Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“Magnus didn’t walk away from that night proud,” she continues. “He walked away broken. Then he met you, and for the first time in a long time, I saw him smile again. Really smile.”
My throat tightens.
“And now you’re leaving,” she says softly. “Without even trying to understand it from his point of view. Without understanding that he had no choice. You’re not the only one who wants to protect their siblings.”
I blink hard, trying not to cry. “Why do you even want me to stay? I thought you’d be happy to be rid of my family for good.”
“Because you’re our family now,” she says, trying not to cry too. “Whether you realize it or not, you’re one of us.”
I want to be. I really want to be.
“And because you mean everything to my big brother,” she says, wiping her eyes. “And I know him. He’s loyal. He’s gentle. He’s a protector to the core. And he’s completely wrecked over you. He won’t be able to survive if he’s lost his mate for good.”
That word again. Mate. It echoes in my chest.
“I know what Mace and Knox were like,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Maybe I don’t know all the horrible details, but I’m not an idiot. I know their inner demons had a hold on them. I knew it even when I was a kid. But they were still my brothers. And now they’re gone, and the one person who makes me feel… whole is the one who had a hand in it.”
Victoria nods. “It’s complicated, I know. And no one is asking you to forgive us right away. Just… give us a chance. Stay a few days. Take some time to mull it over.”
I look at my aunt Jenny’s house as I hold my car key. Maybe staying a few more days wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Sometimes love is messy,” Victoria says. “I’m not here to ask you to forget what happened. I’m just asking you to take some time to try and see it from Magnus’ point of view. And if anything, to at least say goodbye.”
I stare at the ground, my heart thudding.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll think about it.”
Victoria takes a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
“You really think he’s hurting?” I ask quietly.
She nods. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”
I let out a breath, staring at my reflection in the car window.
I don’t know why hearing that makes me so happy.
He just bought himself an extra day.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Magnus
Even my bear is quiet tonight.
No snarling, no pacing, no threatening to burst out and wreak havoc. Just a heavy melancholy sadness we’re both drowning in.
I used to fear my bear losing control.
But this stillness? This ache? It's worse.
It feels like he’s lost all reason to live. I feel it too. I’ve never felt this empty.
I’m sitting on the porch of my cabin, slouched deep into an old wooden chair that keeps groaning under my weight. The dark mountains loom in the distance, black and still. The silence out here is thick, broken only by the cool breeze rippling through the leaves and the owl hooting in the distance, sounding just as lonely as I feel.
It can’t be over. It just can’t be.
But I keep seeing her horrified face when I told her… and… and it definitely feels like it’s over. It feels like she never wants to see me again.
I take a long breath, inhaling the crisp pine-scented air. I’d kill to go back to that night. Maybe I could have talked to Knox and Mace. Maybe I could have handled it differently—helped change them.
But even as I replay it in my mind, I know that would never have happened. It’s wishful thinking. Those boys were rabid dogs who needed to be put down.
I sigh as a hare hops out of the forest and starts munching on some wildflowers.
I only had a few hours with her. That’s the worst part.
A few perfect, blissful hours where the world made sense. Where the ache inside me dulled for the first time in years. Where everything felt so damn perfect. And then… over.
And it’s worse now.
Worse than before I met her.
Now, I know what I’m missing.
Now, I know that perfect girl is out there and she wants nothing to do with me. At least before, I had a small glimmer of hope that she could walk into my life at any time. Now, I have nothing.
My shoulders sink down as I shake my head, wondering how I’m going to go on.
Then, I hear it.
Tires crunching on the gravel road.
The hare perks up and bounces back into the forest.
I sit up straight, blinking toward the driveway.
It’s probably just Julian or Victoria coming to try and cheer me up even though I just want to be alone.
The headlights slice through the trees, casting moving shadows on my lawn as the car turns onto my long driveway.