Chapter 128: Chapter 127

Chapter 38 – Letting Her Go

“If you love something so much, let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be; if it doesn’t, it never was.” – Albert

Schweitzer

Osiris

+108

Bonus

00:47

After a single taste of darkness, it’s hard to come back from it. Evidence shows in my brunette puppet as she continued to make terrible decisions, aligning with her eventual fate. Oh, she’s been good for me it pays to sell your soul to the devil.

But, as it comes with tools, once they outlived their purpose, they become disposable.

I got what I wanted. My Little Moon touched darkness. Through her stubborn resistance and wavering resolve, she finally cracked. Watching her mercilessly slaughter that pathetic guard was a thing of beauty. Every stab, every slice, and every scream from that poor man made a masterpiece of gore!

And she didn’t feel a damn thing. That was the goal! And now, that same darkness rumbles within her, waiting for its next release. The sweet scent from afar is so alluring, and the best part is, she doesn’t even know it! That’s what makes it fun–the unknown!

Now, it’s time to get rid of this annoying cur. It’s a shame her injuries sustained from the Beta Female had to heal. She was a sight for sore eyes! Her useless mate naps as she sits at the foot of her bed, tapping her feet impatiently. The glare she possesses is enough to kill, but there is a catch.

I’m the avatar. She isn’t. No matter how powerful she makes herself seem, she is but a newborn pup at the palm of my hand.

“Your plans aren’t working!” Odessa accused. I rolled my eyes. “We’ve pushed those two closer together! Neron protected the bitch, and he did nothing when I said she hurt me! How come I can’t turn him as easily as I did everyone else? One touch from me and they were mine! But, whenever I touched him, it didn’t work!”

Such a fool. “I told you that your impatience will lead to nothing but trouble, pet. But alas, when desperation sets in, you make mistakes. Give up on the Alpha; he’s far too gone for you to reclaim his heart.”

“No!” She shot up from her bed, fists shaking. “I won’t give up on him! There has to be another way to make him love me again!” As if the reality sets in, her face deflates to pitifulness. “It’s becoming harder to get rid of Kiya. No matter what she does, Neron is drawn into her like a moth to a flame.”

Odessa’s insipid whining is getting on my last nerve. Pepi slithers around my arm and across my collarbone, resting his small cute head on my shoulder. “Your plans may have fallen through, but mine haven’t.”

She arches an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I got what I wanted. It’s only a matter of time before my Little Moon falls completely. Haven’t you realized that your plans to win the Alpha were failures from the beginning? Did you think you held more weight than his destined mate? I never intended on helping you.”

Her face was like watching a pleasant television show. So many emotions morphed and contorted her face before settling on disbelief. Stammers left her mouth as her feeble mind failed to comprehend that she was merely a chess piece in my game. “No…”

Chapter 28–atting Her Go

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Bonus

“You’ve done your part. You helped turn the pack and your mate against her. Not only that, the spectacle you pulled at the execution was truly remarkable! It sealed the deal for these pathetic mutts. I’m the madness 00:44 you were the gravity. Appreciate me not tossing you away like the trash you are, but even trash has use when recycled.”

“You tricked me!” She yelled. “You lied to me! I did all of that shit for you because you said—!”

“And whose fault is it for believing the words of a snake?” I chuckled humorously, walking around Odessa’s shaken form. Poor thing. If her soul wasn’t so ugly, she’d be a beautiful woman I’ll have no problem calling my own. “A snake tricked Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. And a snake tricked you into selling all for the love of an Alpha wolf. Who’s the bigger fool? Eve or you?”

Grabbing her throat, I pinned the useless bitch against the wall and watched the black energy I placed in her flow back into me. She doesn’t deserve to hold an ounce of my power. Odessa whimpered and writhed, clawing at my hand, but it didn’t deter me. Without her wolf, she’s weak.

She’s another lost and pathetic soul, waiting for fate to snatch her by the scalp.

After the transference, I dropped my former tool into a useless heap on the ground. She pants as her hands clasped around her throat in a desperate attempt to soothe the pain. As for me, I feel rejuvenated, ready to take on the world.

“Those who sacrifice others for their gain are bound to lose everything.” Pepi slithered again, eyeballing Odessa like lunch. “Not only have you sacrificed your dignity, but you’ve toyed with the hearts of men. A bold, but a very dangerous game!”

“Get this through your pathetic skull; Neron was never yours. Any fool can see it. The reason you couldn’t turn Neron to you is because his heart is set. And you can’t save him. That love will destroy him. What destiny has for you doesn’t include becoming Luna. Kill that pathetic dream. It’s about time you understand that.”

“You can’t do this to me…”

Kneeling to the ground, I grabbed her chin, digging my nails into her supple flesh. “You’re a failure, Odessa. Always have been, and always will be. Once the smoke clears, don’t be surprised if you lose your mate as well.”

Poor little girl. If I had any mercy left in my heart, I’d comfort her as she silently wails. Too bad I’m a horrible man. Playing on feeble desires and selfishness of a brattish woman had never been so fun. I should do it again some other time!

Now, with that taken care of, it’s time for the next part of my plan.

Wait for me, Little Moon. You’ll be mine soon.

Neron

I questioned myself whether calling Kiya’s parents was the right move, but seeing is believing. I made the right choice. Kiya’s smile is like the sun’s rays breaking through hours of non–stop rain, producing the most beautiful of all rainbows. For days, her smile disappeared. Tears, anger, and agony replaced it, diabolically ruining what could’ve been a pleasant week for her.

© Chapter 38 – Letting Her Go

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Bonti!

Her parents brought that happiness back. Dull brown shines with beauty once again. Lyra and Nikolai have my full gratitude for swooping in and saving their daughter from this nightmare. I watched from afar as the 00:42 parents and child bonded over what seemed like an eternity.

Kiya has no idea how lucky she is to have supportive parents. She sits in between them as they chatted. Lyra’s hand went to play with her daughter’s curls while Nikolai listened intensively to what she had to say. Listening in didn’t seem right, so I made myself at home at the bottom stair of the foyer with a pencil and sketchbook at hand. The common room wasn’t too far away.

Lyra and Kiya’s relationship reminded me much of Mom and Nuria. They were damn near inseparable. A mother’s and daughter’s love can never sever, and I see how much happier Kiya is with Lyra. It’s a shame that Ashley cannot experience that.

I feel awful for her, but we reap what we sow.

Every stroke from my pencil adds to the beauty I’m trying to emulate on my paperback canvas. But how can a drawing compare to the original? My drawing skills are a little rusty, but I pray that I do the beauty justice.

As my pencil danced across my long–forgotten sketchbook, my mind recalls the contion I had earlier on

the phone with Alpha Anthony. The all–too–familiar, painful sting penetrates my heart.

‘She cannot heal in the same environment that made her sick.”

Kiya is leaving earlier than I expected. For the sake of her health and well–being. By tomorrow afternoon, her presence will no longer linger around my territory.

rto

I didn’t want her to go. Goddess knows how much I want to keep Kiya at my side. Everything about her embeds in my memory: from her saccharine scent to the little quirks she does without knowing. From the way she twirls one of her curls when in deep thought, and how her pitch heightens when she’s lying, and the bluntness when she speaks the truth.

Kiya is a special woman.

Ruminating on the past several months she’s been here, I went about everything wrong. At first, I was possessive; willing to chase her to the ends of the earth to make her mine. She was the prey, and I wanted to claim her, because, by destiny, Kiya belongs to me. It wasn’t until she beat the shit out of me did I realize how stupid I was becoming.

My sketch grows in detail. Erase one line, add a stronger one. Correct the lopsided shapes and add detail. It’s coming along, but it still needs work.

more

As time went on, I knew I had to change. Having your mate so close is agonizing, especially when you can’t reach them. Look, but don’t touch. However, is it worth having a mate when she’s unhappy? The deeper I think about it, the more I realized how little I understood the sacredness of mates.

Mates are more than a destined lover. They’re your partner, your best friend, your confidant, and your soulmate. The yin to yang, the fire to ice, and the moon to the sun. They complete you because the Moon Goddess made them just for you. A powerful duo that understands and compliments each other no matter what.

But, if they’re unhappy, it bleeds into you. Even destined partners have the potential to fall and fail.

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Now, to shading the drawing. The hair is the hardest part, but I’m up for the challenge.

15:00

Happiness isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. Thinking back, Kiya did smile many times during her stay, b they genuine? Did those smiles come from a place of contentment and pleasure? Or were they well–crafted disguises to mask her pain?

“She was never happy here, was she, Onyx?”

Onyx whined softly in thought as I watched the lead of my pencil shrink with every swipe. “I think there were moments she was genuinely happy. And you were too. I like to think the moments we spent our mate were at her happiest, but how can we be sure?”

with

My mind went back to our dates. The amusement park, the mall, even our private moments in my office. Hell, I’d consider the tournament with the pups a date! Was she truly happy then? Optimism tells me yes, she was. But reality says differently.

I don’t know what to believe, and I’m scared to ask her.

‘I know you don’t want to be apart from your mate, Neron. I don’t like interfering with the mate bond. But I can’t allow that place to damage her any more than what it already has. Deep down, you know this too.”

The tip of my pencil snapped.

I’m a fool. A f*cking idiot. Why did I think I could help her heal? In this hellscape? Between the constant slinging of bullshit daily, it’s a miracle Kiya didn’t call it quits sooner. As more of the inhumane treatment she suffered resurfaces, I’ve been thinking of the future of Zircon Moon.

This pack’s future is in my hands. I’m the Alpha; it’s my responsibility to oversee the changes and wonder what the next best step for the pack’s advancement is.

My choices from here on out determine this community’s future and mine. And I have an idea of what that future might be.

A sharp shrill of laughter erupted from the common room, grabbing my attention again. Nikolai is wiggling his fingers at Kiya as she shrieks in laughter, begging Lyra to stop him. I grinned.

Kiya’s laugh. Goddess, she sounds so beautiful.

And I want her to keep that laughter, always.

My pencil is sharpened like my resolve. No matter my pain or wishful thinking, I’ve made up my mind.

“I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” Onyx spoke with a hint of sadness. “But our mate deserves to be happy. She needs to be away from this place so she can start healing again. And maybe we can start healing too?”

“I agree, Onyx,” I respond as I got back to working on the drawing. This is not the time to be selfish.

I’ll never stop loving Kiya. Nothing will dissuade my heart from its rightful owner.

But for her sake, I’m letting her go.

I have to.