Chapter 208

My stomach twisted, and my mouth went dry as I looked from William to Victor. One of them was going to be hurt, and I was the one who would inflict their pain.

I felt the sting of tears in my eyes as I shook my head. Alex was right. It wasn’t fair to make them wait for my answer, yet I couldn’t decide.

“I can’t choose right now,” I insisted. “This is a big decision that will affect the rest of our lives. Please understand that I need more time.”

“Daisy, I do understand,” Alex said. “But you must try to come to a decision as soon as you can. It’s unfair to William and Victor to keep them waiting much longer.”

The two younger Alpha males groaned, causing Alex to give them a stern glance.

“Daisy has requested a little more time to think, and she will have it,” he declared. “Unless one of you wishes to bow out of her consideration?”

“No,” the young males said in unison. They looked at each other with jealousy before Victor sat beside Alex and accepted a drink.

William began to approach me until I shook my head. I didn’t want either of them to try to influence me now. I knew them both well enough by now that their past actions would be my guide.

“I’m going to my room,” I said. “I need to be alone for a while.”

I hurried from the room and sprinted to the stairs before anyone followed me.

“Are we going for a run?” Diana asked.

“Can a werewolf jump off a twelve-foot balcony?” I asked her.

She giggled. It was a delightful sound. “This one can! Make those puny human legs go a little faster, and I’ll show you.”

Laughing at Diana’s antics, I made it to my bedroom and onto the balcony. This run was going to be just what I needed.

After stripping off my clothes, I called for Diana, and we were soon on the ground, running along the side of the mansion.

“This is much better,” I said. My mind was clearing as my body enjoyed the movement and pure freedom of my wolf. Why had I ever been afraid of shifting?

Diana and I ran through the roses, around the pagoda pond, and into the open field. My heart swelled at the sight of the high grasses waving in the breeze and thin clouds streaking across the blue sky above us.

It was nature in its glory.

As we rounded the edge of the field, we startled two deer from the hedgerow. I half-heartedly chased them into the woods. I needed to run, not hunt.

“Do you know who you are going to choose?” Diana asked as we began our second lap around the field.

“I’m not sure,” I replied. “Do you think the Goddess would give me a sign about who I should take as my mate?”

“Absolutely,” Diana replied. “Who we take as a mate is one of the most important decisions in a Luna’s life. She wouldn’t want you to choose the wrong one.”

“So my vision was a sign,” I said. It had been so clear I was like that day in the hospital was happening again.

“A vision is one of the ways the Goddess communicates with us,” Diana said. “Now, you must interpret the meaning of the vision before making your decision. I would …”

I didn’t hear the rest of Diana’s answer because a large black wolf came tearing out of the rose garden and collided with us. We hit with enough force to make us roll several feet in opposite directions.

After landing on my side, l lay still for a moment to catch my breath and assess myself for any injuries. After finding none, I flipped onto my feet and stood.

“What are you doing here, Victor? I demanded. “I said I wanted to be alone.”

“I didn’t know you were out here. I saw you go to your room,” he replied. “I needed a run, and my apartment is in the city. You know there is no place to run there.”

“Why didn’t you watch where you were going?” I complained. “We could have been hurt.”

“Are you hurt?” Victor asked.

“No,” I replied. “But I don’t want to talk to anyone right now, especially you or William.”

“Okay, but can I still go for a quick run?” he asked. “The suspense of waiting for your answer is awful.”

“Argh!” I groaned. “Fine. Just be careful this time not to knock me down.”

We began to trot.

“I am sorry I ran into you,” he apologized. “I didn’t know you were out here.”

“It’s okay,” I said and began to run.

Victor caught up with me easily, and we did two wide laps around the field before stopping at the pond to drink.

“Daisy, is the decision that hard?” Victor asked. “Don’t you have feelings for me?”

For some reason, it was easier to speak of such things while I was in wolf form.

“Yes,” I admitted. “I have strong feelings for you.”

“Are they friendly?” he asked with his charming grin.

I squirmed inside. “My feelings for you are much more than friendly,” I replied. “I think I feel the same for you as you feel for me.”

“Then why is your decision such a hard one?” he asked. “If we love each other, we belong together.”

“It’s not that simple,” I argued.

“Explain it to me so I can understand, please, Daisy?”

I sat in the high grass. “Something happened before I knew you that came to my mind when I asked the Goddess for a sign to help me decide. Because of this sign, I believe she wants me to be with William.”

“Are you sure?” Victor asked. “Maybe it was a coincidence or something.”

“I don’t think so. Please know that I hate having to hurt you or William to claim my own happiness,” I said. “So I asked the Goddess for a sign to help me decide. You know as well as I do that she wouldn’t steer me astray from my destiny.”

“What was the sign?” Victor asked.

“A vision of an event that happened with William before I met you came clearly into my mind directly after I asked for a sign. It was as if I were reliving that day.”

“What happened on this day with William?” Victor asked.

“He saved my life,” I replied. “And he showed me kindness in a way I never experienced before.”

“But…” Victor began.

“Please, I don’t want to discuss it with you,” I insisted. “It is something I need to think about alone. I need a little more time, and then I will announce my decision.”

We sat silently until I recalled some questions Alex had asked me in the breakfast room shortly before Olivia’s appearance.

Alex asked me if I knew about Victor’s bad reputation as a playboy and if I was amenable to an open marriage. Why would he ask me these things before testing Victor?

“Victor, why did Alex suddenly need to test you?” I asked. “The Olivia debacle came about very suddenly. Did something happen that I don’t know about?”

Victor looked in the other direction across the open field. His eyes seem to be scouring the edge of the Woods.

“Victor, did you hear me?” I asked. He continued to sit silently, ignoring my question and avoiding my eyes.

His actions told me something did happen that caused Alex to doubt his affection for me. I needed to know what that was.

If you don’t tell me, I’m going inside and asking Alex. You swore to be honest from now on.

“Daisy, I’ll tell you, but you need to try to understand why it happened,” Victor said. “And I didn’t do anything as bad as what Alex thought.”

“Tell me everything, or I’m going inside to speak to Alex right now.”