Chapter 8

“I don’t like this,” Dylan said.

He was looking ahead, trying to avoid my gaze.

“I need to make this right. If you don’t want me to see him, then I need to call him. Now that you’ve accepted me in your pack, I can’t mind link with him anymore,” I explained.

I reached out for his hand, and he didn’t pull away from me. It was a start.

We were going to be making a stop in the next hotel.

It had taken almost an hour to convince Dylan to let me call Nicolas. It took me another hour to convince him to let me call Nicolas in private.

I knew Dylan wouldn’t be able to handle hearing what Nicolas would say. As it was, Dylan was angry about the bite in my neck.

There was a small hotel about twenty minutes away, which stood on the side of the same road we were on. It would be the only lightly populated place we’d pass in the last few hours.

“I can deal with this situation without having you talking to him,” Dylan tried convincing me.

On the way to the hotel, I told him everything that happened between Nicolas and me. I didn’t want to, but Dylan insisted.

I was glad that Nicolas hadn’t forced me to mate. I only had the bite to talk about.

Unfortunately, Dylan also wanted details on how we came to be. He didn’t understand how my father and Alpha Jackson could arrange a marriage between Werewolves. I wasn’t sure who he hated more- Nicolas, Alpha Jackson, or my dad.

As much as I kept telling him that Nicolas had been good to me, Dylan didn’t want to hear anything. He kept repeating that what they did was wrong.

“I need to do this. I’m not going back, but he deserves an explanation. Nicolas is a good man,” I said.

My words made him flinch, and I hated that.

I just couldn’t antagonize Nicolas when he’d done so much good for me. He never forced me into doing anything. He saved me from my own pack. Nicolas was the one that made me realize Alpha Jackson was not only a bad person, but a bad leader.

“Eric is going to stand outside while I go have a word with Jace,” Dylan said.

I was sitting down on the bed, with Dylan’s cell phone in my hand. Dylan was standing next to the door, looking reluctant to leave.

“Alright,” I nodded.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? Maybe Nicolas will want to speak with me,” Dylan asked.

I shook my head, and smiled at him.

“Take your time with Jace. I don’t want you hurrying me.”

I gave him a pointed look.

He chuckled, despite how unhappy he was with what I was about to do.

“I’ll give you enough time. If you need me, call me through our link or tell Eric,” Dylan said.

I stood up to give him an extra push out the door, since he hadn’t taken a step closer to it.

“Go,” I said to him.

He pressed his lips against mine, making me breathless with just his touch.

“I love you Leila,” he said, before stepping out the door.

I was left stunned for a few seconds by his words. He just had to choose that moment to say that to me. I’d already been nervous with my call to Nicolas, and now I wouldn’t stop thinking about those words.

I had to admit, my insides felt warm and a smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

‘I love you back,’ I said to him through my mind.

“I’ll be out here,” Eric said.

He stuck his head inside the room for a moment, before shutting the door.

I took a deep breath, just playing with the phone in my hands.

In the woods, Dylan had accepted me in his pack. It had been a given he would do so, but when he made it official, I immediately stopped belonging to Raven pack.

The connection I had with Nicolas had been broken since then and I was sure he was going crazy over that.

At least before- even though I’d been blocking him out of my mind- he’d been able to feel me around. Right now, he must’ve been drawing blanks.

The house phone rang twice, before someone picked it up.

“Hello,” Angela’s voice rang through the phone.

I frowned, not expecting that she’d be at the house.

“Where’s Nicolas?” I asked her.

“Leila?” She asked, sounding surprised.

I heard noises in the background, and the phone changing hands.

“Leila!” Nicolas yelled, his voice sounding relieved.

“Hey,” I softly said.

I felt so guilty for what I was about to do.

“Where are you? Why did you run away from me?” Nicolas asked.

I heard the desperation in his voice and I so much wished that I could do something to make him feel better.

“I’m with Dylan,” I admitted.

Nicolas stayed quiet, but I could hear his breathing. He was quietly growling on the other side of the line. He wasn’t saying anything, but I knew that he was furious.

“You left me,” he said.

His voice sounded steady, guarded, and dangerous.

We were only talking through the phone, but it felt intimidating.

“I wanted to talk to you in person, to explain. It might not be a good idea for now. You’re mad.”

“I’m beyond mad, and I’m not going to let you leave me so easily,” he threatened.

I swallowed loudly, and wouldn’t have doubted if he’d heard me.

“He’s my mate Nicolas. Just like Isabelle was yours, Dylan is mine,” I told him, hoping he’d understand.

“No!” He snarled.

I remained quiet while he began a thread of curse words directed to Dylan and Midnight Moon pack.

“You are mine! You are married to me! That pup came here and took you away from me- showing no respect to my pack or me!”

I didn’t interrupt him. I let him get it out of his chest- wanting to be there with him to explain.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, wishing there were words I could say to make it right.

“I’ll forgive you if you return to me. I’ll give you anything you want Leila. I want you back,” he said. His voice now sounded defeated.

I preferred his anger to how he sounded now.

Without meaning to, I let out a small sob. It caused Eric to come crashing into the room.

“What’s wrong?” Eric worriedly asked.

“I’m fine,” I told Eric, and nodded to the door for him to get out.

He didn’t look convinced, but he still left.

“Don’t cry, I don’t want that,” Nicolas cooed, trying to get me to calm down.

It was such a messed up situation. I didn’t want Nicolas to suffer, but I didn’t want to leave Dylan. He was my mate, my world, and he was all I wanted.

But I felt all the guilt from leaving Nicolas weighing on my shoulders.

I moved higher on the bed, resting my back on the headboard. My legs were propped up, and I rested my head on my knees.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but I want to be with him. He’s my mate,” I told Nicolas, with a shaky voice.

Tears were still streaming down my cheeks, and I had now given up on clearing them away.

“You’re mine and I want you back. You’ll learn to live here with the pack, you’re their Luna- my wife,” Nicolas insisted.

“What do you want me to do?” I snapped.

It wasn’t because I was mad at him. I was mad at the situation we were in.

“I want you to come back here. We’ll talk in person. I want to see you. How do I know that bastard isn’t making you say this,” Nicolas said.

I chuckled, because Dylan wasn’t even in the room. Even if he was, he wouldn’t have to force me to stay with him. I wanted to be with Dylan.

“He isn’t here with me,” I told him.

“What?”

“Dylan isn’t here. I told him I wanted to make this call alone.”

“Leave. Tell me where you are and I’ll go get you. I can leave right now and meet you on the way. I just want to talk,” Nicolas said.

I’d thought of doing that. Nicolas deserved an explanation in person. But there was no way Dylan would agree to that.

“Dylan won’t like that.”

“Do you want that? Do you want to talk in person?” He asked.

I stayed quiet for a moment, wondering why he’d asked.

“Yes,” I mumbled.

“Then you should come.”

I didn’t say anything. There was no way I’d be able to get away. I didn’t want Dylan to get the wrong impression if I did go. I was strictly going to talk with Nicolas, nothing else. I just didn’t see it happening.

“I’m not sure,” I said.

“If you don’t, then I’ll go to you. I’m not letting you go without a fight,” he warned.

“Should I expect you to return- at least to talk?” Nicolas asked.

I nodded, and then remembered he couldn’t see me.

“Yes,” I whispered, not believing that I’d just agreed to do this.

“Good.”

“I have to go already,” I said, knowing Dylan would be coming back soon.

“I’ll see you soon. I love you Leila.”

Just minutes before, Dylan had said the same thing. No matter how much I cared for Nicolas- Dylan’s love confession mattered a lot more than his.

“Goodbye,” I said, before ending the call.

Dylan entered the room quietly.

Since he was back, Eric had taken off to his room. Being in a hotel room was good for now. It felt like neutral territory, and made it easier to think about my plans later in the night.

“Leila,” Dylan said, as he stalked over to my side.

I was still on the bed, and Dylan shifted me around. I ended up on his lap, with his arms around my waist.

“Hey, what happened? What did he say?” Dylan asked.

“He’s hurting,” I said, sniffling.

Nicolas was hurting a lot, but I left out everything else.

“Does he want a war?”

I shook my head, and nuzzled myself against his neck.

It was calming to be in his arms. I liked being there.

“Why are you crying? Did he make you cry?” Dylan asked, pulling me away and making me face him.

I shook my head again, willing the tears to stop falling.

“I wish there was a way to fix everything. I don’t want him to suffer,” I told Dylan.

He growled at me, making me pull away from him.

An apologetic look took over his face just then, and he tried pressing me against his chest.

“Sorry. Hearing you caring about another male is difficult, especially for my Wolf,” Dylan muttered. His voice sounded husky, and his words were more a growl than anything.

It was already dark outside, so I decided to lie down for a little while. I was still exhausted from last night, and it wasn’t helping that I kept worrying about Nicolas.

My mind was ready to shut down- if only for a few hours so that I’d take a break from so much thinking.

“You’ve hardly eaten. Are you hungry?” Dylan asked.

“I’ll eat in the morning. I’m not hungry right now,” I replied.

Dylan frowned at me, but he didn’t stop me from cuddling into his chest.

I was facing him, pressed as close to his body as I could. His large hands were on my back, pushing me even closer to him.

I felt so small in his arms- and it was perfect. That moment was perfect- with both of us simply lying down, enjoying the peace and quiet.

I’d accidentally fallen asleep. It was midnight when I woke up.

I was comfortably wrapped in Dylan’s arms. In those moments, that was a problem. I had to get up without him feeling me.

I managed to move his arms over me. I had just moved to get up from the bed when he began stirring in his sleep. He grabbed the pillow I’d been using, hugged it, and finally stilled in place.

I hadn’t noticed I’d stopped my breathing until I let out an audible sigh- which also made him stir.

I was hours away from Raven territory. I slowly tiptoed around the hall, not wanting to wake up any of the other guys from the pack.

I had just made it to the front lobby without getting caught, except for the guy at the front desk who looked at me strangely.

The wind outside was cold. I was wearing the same clothes from earlier, not that it mattered much. I’d be ripping them once I shifted into my Wolf.

When I stepped away from the door outside of the hotel, I realized it had all been in vain.

“What are you doing out here?” Eric asked.

I expected him to be mad, but he just looked amused.

“I needed fresh air,” I lied.

He cocked an eyebrow, not looking convinced.

“You were leaving,” Eric stated flatly.

I stayed quiet, looking up at the moon. It was colder outside than I had anticipated.

“He’d find you and start a war,” Eric continued.

“I just wanted to talk with Nicolas. He’s nice. He was good to me.” I thought back to how many times I tried telling that to Dylan- not that he cared.

“Once I get you back in your room, are you going to find some other way to escape?” Eric asked me.

My face was surely mirroring the surprise I felt with his words.

“Probably. I promised Nicolas I’d go to him so we could talk,” I admitted.

Eric nodded and he began walking to the road up ahead.

“Where are you going?” I asked, following after him.

“The Alpha only ordered me to keep an eye on you. If you’re going to find some way to escape later on, then I’d rather come with you,” Eric explained, shrugging his shoulders casually.

“You’re actually going to help me go back?” I asked, trying to keep up with his fast pace.

“No, I’m going to keep you safe. And I’m going to escort you there so that you can talk with Alpha Nicolas. In two hours, if the Alpha hasn’t noticed that you’re gone- I will tell him myself. It will give us two hours ahead of them and it will give you two hours to speak with Alpha Nicolas.”

I stayed quiet, processing his words. It sounded like a good plan. I was wondering why I hadn’t come up with that myself. Then I remembered that I hadn’t anticipated to find Eric standing around outside.

“Do you think this is a bad idea?” I asked Eric.

He shrugged, but stopped in his tracks.

“They are going to fight either way. I heard Jace telling Alpha Dylan that everyone back home is getting ready for a war. Some of them are coming over to meet us on the way- just to make sure that we get home safe. Although now, I’m not sure how that will work out,” Eric said, sounding like he was thinking over his words.

“Nicolas is a good person. He won’t hurt anyone,” I reassured Eric.

Eric didn’t look like he believed me, but he still nodded.

As soon as we were in the forest area, we both shifted into our Wolves. Eric was huge- enough to look intimidating. In his human form, he was tall and his body was slim. I hadn’t expected his Wolf to be so big- but it was comforting.

I felt safe with him.

We began running, keeping a good pace. Eric was fast, faster than me at least. I loved that I had to make an effort to keep up with him. It made the run that much more fun.

‘Has Alpha Dylan tried talking to you?’ Eric asked me through our mind link.

I shook my head at him, and continued running.

I had to stop when I noticed Eric stood in the same place.

‘He knows I’m with you,’ Eric said.

‘It’s been almost two hours,’ I told Eric.

Just then, I felt Dylan’s voice trying to open the barrier I’d created to block him out.

‘He’s really pissed off,’ Eric solemnly said.

In Wolf form, I couldn’t see his expression. I was sure Eric would be frowning, and looking worried.

‘Block him out and lets run faster,’ I said to him, as I sprinted up ahead.

We didn’t take any more breaks during the run back to Nicolas.  

Eric warned me that one of the guys who’d come along on the trip told him that Dylan had already called for back up. Wolves from Midnight Moon had already been on their way.

Now, they were all headed to Raven territory. They were all headed our way.

I thought about turning back. I didn’t want a war between Dylan and Nicolas. I simply wanted to talk to Nicolas, clear things up, and say goodbye.

‘The Alpha’s going to kick me out of the pack,’ Eric kept repeating in his mind.

Eric hadn’t been talking to me. That thought kept running through his mind because he’d kept his link open. He sounded worried.

‘He won’t do that,’ I said, turning back to look at him.

Eric shook his head but he didn’t tell me anything back.

I was standing outside of Nicolas’ mansion- the place I’d considered my home just two days ago. The sun had come out a few hours ago, but I still felt the fresh morning air through my fur.

I howled loud enough to make Nicolas aware that I was here- outside.

Eric stood by my side. His stance was guarded, and he kept looking at our surroundings suspiciously.

The front door opened, and he stepped outside.

“Leila,” Nicolas said my name.

He was wearing dark jeans and simple white shirt. His hair looked messy and I could see bags under his eyes. It was obvious he hadn’t been sleeping well and he looked tired.

I walked toward him, even though Eric tried to stop me.

‘I’m fine, he isn’t going to hurt me,’ I told Eric through my mind.

As I walked to him, he was also walking my way.

Once I was within reach, he wrapped his arms around my neck. It felt slightly strange to have him nuzzling his head against my furry neck.

“I missed seeing your beautiful white Wolf,” Nicolas whispered in my ear.

I gave my best attempt to laugh, but it only sounded like a bark.

“C’mon. I’ll get you clothes,” he told me after a while.

His hands didn’t leave my body. I was as tall as him in my Wolf form, so he either had his hand on my neck or on my back.

Since I didn’t want to be all over the house in my Wolf form- he brought me some shorts and one of my loose shirts to wear.

“Get Eric some clothes from your closet,” I told Nicolas once I had shifted back.

Nicolas had been scowling at Eric any chance he got, and he didn’t look exactly thrilled with sharing his clothes.

“I only have so much time,” I reminded Nicolas.

He finally conceded to lend Eric some clothes, but he wasn’t happy about that.

I had expected the others from the pack to be here, or at least Robert. But Nicolas was alone.

We were now sitting in the living room couches. Nicolas was right next to me, holding one of my hands in his larger one. Eric was standing a few feet away from us, keeping his eyes on Nicolas.

“Why was Angela here yesterday?” I asked Nicolas, remembering how she’d been the one to answer the phone.

A grin took over his face, and he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.

“She came to see if you were back, that’s all. As soon as I began talking with you, I dismissed her,” Nicolas told me, his grin not letting up.

“Alright,” I said.

“I want to speak with you alone,” Nicolas told me, while frowning at Eric.

“Eric,” I said, as I nodded towards the door.

“I’m not leaving you alone. Talk all you want, but I’m staying here,” he said.

His eyes were still on Nicolas. It was almost like they were staring each other off. Nicolas’ Wolf was stronger than Eric, I was certain of that.

“Please. I didn’t come all this way to not have a moment with him alone,” I pleaded.

I wasted ten minutes trying to convince Eric to leave the room. He did, but only to stand right outside of the living room.

There wasn’t a door, so we wouldn’t exactly have any privacy. I still felt a lot more comfortable knowing he wasn’t in the room.

As soon as Eric stepped out, Nicolas wrapped his arms around my waist, and nestled his head in my neck.

He kept inhaling my scent, and running his nose over the claim he’d made on me.

“I can still smell you on me,” he said, and I felt him grin against my skin.

I didn’t pull away. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and focused on how fast his heart was beating right now. It was strange to have him like this.

He was usually so calm and collected.

My Wolf seemed to be the only one who was unhappy. She was throwing a hissy fit inwardly because I was in the arms of another man who wasn’t our mate. As much as she tried to fight it, she knew Nicolas was important to us.

His claim for us was still very prominent in my neck.

“I miss you so much, having you in my arms, inhaling that sweet scent,” Nicolas whispered in a husky voice.

His lips trailed kisses from my neck, slowly moving up to my jaw, until he reached my lips.

He’d only just pressed his lips against mine when I pulled away from him.

“We can’t do this Nicolas,” I said.

I put my hands on the side of his face, wanting to find a way for him to take my words seriously. I wanted him to believe me, and to let me go. I didn’t want anyone to end up hurt over my decision.

“You’re mine, I love you,” he said, and he tried kissing me again.

I pulled back, and moved my lips to kiss his cheek.

“No, stop. You wanted to talk, and I’m here. Let’s talk,” I told him.

He looked at me for a few moments, his eyes searching something in my face.

Before I knew it, he was embracing me tightly in his arms once again.

“Nicolas,” I whispered, as I ran one of my hands through his hair.

He smelled good, and I smiled thinking back to all the times I’d told him that during the past month.

“I know you don’t want to leave me either,” he said.

Somehow, he managed to shuffle me around so that I ended up sideways sitting on his lap.

His face hadn’t left my neck. One of his hands was digging into my waist. He was holding on to me tightly, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Eric peeked into the living room and frowned when he caught sight of us.

‘Give him a moment,’ I said to Eric through my mind, offering a smile.

Eric shook his head at me, but he stepped back out.

“I want to be with Dylan,” I said, softly.

Nicolas growled, and his fingers dug deeper into the skin of my waist.

“No!” He snapped.

I chuckled, and continued to run my hand through his hair.

Nicolas pulled away from my neck to look at me.

“Why are you laughing?” He asked, a confused expression on his face.

“You sound like a little kid,” I told him, doing my best to hide my grin.

It was probably childish of me to be smiling or laughing in that situation. I just didn’t know how to lighten the mood.

I wasn’t sure what I expected out of our conversation, but I should’ve assumed Nicolas wasn’t going to give up.

“You make me so happy,” Nicolas said, putting his hand under my chin and making me look up at him.

His eyes were glassy, which was something that both surprised me and tugged at my heart.

“You made me really happy while I was here. You were so good to me, you loved me,” I said, caressing the side of his cheek.

Nicolas leaned into my touch, and he closed his eyes.

“I don’t want to lose you. You were mine first,” Nicolas said, leaning closer to me.

I closed the distance between us, and rested my forehead against his. One of my hands was still around his neck, while the other was on his cheek.

“He’s my mate Nicolas,” I said, even though my words sounded broken.

“I’m your husband. I know you were happy here. We were going to mate. You were going to have my pups. You’re mine.”

His words brought tears to my eyes, which I felt as they dropped down.

One of Nicolas’ hands was resting lightly on my thigh, while the other was still safely wrapped around my waist.

Being pressed so closed to him, it made me think about the last month I’d been here.

If I hadn’t found Dylan, I would’ve stayed here with Nicolas. Eventually, I would’ve fallen in love with him. But that wasn’t the case. Dylan was in the picture, and my life now felt complete because of that.

I didn’t know many things. I didn’t know what would happen later on. I wasn’t sure what Nicolas would do. I didn’t know if Dylan and Nicolas would fight.

I only knew that Dylan was my mate, and I wanted to be with him. 

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