Chapter 37: The Havoc Heart

Lisa bent her head forward. “Do you remember what I said to you?”

“Which ones?” I asked.

“When we said our pledges ….” Her voice was low, and she didn’t want to look at me.

I nodded. Realizing that she couldn’t see my nodding, as I was behind her, I said, “Yes.”

“I promised you I would love and care for you. I also said you were my life.”

I kissed her shoulder. “Yes, I won’t forget your words. They are beautiful.”

“That’s why I must ask you to leave and forget me.” Then she walked away.

“Lisa! Lisa! Why?”

She stopped walking. Her shoulders slumped. I wanted to hug her, but I knew she might need more time to deal with her father. “My promise means everything to me. It will never change for me. You are my life. If letting you go is the only way for you to live, it’s what I must do,” she said.

“No! We can fight together. Eventually, your father will accept me. Bill believed me.”

Lisa bit her lower lip and then shook her head. “It’s no use. Father is the one who makes all decisions.”

“Then will you leave with me? We can find somewhere else to live. Only the two of us. Maybe with our pups. What do you think?”

Lisa lifted her head and stared at me. She let out a long sigh and smiled. “It’s a beautiful dream. If I hadn’t had the accident ten years ago, I wouldn’t think further. I would immediately ask you to leave with me, even before you asked.”

“What changed you? I accept you as you are now. Your trauma is an issue we need to conquer each day. But together, I know we can.”

“Oh, Nate …. If it were only about us, I would agree. But it’s no longer about us. I have a debt to pay to my father. I can’t leave with you ....”

“I will work hard to pay your debt,” I insisted. “I’d do anything to protect you, Lisa.”

Lisa sobbed. After a while, she said, “Thank you, Nate. I won’t forget your words. It means a lot to me.”

“Then will you come with me?”

She shook her head. “I can’t. I have a debt I must pay. It’s only when I have had the marking ceremony. I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My father will visit your pack soon to tell you about the newest accident. They will blame you. I begged him not to do it. I don’t want him to ruin you. He agreed.”

“But in exchange, you will have Cam as your mate. Is that it?”

“Yes ….”

“Lisa—”

“I have thought about this. I will come with my father to talk to Cameron. He should have a complete marriage of convenience. It means he will have me only in name. Nothing more than that.”

“Lisa, please, come with me ….”

That was when Alpha Fred walked from afar. His face was furious. Lisa must see him too, and she finally walked away.

“Why did you meet him again? You promised me to be Cameron’s mate.”

“I did, Father,” Lisa said.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I only said goodbye to him.”

Then Alpha Fred gazed at me with hatred in his eyes. “Don’t step your feet into my pack again. Do you hear me? If you dare to come again, I will kill you instantly.”

“Father, no!”

Then Alpha Fred pulled Lisa’s hand. Then, after a while, they were out of my sight. Two guards approached me. One of them brought my dowry trunk.

“Delta Nathanael, here is yours. Please, leave our pack.”

I took the trunk and left the pack. I was thinking of visiting Lisa secretly. But then, what if Alpha Fred found out about it? He might threaten Lisa more. I couldn’t imagine Lisa’s life, as she had a father who treated her as a possession and a bargaining item to trade with anyone who would offer the right price. It wasn’t Lisa’s fault to have experienced the assaults. She was the victim. Yet Alpha Fred treated Lisa as if it was her wrongdoing.

After walking for a while, I arrived at my pack. The guards opened the gate. They said nothing. I walked to my foster father’s house. My chest was heavy because I had lost two things. First, I lost the one I loved—my mate. Second, I failed in my mission while my father expected me to succeed in my endeavor.

I knocked on the door. Later, Evelyn opened the door. She stared at me and then at the trunk.

Without words, she nodded. “You must expect to meet with Alpha Horace. He is in the working room.”

“Thank you.”

I walked to the working room. My feet were heavy as if each were tied to ten pounds of weight. I knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Entering the room, I put the trunk on the table and kneeled. “Father, I’m sorry ….”

“Nate, sit here.”

But I still kneeled. “I’m sorry.” Then I bent my head, staring at the floor so I didn’t need to stare at my foster father’s face. I didn’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes.

Yet, he pulled me and brought me to sit next to him on the couch. “Nate, you have done what you could. Would you like to tell me what happened?”

“At first, Alpha Fred wanted to take his time before giving his blessings. Bill also did the same. But then, the next day, Alpha Fred misunderstood me.”

“What happened?”

I hesitated to tell everything, but my foster father patted my back. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. But if you are ready, I’m here.”

Finally, I told him shortly what happened with Lisa, then our night and morning. Last, I also explained Alpha Fred’s misunderstanding and threat.

“He has no right to threaten you.”

“It’s normal, Father. After the tragedy, Lisa spent ten years living with regret and shame. Maybe Alpha Fred felt the burden too. Besides, Lisa is his only daughter.”

My father sighed and shook his head. “Fred is not a sentimental person. Maybe he didn’t want to accept you and used what happened in the morning as a reason to reject you and put the blame on you.”