Page 56 of Brutal Alpha's Sold Mate
The big day arrives sooner than I want: the morning of his planned departure. I wake up to find the cottage quiet, though I hear him moving around. I figure he’s in the kitchen, finishing up last-minute packing. This is it. By tomorrow, he’ll be gone. Should I say something? Apologize for shutting him out? Plead with him one final time to reconsider his brutal approach to dealing with Reed and Jacob?
I sink onto the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hands. My wolf paces inside my chest, urging me to speak to him before he’s out of reach. I let out a shaky exhale and decide I’ll at least muster the courage to see him off. I owe him that much. We’ve been sharing a roof, either his or mine, for a while now, and he deserves more than a cowardly wave from behind a door.
Tugging on some clothes that are only slightly wrinkled from my sleepless tossing, I shuffle into the hallway. The door to the spare room is ajar, revealing a half-packed duffel bag onthe floor. Sure enough, Theo’s rummaging through the supplies he brought. He straightens when he senses me, turning with a guarded look.
“Morning,” he says, voice gruff.
“Morning,” I reply, forcing my gaze to stay on his face rather than flick to the bag. “So, you’re leaving today.”
He nods. “That’s the plan. My watchers spotted movement near the border. Reed’s got some new recruits sniffing around. I should deal with it.”
Silence spreads between us. I cross my arms, not sure what else to do. I could just let him walk away without a real goodbye, but the thought makes my chest tighten painfully. I sense he’s waiting, maybe hoping I’ll bring something up. But I can’t find the words, so I turn on my heel and step into the living area, hoping with all my heart he’ll follow. He does.
I pause near the couch, the very spot where we once had a fleeting moment of closeness. “Theo,” I begin, “I… I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you.”
He sighs, dropping his bag onto the couch. “I had a hunch. You’ve made it pretty obvious you don’t want to see me.”
I rub my arms, wishing I could be braver. “It’s not about wanting or not wanting. It’s me not knowing how to handle you leaving.” My cheeks warm at the confession. “And I still think your plan to fight your brothers is reckless. I guess I figured ignoring you would make it hurt less.”
His gaze softens a fraction. “Does it?”
My throat goes dry. I can only shake my head.
His shoulders slump, and he glances away. “Then maybe talk to me about it. You keep saying you hate my plan, but you never stick around long enough to really push back. I’m notstupid, Kai—I see how this tears at you. I’m not blind to how torn you are.”
I swallow the knot in my throat. “I told you, I hate watching you run off to some fight that might kill you. This rivalry with Reed and Jacob is not a small family spat. You could die, or they could, and the body count might not end there. I can’t be part of that.”
He steps closer, all careful movements. “So you’d rather shut yourself off, pretend we don’t share a connection? That everything between us was just a fling?”
I bite my lip as the tears threaten. “I never said it was a fling. But what else can I do? My alpha won’t help. He refuses to intervene in your war. And you won’t let it go, so where does that leave us?”
He exhales and rubs the back of his head. “It leaves us stuck. Unless… you come with me.”
My eyes shoot up to meet his. “Come with you to do what, exactly? Help you sharpen your fangs? Be a cheerleader while you confront your siblings? That’s not who I am.”
“I’m not asking you to stand on the sidelines. I just don’t want to walk back into that mess alone. I want you there, because—”
“Because you think I’ll talk sense into you?” I snap. “Or because you can’t stand the idea of me staying here out of your reach?”
He grimaces, looking torn. “Both, maybe. But also… I just need you, in a way I can’t really describe. You keep me steady. Before you, I never thought twice about how my decisions might affect those around me. Now, I feel like I have a reason to think bigger.”
A flicker of hope stirs in me, but I clamp down on it. “That’s nice to say, but it doesn’t solve the fundamental problem. If you’re fixated on taking them down by force—”
“I never said there wouldn’t be a negotiation,” he cuts in, his voice raw with desperation. “But you know my brothers. They won’t budge without seeing the force behind my words. I can’t risk not being ready for a fight if it comes to that.”
“You think I want you weak? No. I just wish you’d see that maybe, if you tried a different approach first—”
A pounding on the cottage door interrupts, making me jump. We turn as one, and I call out, “Who is it?”
“Just me,” a voice from outside responds—Quincey, from the sound of it. “Alpha wants Theo to know he can depart without an escort, but he needs to be gone by sundown.”
Theo’s features tighten for a moment. “Thank you,” he replies, loud enough for my brother to hear.
We hear footsteps retreat, leaving us alone with the knowledge that Alec is basically ushering Theo off East Hills land.
My chest feels hollow. I close my eyes, fighting the sting behind them. “So that’s it, then.”
Theo picks up his bag and slings it over his shoulder. “Seems like it.”
