Chapter 34: 34: Running Barefoot

BELLE

I shut the door behind him and fell into a chair the moment Grayson left. I could hear my heart beating in my head, making my entire skull pulse.

As always, my mark burned, begging to be near my mate again. I groaned.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and the only reason I knew it wasn’t Grayson was that I didn’t feel the connection to him.

“Luna?” Kyle’s voice came from the other side of the door. He pushed the door open and peeked his head inside. His eyes softened when he saw me crying. “Is it okay if I come in?”

I nodded. It would be nice to have some company.

He came in, looking around my apartment. “So this is where you’ve been staying over the last couple of months, huh? It’s, uh…pretty crappy.” He didn’t even try to maintain politeness.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I appreciated that he didn’t pity me like everybody else.

“Yeah,” I agreed, wiping my nose. “It’s pretty crappy.”

“Beats the room you were staying in at the pack house, though. That’s a plus. At least you’ve got heat here.”

I winced. I didn’t want to talk about my life back at the pack house or the circumstances I was living in. I especially didn’t want to acknowledge the way Kyle was looking at me with a pointed look.

“Why didn’t you come to me, Luna?” he finally asked. “It kills me to know that you were suffering so much and felt like you had no one to turn to. I would have helped you. You know that, right?”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered back. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want Grayson to hate me any more than he already did. He told me to stay away from you.

“I was desperate not to do anything that would upset him.”

“That’s just one more sign that the alpha was taken over. He would rather die than make you feel that way. Didn’t he prove that to you in Paris?”

I didn’t know how to respond. I knew he was right. A few moments passed. Kyle leaned against the small kitchen counter, crossing his arms over his chest, watching me.

“Can he hear us?” I finally asked.

Kyle shook his head. “No. He told me he was going to go for a walk. He wanted to give you space. I just came to check on you.”

I sighed. I could feel the distance between Grayson and me growing, and it was starting to make me feel sick.

“He’s telling the truth, isn’t he?” I whispered. “I can feel that he’s telling the truth.”

Kyle gave me a sympathetic look. “Yeah, he’s telling the truth. I found out the day you left. He’s been a pain in the ass ever since. He hasn’t stopped looking for you for a single second.

“He couldn’t focus on anything else.”

I dropped my head into my hands. “I miss him. I miss him a lot. Why the hell do I miss him? I shouldn’t still feel this connected to him, should I? He was so…~horrible~ to me.”

“He’s your mate,” Kyle responded in a soft tone that told me he understood. “He’s your soulmate, the one person who was made specifically for you. How could you not miss him?

“It’s a miracle that you could stay away from each other for so long without going insane.” He paused. “But you know it’s okay to still be scared, right? After everything you’ve been through…”

I looked at him. More tears welled in my eyes. “I can’t do it again, Kyle. I can’t be with him and get rejected again. It... It almost killed me last time.”

Kyle’s chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. “He won’t let you go through that again. He’ll never reject you. He’ll protect you.

“He’s stronger now. More prepared. More determined to keep you safe after everything he put you through.”

“His pack hates me, though. I don’t know if I can go back there. I can’t be a luna when everyone rejected me. They wouldn’t even talk to me. Does Grayson even understand how disappointed his pack was with me?”

Kyle grabbed the other folding chair and sat down next to me. “Listen to me, Luna. It’s important that you hear this. Azazel commanded them to treat you that way. The pack had no choice.”

“R-Really?” I asked.

“Yes, really. They wanted to meet you, to get to know you. They never got that chance. They were in the same trance that the alpha was in.

“They had to watch as you suffered, even though they desperately wanted to help.”

“They told you that?” I asked, my tone quiet and unbelieving. “You’re sure?”

Kyle nodded. “I’m positive. They feel horrible about the way they treated you. If you came back to the pack house, you would see for yourself how sorry they are.

“I’m sure they would love the opportunity to try and make it up to you.”

I leaned back in my chair, barely comprehending what he was telling me. I didn’t even notice my hand go to Grayson’s mark on my neck. I suddenly desperately wished he were here.

“Go to him,” Kyle said, uttering the words I was thinking. He smiled. “He’s waiting for you.”

I was up and out the door in seconds.