Chapter 18 A Promise

~Flynn~

I had to hurry. I know I’d been the biggest asshole to Anna that she’d probably never forgive me, but it gave me hope – what we did and how she stood up for me.

Goddess, she’s brave.

My father, her father - they saved her that day from the attack. I knew it, the entire pack knew… but it was hard on us to accept that they were gone.

And… I was blinded by my own anger that I took it out on her. The whole pack blamed her for it and shunned her. If they were alive right now, they’d be ashamed of what we did.

All I wanted was to make him proud; all these years I failed him, as a son, as an Alpha.

But… it’s not too late yet. I could still make up for all that I did, that the pack did.

Carson was wrong if he thought she wouldn’t stay with me – she was still my mate. We rejected her, no, I… rejected her, but we could take it back. Reconnect the bond between us. I swear I’d make her happy.

The pack can hate me for it, I don’t care anymore.

She’d be my Luna. She was the only one I wanted as Luna. If it hadn’t happened that day, I wonder what our lives would be like now – I’d be the happiest man in the world with my girl by my side and little versions of us running around. It could’ve happened if I wasn’t such a fool.

Now I’m siding with Farrell. I deserve it.

“Forget it,” Farrell said. “You lost her the moment you broke the bond. She’s mated to him now.”

“Did you see a mark on her, Farrell? Because I didn’t. And if she wanted to be with him, she wouldn’t have been beneath me, moaning my name hours ago!”

“She is no longer yours! No longer ours! If only you had listened to me that night instead of beating her to death, you fool!”

I blocked him. Anger and anxiety were starting to get a grip on me. Farrell snapping at me would do me no good. I had no time for his nonsense. Anna loved me and I was going to prove him wrong.

The newly mated werewolves’ moans and grunts and the smell of bodily fluids stirred unwanted desires in me. I hastily made my way to the mansion which was worse than outside. Upon reaching my bedroom, I slammed the door shut.

I sighed. This year, my pack was chosen for the mating ritual and this was a common occurrence during this event that we made advanced preparations for the children, the elderly, and the mated. We were in an extremely vulnerable position from outside attacks for my men were spread out thin between two locations, not to mention their numbers were smaller because some of them were having the best time of their lives tonight.

Lucky bastards.

I shook my head and refocused on getting my mate back. I took off my clothes as I went to the shower, leaving them a scattered trail behind me, and cleaned up as hastily as I could. Then I changed into a clean pair of clothes.

If I was going to ask for her forgiveness, I wasn’t doing it with that in my pants. Just thinking about what happened – her scent, her taste, her voice… it was giving me a semi. She belonged to me.

A growl left my throat. Mine.

I know she wouldn’t leave me for him. If she did, there’d be nothing for me to do but accept her decision.

She would choose me. She had to.

I exited my room and went over to theirs, back to the room I found her. It was empty. I checked the other rooms – not the best idea. Seeing too many of them fucking in the open was too much already, and now I found myself interrupting couples making out in their own rooms. Not that they would mind – their minds were preoccupied with more important things.

They weren’t in any of the rooms. Where was she? Wait, where was he? And where was Carson? And that healer?

They were nowhere to be found in their quarters.

Surely, they wouldn’t leave with the thing happening on the front lawn. It’d draw too much attention. Unless…

My voice was commanding as I spoke. “Farrell, help me out here.”

“I won’t help you find Anna.”

“I need to find Carson.”

“Give up, Flynn. This will only hurt you, us… more than it already does,” he whined.

“I’m not giving up on my mate!”

“Our mate, you fool! She was our mate – not anymore! And the sooner you accept that, the better it will be for all of us.”

I was losing my grip. Farrell should be on my side! Instead, he was talking me out of it. “No, Farrell. Unless she tells me of her own free will that she doesn’t want to stay with me, I’ll consider it. But while I still have a chance to set things right, I won’t give up our mate.”

“Do what you want,” he replied then retreat to the back of my mind.

Her scent was still around. I followed it out the window to the woods, and I knew where she was – her home. I forbid her to visit that house since that night when I laid down her sentence, and seldom let her walk outside.

I’m…

“The biggest asshole in a world full of assholes,” continued Farrell.

“Get out of my head!”

“If only I could.”

Deeper into the woods, I quickened my pace. It wasn’t too late.

She was still here. I could still convince her to stay. I didn’t know what I’d do without her. I’d always been there for her and when she needed me the most, I wasn’t but I was here now… always…

I was about to shift when a link tried to connect – it was Carson.

“What?” I growled.

“Border,” he said.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“She wants to say goodbye.” He ended the link. I stood in shock.

The emptiness in my being amplified, letting me know that I would forever carry this with me, and I had no one to blame but myself. My mate was leaving. She had chosen.

I wouldn’t accept this. She wasn’t leaving me behind to be with him!

I wouldn’t believe this. There had to be some sort of mistake here, a foul play – maybe she was threatened by him. She was wolf-less. That alone was a disadvantage for her – werewolves, especially an Alpha would be no match for her.

I wouldn’t allow this. Carson talked her into it. He tried to convince me to banish her instead of adding more and more to her workload.

This… This wasn’t real.

I promised myself years ago that I’d protect you, that I’d always be beside you, that one day I would ask you that question.

I’m coming, Anna. Wait for me.

You’re not really leaving, are you?