Chapter 25

I knew I shouldn’t say anything. Maybe it would be easier for us both if Levi believed what he said, but I couldn’t say goodbye if that’s how things would be between us. Even if we never spoke again, I didn’t want to part on such bad terms. I loved him, and a selfish part of me wanted him to know that.

“Levi, it’s not –”

But he didn’t let me finish.

“I already hear you loud and clear,” he said.

My heart thumped painfully in my chest. “That’s really –”

“Just know that by severing all ties with the pack, you’ll also sever the father-daughter bond between us.”

My breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t thought about it before, but I knew he didn’t mean in a metaphorical sense. Without the pack bond, there couldn’t be any familial bonds either. It would completely sever any physical connection that we had between us.

Words bubbled out of me in a panic. “I never wanted you to be my foster father!” Because I always wanted him to be more, but I couldn’t say that part no matter how true it was. I’d already inconvenienced him with my stupid feelings that I couldn’t let go of. If he’d never taken me in, then I wouldn’t have ever had to feel so guilty about the feelings I had for him. Maybe we even could’ve…

“I always knew that you never liked me at all,” he growled.

I wanted to keep fighting, keep trying to clear up the misunderstanding between us, but I didn’t get the chance to before an unfamiliar sensation ran through my body. It was like a rubber band, one so comfortable and familiar that I’d never noticed it was there before, snapped. I reeled, feeling more cold and alone than I’d ever had before.

My mouth fell open and I wanted to say something. Anything to be able to get some comfort from the one person who’d always been there for me. But the line disconnected.

Panicked, I fumbled with my phone to call back. The call went straight to voicemail. He blocked me.

I crumbled to the cold, wet grass, letting the tears fall unbidden. It hurt so much. Why did this have to happen to me? What could I have done to make sure that things turned out differently? All I ever wanted was to be happy with Levi, and now, I found myself in a mess that I would never be able to get out of. Deep down, I knew that I’d never be happy or satisfied again.

“Where the fuck are you?” Mason’s angry snarled registered through our link and slammed into my head before I could stop it.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. It was so much, but I had to do it. I would have to bear all of the pain so that I could get out of here and try life again even though it’d never be as satisfying.

Before I could get myself together enough to answer him, a wave of pain rolled through me, knocking me further down onto the ground.

“S-stop.” Despite the pain, I was able to reach back out to him.

“Where are you?” he repeated, letting the pain ease enough for me to think, but didn’t take it away entirely.

“I’m just outside.”

“Why?”

I stood back up. “Because I just wanted to go for a walk and get fresh air.”

“You should’ve taken someone with you. You shouldn’t be by yourself until we’re officially married and fully bonded.”

It was like a dull throb throughout my body now, definitely uncomfortable, but better than the white searing pain from earlier. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would be a big deal. There wasn’t anyone around because everyone was at the meeting.”

“Get in the room. Now.”

He closed the bond, leaving me just as empty as before. Without wasting any time, I made my way across the pack grounds and back into the house. There were a few more people around than before, but I didn’t pay any attention to the looks that they shot me.

I hurried to my room and stumbled inside. Mason was already inside, pacing around with a furious look on his face. He whirled on me, his anger on full display.

“What the fuck, Harper?” he demanded.

I put my defenses to the side. The only way that I would be able to make it out of there when the Alpha and Luna of the Red Moon Pack were ready to help me.

“Mason, I’m sorry,” I said softly, holding my hands out to him.

He looked at them, the expression on his face softening just a bit. I took a step closer to him, and took it as a good sign that he didn’t react. Maybe he was already calming down and I would be able to make everything okay for now at least.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

I nodded along with what he was saying, taking another step toward him. “I know, I’m sorry.”

He let me fully approach him and pull him into a hug. I laid my head on his chest, trying to keep my heartbeat calm so that he wouldn’t be suspicious even though it made me sick to be that close to him. Why did I have to be so stupid and fall in love with him? None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t been so naive.

Mason wrapped his arms tightly around me. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”

“I won’t, I promise.” It was all a lie.

I can’t wait until I’m finally free from this mistake. And I’ll never look back.

He took a step away from me, looking me up and down again. “I have to go talk to my mom again. Do not leave this room no matter what. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

He leaned down and kissed me, making my stomach whirl before leaving me alone again. Once he was gone, I stripped down and got into the shower, wishing I could wash away all the horrible feelings from the day, but it didn’t even make me feel clean.

I got into bed, wrapping the blanket tightly around me. I couldn’t stop the tears when they came again, so I didn’t even try to stop them.

All I could think about was the conversation I had with Levi. He might have been angry because he thought that I didn’t appreciate all of the things he did for me when I was growing up, but it also made his true feelings more obvious than ever. I could tell that I made the right choice. I could’ve never depended on him to get me out of this situation. I’d always been such a burden to him that no matter how angry he was that I threw it all in his face, I knew that a part of him would be happy to never have to deal with me again.

Holding the blanket tightly against my face, I muffled the sound of my sobs until I finally fell asleep.