The Luna’s Choice by Kat Silver Book 2
The Luna’s Fate by Kat Silver (Theo and Ayla)
Chapter 50 (Theo)
I rushed upstairs to our apartment. When I entered, Ayla wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. I went back to the bedroom and found her packing a suitcase. My heart fell into a pit in my stomach.
“What are you doing?”
She continued to grab clothes. “I told you,” she stated, “I won’t stay here while that murderer is alive.”
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“Fine,” I said, going to the closet and pulling out my travel case. “We’ll go to the lake house for a few days.”
“You’re not coming with me,” she snapped.
“Excuse me?” I replied in disbelief. “You’re not staying away from the packhouse alone, Ayla.”
“You’re the reason he’s here,” she yelled at me. “You’re the reason he’s still alive. Until you fix this, I don’t want to be near you.”
My heart was racing and I could hear my blood pulsing in my ears. I had no idea what was going on. Ayla didn’t even react this way when Harry admitted to killing her father.
“So you’re leaving me?” I exclaimed. “Because I need to protect you?”
“Because you’re letting that abomination live,” she bellowed.
She slammed the suitcase shut and zipped it. I shoved it back down as she moved to pick it up.
“What the f*** has gotten into you?” I said, my anger and fear and confusion getting the better of me. “Why am I having to explain this over and over? You want to take the assholes down but refuse to exploit the best resource we have at the moment? This isn’t you, Ayla. You’re smarter than this.”
“Oh, so I’m stupid for wanting to avenge my pack?”
“This is your pack,” I roared. “And no, you are justified in wanting him dead, but you are being completely rash. And you are being ignorant if you think I’m just going to let you leave me.”
She pulled at the suitcase again, but I held it firmly in place. She glared at me with an anger I’d never seen directed at me before.
“Don’t make me command you,” she hissed.
I froze as shock ran through me. My body went numb at her words.
“Really?” I replied quietly. “That’s where you’re going to take this?”
She held my gaze. I waited, but she didn’t back down. I removed my hand from the case and stepped aside. I couldn’t believe she thought my actions were worth that kind of betrayal. We didn’t command our mates. We should never have to. Commands were a tool to maintain order within a pack. Not to manipulate our members to get what we want. That’s why our ability to command was taken seriously. It was a sacred gift that should never be abused. We sure as f*** didn’t take that free will from our mate.
Because that’s what a command was. That’s why it was painful to fight it. She had grown more powerful in the past few weeks. She would be able to take that from me.
Ayla brushed past me and I fought to stay on my feet. My chest was so tight I couldn’t breathe. She had cut off our connection. Blocking me from feeling her through our mate bond. Tears pricked my eyes as I tried to control the urge to grab and hold her here. I wanted to tell her I’d kill Lloyd. We’d go down and I’d rip his throat out right now. I wanted to scream that I would make it right and beg her to stay with me.
But my gut was also telling me that would be a mistake. That there was something else going on with Ayla. If I pushed her, would she still command me? Could I risk her crossing that line? Would our relationship withstand that damage? Would Ayla?
My head spun as I tried to make sense of what was happening. I waited to hear the apartment door close. Waited for the love of my life to walk out on me. Again. But I couldn’t even pretend to know what the right thing to do was this time.
But the sound never came.
The door didn’t open.
It didn’t slam shut.
I didn’t even hear the knob turn.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned toward the living room. I got to the end of the hall, I saw Ayla. She was slumped on the floor by the door. Her back was to me and she was still. I slowly approached her, sitting down on the floor beside her.
I didn’t touch her until I saw her expression. Silent tears fell down her cheeks. Her face held confusion and disbelief. Her body wasn’t moving, but her eyes were darting around blankly as her mind raced.
“I…” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
I exhaled heavily, gathering her into my arms and holding her against my chest. Her arms snapped around my neck as she clung to me desperately. I rocked her as she started to sob. I shushed her gently as she continued to apologize and beg for my forgiveness.
“Baby, it’s okay,” I soothed. “I’m here. I promise I’m right here.”