side once we returned to the pack. Anxiety ate away at my insides and I had to ignore the panicked yelp of my wolf in response.
Easy, boy. She’ll be ours.Even if I had to force her to see the truth.
We dressed quietly with the dawn and packed up the few items in the room without saying much to one another. An awkward silence continued to stretch between us where our honeymoon should have breached the distance. I was reluctant to push the issue. What if it backfired in my face? My love for this woman made me blind and I was about to find out exactly how much it hurt to have your heart irreparably broken.
The entire ride to Cedar Creek we made small talk and completely ignored the unspoken questions between us. My wolf paced restlessly. He wanted to make our claim known the second we set foot back on clan property. I gripped the steering wheel so tightly I thought I would lose permanent feeling in my hands.
The truck was parked on the edge of the Baxter compound as we exited. I had wanted to say something to her before she slipped out the door, but she was quick to cut off that possibility. It only took a few seconds to catch up with her, but I knew all my hopes were about to be dashed away as quickly as they’d been rekindled.
The expression on her face spoke volumes. I could fill a book with the amount of emotion that lingered in her beautiful eyes. The violet color always held my attention but today I had to break our connection. A part of me refused to give up and I stalked forward as she slowly shook her head.
Reaching for her hand, I wasn’t surprised when Becca pulled away. Her sad and teary gaze met mine and a sense of déjà vu washed over my body like a sudden dunking in a bath of crushed ice. My mind scrambled to make sense of her reaction. Was she concerned about what had occurred between us last night? Was she feeling overwhelmed? Did she think I expected more from her than she was willing to give? I’d give her time if she asked. I would do anything my Becca wanted.
What could possibly turn my mate away from me?
“Theo,” she whispered, her eyes refusing to meet mine as my heart sank. “I think it’s best we part ways here.”
Becca’s words slammed into my chest with a ferocious and painful ache that robbed every thought in my head and prevented a response from forming. What about our mating? After all I had done, all the effort and worry, concern and outrage she was pushing me away. Again.
A mournful howl escaped my wolf as he stumbled to the ground and bayed at the air. The cruelty of her statement didn’t end there. The sudden feeling of rejection was almost too much to endure.
“I made a stupid mistake. We never should have stayed in bed together last night.” Her voice wavered as if she held back a bursting damn full of emotion. Her slender body trembled as she pushed a stray strand of dark hair out of her expressive eyes. Her light caramel skin seemed paler somehow, as if the intensity of the moment between us had robbed her of vitality.
I had always thought she was beautiful. In this moment she was achingly so as I realized my last chance to mate with her was being ripped away. This time it wasn’t the fault of her father or anyone else. Becca was deciding . . . and I wasn’t her choice.
Gutted, I could barely keep my body from bending in half at the waist. A horrendous and swift rending of my heart crushed the organ into tattered shreds. The air left my lungs in a loud exhale as my entire body trembled with the effort to remain upright.
I opened my mouth to speak but no words formed.
“This is for the best, Theo. You’ll see.” Was she trying to convince herself or me?
Waiting for her to move as I fought my body’s need to spring into action, I stood my ground as sudden fury and bitter resentment took refuge in my heart. All this time. Years wasted. A mating promise broken.
I meant nothing to Becca.
“Don’t hate me,” she whispered as her voice broke and I made the mistake of locking onto the violet sparkle in her eyes that faded into the gray. “I couldn’t stand it if you felt that way.”
Sucking air deeply into my lungs, my hand lifted in one last desperate appeal. Please, I begged in my head, choose me.For once, do as you really wish. Fuck the consequences.
I almost believed she considered the idea until I heard the booming voice of Jedd Harlow snap the last thread of hope between us.
“Becca!”
Taking a step backward, I kept going one at a time until the forest swallowed my body and I was hidden in the thick foliage and branches of the trees. I don’t know how long I stood there and watched her family close in, snatching her away from me as they’d done so many times in the past. This time I wasn’t angry with Jedd or his sons. This was Becca’s choice. She was a grown woman. If she couldn’t fight for us, then she didn’t deserve my love or devotion.
Even as I thought the words my wolf snarled and fought for control. Angry and hurting, I made him wait long hours before I finally relented and shifted. The day gave way to nightfall and I still hadn’t returned home or to the pack that I loved. My family would miss me soon, but the reality of my broken heart awaited me in the cedar trees and the familiar creek, and I couldn’t force myself to go back.
The hours lapsed into days and I felt my mind slipping into the base instincts of the wolf. My humanity was farther from reach with every hour that continued without a switch back to human form. I ignored the appeal of my family and Cole’s wolf when he tried to find my location. I only wanted to become lost and live where the pain was dulled by survival.
‘Theo.’
Shit.
Rinnick would try to pull this bullshit right now. He knew my feelings. An alpha was in tune with the members of his pack.
