Word Count: 2107

~Avia

Tears stream down my face as I drive, aiming for the city.

I can't go back, not now. The mission is over, and I failed. All I can do now is hope Malin will take me back into the Rebellion, otherwise I'm going to have to create a life elsewhere. It hurts to think about leaving Isaiah, never seeing him again, but I can't risk him forcing me to stay with him, to be with him when I want nothing to do with leading this Pack.

Eventually I make it into the city, my tears drying as a sense of responsibility drapes over me. I've known I wouldn't be able to make this work for a while, so this shouldn't have come as a surprise.

I just wish I didn't allow myself to be so weak in that moment...I shouldn't have let him kiss me.

Once I've made it deep into the city, I park and change quickly into clothing in the back of my car. I need to get some sleep, in this quiet parking lot, with what remaining hours of night time are left, and then head to the compound in the morning.

I wake a few hours later with sunlight streaming through the foggy windows.

Stretching, I shift uncomfortably, crawling into the driver's seat. Thankfully the parking lot is still empty, but I know I have to leave this car. Isaiah will put an alert out for it, and for me.

Hopping from the car, I toss the keys into a bush, and make my way out onto the street. The compound is on the other side of the city, which means I'm going to have to get there on foot, and quickly. I have no doubt Isaiah will have his people scouring the streets for me, so I need to make this quick, before the word spreads.

Mid-morning hits, and I've only made it about quarter of the way.

With a growling stomach and drying throat, I stumble into a small shop for a drink and maybe a snack, beyond caring about anyone who may recognise me as Kenna, the girl who has been at Isaiah's side for the past few months.

"Kenna? What's going on."

Jumping, I whirl around from where I was examining the cabinet food, the familiar voice sparking enough fear in me to have my heart beating dramatically.

"Savea..."

She's dressed nicely, for an outing. Thankfully, when I look behind her it's clear that she hasn't come here with anyone else. I'm not sure if I could face Mari and her judgement right now. My world feels like it's on the verge of collapsing.

"Are you crying?" she asks, eyes roving over my face. I'm not now, but I have been, on and off, emotions striking me whenever Isaiah crawls back into my mind.

I release a long breath. I should lie to her and get on my way, but knowing Malin won't be supportive when I see her, and Kadrick will only be angry, I'm desperate for someone to tell me that everything is going to be okay.

"Isaiah is my mate," I whisper.

Her eyes widen. "Oh...Wow, okay."

"I know. I don't know what to do," I say. She may not know why I'm so flustered and upset about this information, and why I can't go back to the estate, but this is surprising news for everyone to learn, and because Isaiah is an Alpha, she knows complications can arise from that.

"Come, sit down." She motions to her table, so I follow. It may be a bad idea to stop and talk to her, but my legs are aching and Savea is the calmest and most reasonable person I know. "Where is he?"

"I don't know, we were at the beach and I took his car and drove off," I tell her.

Thankfully him being left behind likely gave me enough time to put some space between us, and so far, I haven't heard any announcements or even whispers that Isaiah has found his mate and is looking for her. There is a chance he doesn't want to announce it yet, still under his father's influence, or that he thinks I will return to him.

Only one of those is likely.

Savea's gaze is soft and thoughtful. "I can't imagine what you're feeling."

"I know you think you do, but you don't," I murmur. She has no idea about the rebellion, the mission and my crumbling friendship with Malin. She has no idea about the true implications for why I can't accept the mate bond with him, and it hurts having to keep it close.

She reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing it gently. "He's marrying Elise. Of course you're upset."

"Savea...I can't be with him. Even if he wasn't marrying Elise." I can feel panic rising up within me, but I swallow it down. If I make a scene in here, someone may recognise me, and it would get back to Isaiah.

"You need to talk to him. You can't run away," she insists.

I sit up in my seat, deciding there is no chance for me, if we continue talking about this. "Do you know something, about the murders?"

"No! Why would you ask me that?" She questions, visibly flinching. I've struck a nerve, especially after she has been trying so hard to stop questions about it getting back to Mari, who is struggling to deal with it.

Part of me wants someone else to be the focal point, but that's wrong. Whether I believe Mari's family are responsible for the death's of prominent families in the Pack shouldn't matter. No one is going to care about that when it comes out that Isaiah has a mate, and that his mate doesn't want anything to do with him.

I wind my fingers through my hair, exhaling. "I don't know, I'm sorry."

"The murders are seriously messing with Mari's family," she says lowly, glancing over her shoulder at a couple sitting behind us eating. "You shouldn't talk about this in public."

She's right, but it's hard to care about what anybody thinks right now, even though Savea still believes that's my job, as Kenna. "I'm sorry. There's so much on my mind, and now I'm not sure I have anywhere to go."

"Go back to Isaiah. Talk to him."

"I have to go. Don't tell Isaiah you saw me." Getting to my feet, I tug my jacket around myself some more. I know Savea won't tell Isaiah anything if I won't want her to, which is a value I'm going to miss, because this will likely be the last time I see her.

Savea winces. "Kenna..."

"Don't call me that, Savea. Please," I breathe, before I turn and rush from the coffee shop. She doesn't even know my real name, and I'm tired of all the lying. I'm glad this is over, that I'm going to tell Malin I'm leaving, and I'm going to head to another Pack for a while.

By the time I make it to the compound, night has fallen, and I'm exhausted. Despite how tired I am, I can't wait, I need to pack my things and flee.

The moment I walk into the compound, it's abuzz, people bustling past me, paying me no attention. Frowning, I look through the fray, seeing Malin speaking to someone. I rush over to her, knowing I can't avoid this talk.

"Malin...Malin I need to talk to you."

She brushes past me. "Now isn't a good time."

"What is going on around here?" I ask, stepping into stride with her. I'm not going to let her walk away from me when I need to talk to her about this. She is going to find out soon that I'm mated to the Alpha, and I want her to hear it from me first.

"We are merging," she explains, sweeping into her office. "Our groups are all meeting tonight."

My stomach drops. "What...You didn't tell me that."

"I know, but you've been starting to have doubts, so I thought to make sure this goes ahead smoothly, I had to keep it from you," she says.

I blink, dumbfounded. There isn't a single flicker of guilt in her tone, in her expression. She is perfectly okay with lying to me, just to accomplish this. I doubt I would have even disagreed in the first place, and I'm sure she knows that. Yet she still decided to go through with this behind my back, potentially to purposefully undermine me.

"You can't just do that," I tell her, hearing my voice raising, but I can't do anything to simmer it down.

"Avia," Malin snaps, the cold tone of her voice only making me angrier. When she speaks to me like this, it means she has no patience for me, that she isn't going to bother listening to my side. "Once we merge, the new leader is going to lead alone side me, to make things fair."

"Where do I fit into this?" I'm not even sure I'm staying, but it still hurts hearing Malin push me out.

"Kadrick and I discussed it, and agreed you need to concentrate on getting this mission done, instead of having a leadership position," she tells me. I frown. Kadrick? Does he truly believe that, or is this his way of getting back at me because of our break up?

I follow her as she rounds the desk, leaving her office again. "So you're just stripping it from me without talking to me?"

"It's for the best."

I gape at her. "We started this together Malin. We are best friends."

"Did we start it together?" she asks, stopping in her step to look at me with her haunting black eyes, that have never looked at me with such hidden fury before. "Because I remember I came to you, and begged you to help me start this."

"We always hated the Alpha..." I remind her. She may have came to me to ask me to start this with her, but I still put in just as much effort to recruit people, to go on the mission that has now changed my life forever...
"I care about you. That's why I'm doing this."

"You lied to me..."

"It doesn't matter how we get to the doing good part," she says, stalking down the hallway toward our usual meeting room, where I'm assuming this new leader is waiting. "What's important is that we are going to do good, for everyone."

"Who is this group, anyway?" I ask, pushing away what she said. That will be something to bring up later, because this isn't the last time we are speaking about this, especially when I'm meant to be telling her I've found my mate.

"They are a big one. Bigger than us, so with their resources and you position inside the Alpha estate, we will get this done," she tells me. "I've met the leader, and she is good. She will do good."

Rolling my eyes, I follow Malin into the room. At this point, I don't care about these people, I'm just overwhelmed, and want out of here. I just need Malin to listen to me first.

My eyes scan over the room, and I swear my heart completely stops.

"I...Zire?"

At first, my brain failed to comprehend it's him. He leans against the far wall, casting his gaze toward upon hearing me call his name. His eyes widen, and he frowns, obviously as shocked as I am.

"Kenna?" he questions.

"Wait, Kenna?" My head turns, realising that next to Zire, is Isaiah, who looks at me, completely bewildered.

I could faint.

"Isaiah?" I whisper, feeling the edges of the world start to fray.

Someone stands next to me, and when I turn my attention to them, even more shock strikes me.

"Well, isn't this interesting," Elise smirks.

💛••💛

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***

I have a brand new story called IMMORTAL PRINCE now available on Radish, and soon on Wattpad (:

"Tomorrow, we don't have to speak of this again." I hardly know what I'm asking. I just know I want whatever it is.

He watches me with an intensity that I know only he is capable of. "Put my hand where you want me to touch you."

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~Midika 💜🐼