Chapter 213

Victor’s POV

My breath caught in my throat, and my stomach rolled when Daisy said she chose William as her prom date. That had to mean she wanted him for her mate.

I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her until she changed her mind. The connection between us would convince her I was her true mate.

But I knew I had to abide by her decision. I cared for her too much to put that kind of pressure on her. This decision had to be her own.

It was ironic that I gave William the promposal idea that helped me lose her. This wasn’t how I thought things would turn out. Adam and I were sure I would win her by not pressing her and letting William invite her to the prom.

My plan had utterly backfired. Now, I had to live with the consequences.

After wishing her well, I left her office and went to my car. The urge to get away from everything was overwhelming.

And I wanted to drive …fast. As soon as I was out of the city and on a major highway, I opened up the Lamborghini and just drove.

My phone rang, but I didn’t want to talk to anyone. So I turned it off, tossed it on the floor, and kept driving.

Concentrating on nothing but the road ahead of me, I wasn’t aware of how much time had passed until the sun set and I had to turn on my headlights.

I finally slowed when the alarm indicated the car was low on gas. Taking the next exit, I found myself in a little town on the coast.

I pulled into a gas station, and after filling the car’s tank, I bought a cold drink and followed a sign to the beach.

Not far from the gas station, I found an empty parking lot marked beach access. I parked the car, took off my shoes and shirt, and rolled up my pant legs before going to a raised walkway that led over the dunes.

The sound of the waves was soothing, and the inky-dark water sparkled from the three-quarter moon riding high in a sky filled with stars.

It was a gorgeous night to be outside. The beach after dark was stunning. Standing at the water's edge, I raised my arms and felt the power and immensity of the ocean. It took my breath away.

But as I began to walk down the beach, a jolt of pain slammed through me when I imagined Daisy here with me, holding my hand as we walked over the sand at the edge of the water.

I fell to my knees and covered my face with my hands. It was the first time I cried since I was a child.

“Victor, don’t give up yet,” Adam said gently. “There is hope you can win her back.”

“She chose William.” I shook my head. “She always wanted William. Daisy is the only woman who I’ve ever fallen in love with, and she wants someone else.”

“She chose William to escort her to the prom,” Adam reminded me. “The prom is a high school event where they are both seniors. Daisy is graduating and moving into her life as an adult.”

I got to my feet. “What’s your point, Adam? I’m not in the mood to guess.”

“I know more about what’s going on with Daisy than I can say,” Adam replied.

“What does that mean?” I asked. “My patience is thin right now. If you know something that could be helpful, tell me.”

“I don’t know if it’s right for me to tell you,” Adam said. “Someone’s thoughts are a private thing, and I promised Diana I wouldn’t mention it.”.

I looked out over the water again. “Adam, are you telling me you know private things about Daisy because her wolf told you?”

“Whenever you are near Daisy, Diana and I talk. We’ve had many conversations while you and Daisy weren’t paying attention to us.”

My heart beat faster. Adam must know something important about Daisy. Maybe it was something that could help me win her for my mate.

“What do you know about the situation that I don’t?” I asked

“I shouldn’t say,” Adam insisted. His tone was coy. He wanted to tell me.

“What if I command you to tell me?” I asked.

“You know I must obey any order you give me,” Adam replied.

I sat in the sand and let the waves wash over my bare feet. “Then consider it an order.”

“Very well,” he said happily. “But you must listen closely.”

“Tell me now,” I demanded.

“Daisy had a lot of difficulty deciding who she wanted to be with because she didn’t want to hurt either you or William. To remedy this, she asked the Goddess for a sign to help her choose.”

Daisy has a kind heart. It was one of the reasons why I loved her. “Did she get a sign?”

“Yes,” Adam answered. The Goddess sent a vision of something that happened to Daisy while she was in junior high school. But Diana and I have concluded she’s mistaken about who was involved.”

I was growing impatient. I needed to know what Adam was talking about. “What happened in the vision?”

“Daisy hadn’t eaten in over a day, and she collapsed alongside the road while walking into the city,” Adam explained.

The story sounded familiar. “Is that it?”

“No. A handsome young man found her lying there. He picked her up, placed her in his car, and took her to the hospital.”

Adam’s words brought back memories.

“The hospital treated Daisy for low blood sugar and dehydration. When the nurses told her rescuer what was wrong with her, he left the hospital and returned with a package of expensive candy for Daisy. They gave it to her when she woke up.”

Was Adam playing games? It wasn’t like him.

“Adam, you know I was the one who found Daisy along the road and took her to the hospital. I left her the candy after the nurses told me she passed out because she hadn’t eaten for a long time.”

My mind relived those moments. “Seeing the girl lying unconscious and helpless, I felt such tenderness that I thought of the girl for months.

It had been a surprise during our first dinner at Gilded when I realized Daisy was the girl I saved.”

“Your connection has always been there,” Adam said. “Even before Diana’s awakening and our Mate Bond was discovered, we felt drawn to them.

I agreed, but I didn’t understand how this event could help me change Daisy’s mind. “Why would a vision of me saving her life make her choose William?”

“Do you remember picking up William several times at Daisy's school shortly after you saved her life?”

“Vaguely,” I replied. “Why?”

“Because you still had the car you were driving the day you saved Daisy, the royal blue Mercedes. Daisy saw William getting into that car. You even let him drive it from the school once.”

“Are you saying Daisy thinks the car was William’s and that he is the one who saved her?” I asked.

“Correct. Diana told me that is how Daisy’s crush on William began,” Adam said.

“If her vision was a sign from the Goddess, she needs to know the truth,” I said. “It proves that she belongs with me. But I can’t be the one to tell her.”

“No, you can’t tell her because you’re not supposed to know her most private thoughts,” Adam said. “Daisy would rightly feel like her privacy was invaded. It’s crucial that she not know that Diana told me about it.”

“But she must know the truth,” I argued.

It wasn’t that I needed the credit for saving her life. Daisy needed to know because she would be taking the wrong male for her mate. There was a reason the Goddess wanted us to be together.

“I have a plan that will make Daisy discover you saved her and not William,” Adam assured me. “To be sure my plan works, I need two things.”

“What?” I trusted Adam, but I wanted to know the details of his plan. I needed to have hope that Daisy would change her mind.

“First, you need to keep giving her space,” Adam said. “Keep your distance for a while. Don’t initiate any contact until it’s time.”

I sighed. “Are you sure that’s necessary?”

“Yes,” Adam replied.

It would be hard to avoid Daisy. I was used to daily contact with her. “What’s the second thing?

“I need you to help me talk to your mother,” Adam said. “We need her help to get you close enough to Daisy for me to speak to Diana without Daisy seeing you.”

“We’ll start back to the city now,” I said. “We will visit Mom in the morning.”