Page 33 of Shattered Soulmates

I don’t know how long Miles hangs around after I begin to blast music, but I can no longer hear him or the tapping, and I’m soon overcome with exhaustion.Too tired to care, I hear the front door unlock, and then I’m pulled into a pair of strong arms.

Without opening my eyes, I feel fingers caressing my hair and a soft voice shushing me.Boneless from the comforting touch, I drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep despite the noise.

Miles

Paisley closes the window in my face, and I watch her turn over, crying into the pillow. My heart breaks at the sight of what I’ve done to her. I don’t consider myself a good male anymore, but I want to stop the pain she’s enduring. I ache to crawl into bed beside her like I used to before I lost that privilege. I want to hold her close and make sure no one and nothing ever hurts her again. To feel the softness of her body against me, my lips pressed to her skin.Goddess!

“Please, Paisley. I’m so sorry for hurting you. I know it’s unforgivable, but I ache for us.”I beg

In my begging to be let in to talk to her, I begin pacing back and forth beside the house. Suddenly, I’m slammed to the side by a big, hulking form.

“What the—”

Crunch! A fist crashes into my nose, and stars explode behind my eyes as my head smashes against a tree.

I leap up and see Knight glaring at me, his face alight with rage. Before I can fully steady myself, he lunges forward, aiming his fist at my face once again. I barely dodge, the air whooshing past.

I pivot and attempt an uppercut to knock him off-balance, but he easily sidesteps. We circle each other, panting heavily, both of us trying to catch our breath before the next attack.

Knight’s next move is a powerful swing, but I manage to block it with my forearms crossed. The force of the impact jars me,but I grit my teeth and land a quick left hook. He groans in pain, but continues to advance.

Our movements become a blur as we match punch for punch. I feel the bite of his hits, but I refuse to slow down. With a sharp intake of breath, he delivers a solid punch to my side, making me stagger to the ground.

“Leave her alone, Miles!” Knight hisses at me. “She’s devastated. Can’t you hear her crying?”

“I want to make it up to her.” I spit out a mouthful of blood, attempting to sit up. “I want to make it better.”

“Do you realize how messed up that statement is, Miles?” He wipes the blood from his face with his shirt. “You can’t unbreak her heart. What’s done is done.” He walks over to the outdoor spigot, turns it on, washes his face and hands, then dries them on his shirt. Throwing the shirt across his bare shoulder, he points to me. “Let her heal.”

“I want to help her heal.” I get to my feet, staggering.

“Only because Marissa dumped your sorry behind,”he spits. “I don’t know why you didn’t see that Paisley is the better person. I wasn’t here a day before I realized it. Marissa’s filth in heels.”

I can't defend that description of her. Sadly, I can’t even be angry with Knight as what he says rings true.

“Go home, Miles.” Knight seethes. “Don’t come around here again. Alpha already warned you to stop stalking Paisley months ago. I was hoping you wouldn’t make me go behind your back and tell him what you’re doing. You need to talk to Alpha before you lose your position here.”

Angry at Knight’s interference, I punch the tree behind me.

“Mature, tool! Now go home before you draw Paisley’s attention. Thank the goddess she’s got that music blaring and can’t hear us.”

Like the immature tool I’m accused of being, I give the tree one more solid punch and storm off.

Knight

I watch Miles as he stomps out of sight, and I peek through the window at Paisley. Her back is still to the window, and her shoulders are still shaking with her sobs.I touch the window, wanting desperately to comfort her as I have done frequently over the past few weeks.

I make my way around her cabin and retrieve the extra door key from under the mat. Not wanting to scare her, I tiptoe to her bedroom. Her cries are becoming softer as she’s tiring. I pull my shoes off and gently climb onto the bed, drawing her into my arms. She immediately curls into me, clutching at my arms like a drowning soul. Her tears instantly soak my shirt, and I gently caress her curls, reassuring her softly.

In moments, her cries cease, and her breathing deepens. I lay down beside her and pull her up onto my torso, the deep connection tethering us together. She sighs as I place soft little kisses across her face. Her body gets limp as she finally succumbs to the peace of sleep.

Chapter 14 –Karma Is No Lady

Miles

I wake up with a pounding headache. Rolling over on my back, I reach for the nightstand and grab the glass of water I put there last night. Sitting up, I take deep draughts and drink the water in three gulps. Placing the glass back on the nightstand, I lean back on the pillow.Stretching my arms behind my head, I settle back, trying to wake up.

What a mess I’ve made of my life. Loving Marissa is an exercise in futility. To quote Einstein—The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.I laugh to myself. Another lost cause is hoping Paisley would ever give me a second chance.

---