Chapter 65

Kayla

Noah stood there silently, watching me with those steady, unflinching eyes of his, waiting for me to say something. Anything.

But the weight of his words still lingered in the space between us, and there was no shaking them.

Fated mate.

The phrase kept looping on repeat in my head, over and over, as if I could somehow make sense of it if I just let it bounce around the inside of my skull for long enough.

"Noah..." I started, but even I wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence.

His lips pressed into a thin line, as if he already knew what was coming.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” I admitted slowly, the words tasting strange as they left my mouth. “Maybe you are my fated mate. But—” I hesitated, glancing down at the slushy pavement beneath us. “I don’t have a wolf.”

Noah didn’t react right away. His hands stayed buried in his jacket pockets, his eyes never leaving my face.

Not that it wasn’t common knowledge that I was wolfless. It often seemed that people I’d never even met knew about it, which they probably did; the moment I took my father’s position as leader of Bluemoon pack, it had made headlines.

“Wolfless daughter becomes sole leader of Blumoon pack,” the news had said for days. “Can a wolfless child truly lead a pack with no Alpha by her side?”

I shuddered a little at the reminder and decided to shove those memories back down where they belonged, right in the pit of my stomach where I wouldn’t have to think about them.

“I know,” Noah finally said, his voice softer now, more careful. “I know you can’t feel the bond like someone with a wolf could. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, struggling to keep my voice even. “That’s just it. If I can’t feel it, then what does that mean for us? How could I give you the same kind of love that you might feel for me?”

Noah took a step closer, close enough that I could see the faint traces of stubble along his jawline. “Kayla, I don’t care about that,” he said firmly. “Maybe we can’t have the same bond as two fully-fledged wolves, but that doesn’t mean we can’t build something else. Something real.”

The sincerity in his voice made my heart twist uncomfortably. I wanted to believe him—I really did. And maybe in another lifetime, things would have been different. Maybe if I hadn’t been tied to Nicholas in the way that I was, I could have let myself entertain the thought. Noah seemed like a nice, steady guy.

But I wasn’t in another lifetime. I was in this one, and I knew the truth, even if I didn’t want to say it out loud.

“Noah…” I shook my head. “I just don’t feel that way about you. I’m sorry.”

He frowned. “Just go on a date with me,” he said, not overly pleading but ever so slightly desperate. “One date, and then if you still don’t like me like that—”

“Noah.” I leveled him with a stern gaze, knowing that I didn’t need to say anything else.

For a moment, Noah didn’t say anything. His eyes stayed locked onto mine, searching for something that I wasn’t sure I could give him. Then, slowly, he exhaled and dropped his gaze.

“I figured as much,” he murmured.

A pang of guilt pierced through me, and it felt sharper than I expected. But I knew I had to hold my ground, otherwise both of us would get hurt in the end.

“It’s not because of Nicholas, is it?” Noah asked quietly. But when he looked back up at me, there was something behind his eyes—something I couldn’t quite place.

I froze.

“I…” I faltered, unable to find the right answer because I didn’t have one. I didn’t even know how I felt about Nicholas, let alone how to explain it to someone else. Whatever this thing between us was—if it even was a thing—it felt far too complicated for words. Far too messy for comfort.

Noah must have seen the confusion in my expression because he gave a short, humorless laugh. “You don’t have to explain,” he said, brushing a hand through his hair. “I get it.”

I wanted to argue, to tell him that I didn’t even know what I was feeling, but the words caught in my throat. Instead, I sighed, picking up the bag of clothes I’d bought earlier and had dropped by my feet at some point during the whole ordeal.

“Here,” I said, holding the bag out to him. “These are for Grace. Can you make sure she gets them soon?”

Noah hesitated for a moment, but then reached out to take the bag from me. Our fingers brushed for half a second, and I could feel the warmth of his skin even through the cold air.

“I will,” he said softly. “Thanks, Kayla.”

I nodded, tugging my coat tighter around me as I took a step back. “And Noah… thank you. For everything. For helping me with my father.”

His lips lifted up into a faint smile. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Maybe I didn’t. But I meant it anyway.

With one last glance, I turned and made my way out of the alley, the cold air biting at my cheeks as I walked back toward the car.

By the time I got home later and stepped through the front door, I felt drained—like every ounce of energy I had left had been wrung out of me and left somewhere back in that alleyway. Or maybe even before that, on the tennis court at the country club.

I didn’t expect Nicholas to be home yet. Part of me thought he would still be stewing in his own juices somewhere, pacing around in frustration or maybe recklessly riding his motorcycle like he often did when something had gotten under his skin.

But as I stepped into the living room, I found him sitting right there on the couch, surrounded by Emma, Jade, and a handful of other pack members. A bottle of something strong was on the table, and the entire room was lively with quiet laughter, music playing on the speakers in the corner, and conversation.

Nicholas was smiling with them. Laughing, even.

But the second I saw it, I knew it wasn’t real.

I knew that smile. I had seen it before. Hell, I’d used it before myself. It was the same sort of smile that one uses when they’re trying to distract everyone else from whatever storm is brewing beneath the surface.

The same smile I’d worn the night my father’s health took a turn for the worse.

His eyes flickered toward me briefly as I stood there, lingering in the doorway longer than I meant to. I really wanted to sneak away, rush up to my room and pretend I was sleeping.

But before I could manage to slip away unseen, Emma spotted me. She jumped up and ran across the room, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the sofa.

“Kayla!” she beamed, oblivious to my inner turmoil. “Come drink with us!”