Chapter 112: The Truth Be Told

NATALIA

“I want you to mark me…,” I say, finally mustering the courage to tell him the truth. “But first—”

Before I can finish, Chuck flings himself off the bed, his eyes blazing with joy, kissing the words right off my lips.

“I knew it!” he says excitedly, kissing me over and over. “It’s destiny. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Chuck, I—”

“Come back to bed,” he growls, pulling my hand and looking at me with his mischievous eyes.

But I don’t follow.

As much as I want to pounce on him and feel his teeth on my neck right now, I need to tell him the truth first.

Whatever happens after that, I have no fucking idea.

But at least I’ll have finally said it.

“Before we do this,” I say, “there’s something about my past I need to tell you. Something I’ve been keeping from you this whole time.”

He sits down on the edge of the bed, looking at me cautiously. “You can tell me anything, Moonbeam.”

I lean back against the door, taking a deep breath and pushing my hair out of my face.

~Here it goes.~

“I had just turned eighteen…,” I start, “and it really seems like a lifetime ago now, after everything that’s happened. I was grabbing a bottle of wine at the grocery store to take to Xavier’s house that night.”

Chuck looks confused.

“And then, I was just about to get into the checkout line, when I noticed a boy bagging groceries. I only saw him from a distance…but I knew in that moment that he was my destined mate.”

Chuck closes his eyes, his jaw clenched. Everything starts to dawn on him.

But I have to say it anyway.

“But...I left. I turned and ran, and I never went back again,” I say. “I never saw him again…until the day I showed up on your doorstep.”

He looks completely shattered. A tear escapes, running down his cheek. “Why didn’t you claim me? Why did you leave?”

I try to swallow. The answer is caught in my throat.

“I had spent my whole life dreaming about what my destined mate would be like. Fantasizing about how he would look, and then I saw you and you were...”

“A nobody,” he says, trying to wipe the tears off his cheek. “And so you left and got mated to the alpha-to-be.”

His eyes pierce me with disappointment as I slide down the door, feeling weak in my knees.

I feel hot tears begin their journey down my cheek.

“How could you wait this long to tell me?” he asks.

“I-I just didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I searched every inch of this continent looking for the love of my life, and now you’re telling me that was all for nothing,” he says bitterly. “You didn’t just hurt me, Natalia. You stole my entire life.”

“You have every right to feel angry,” I say meekly.

“I don’t feel angry,” he says. “I feel like a ~fool~.”

I feel the urge to stand up and scream at him, just like I used to do to Xavier. I want to tell him he ~is~ a fool, and turn this around on him. I want to make this all about ~him~.

But Chuck is not Xavier.

And this is all ~my~ fault.

So I pull my legs close to my chest, feeling like I want to hide away from the world.

I have to tell him how I feel.

It’s now or never.

“I love you, Chuck,” I tell him. “I really do. If you could forgive me, I would do anything to show you that.”

In Chuck’s eyes, I can see his mind racing.

Arguing with his instincts.

I search for the kind twinkle in his eye. The part of him that sees the goodness in everything.

But then that twinkle disappears like the moon behind thick clouds.

“I’ve finally seen the ~real~ you, Natalia,” he says. “And I don’t like what I see.”

My heart is thundering as I stare at Chuck. He looks completely devastated.

“I’m starting to think maybe the Moon Goddess made a mistake with us,” he says quietly. “Maybe we weren’t meant to be destined mates after all.”

I want to respond, but I’m terrified of saying anything else. But I know if I don’t say the right thing now…

I could lose him forever.

“Chuck, it was horrible of me to keep this from you,” I say, putting my hand on his. “I want to say ‘I’m sorry’ a million times. I just wish I could show you right now how much I truly love you.”

Chuck turns his back to me, staring out the window.

“But I know I can’t do that,” I continue, fresh tears falling down. “So I’m ~begging~ you, Chuck. Give me another chance.”

He turns and looks at me.

“We have the rest of our lives ahead of us,” I plead. “Is there any way we can let go of the past and just look toward our future?”

Somewhere in those pale blue eyes, I can see him thinking about the answer.

ALEX

We finally arrive back at the Royal Pack around sunrise.

I’ve just driven the entire eighteen-hour drive back, and I’m damn glad to finally see my palace, glinting in the golden morning light.

But this is only a quick stop.

The moment we’ve got our journey back to Fate’s Web in order, Ariel and I will be on our way.

Ariel is still fast asleep in the passenger seat, snuggled up against the window cutely. I rub her leg.

“Hey. Wake up, babe.”

I peer back at Marius, who has been mostly silent the entire ride back. The only peep I heard out of him was an occasional prayer he muttered out loud.

He looks like he hasn’t slept a wink.

I really feel sorry for him. He’s a good guy, and ever since he and Amy mated, they’ve been practically inseparable.

Honestly, he’s holding up way better than I did when Olivia was in the hospital.

I shift the car into park and get out, stretching my legs. Ariel steps outside of the car, too, yawning.

Dom descends the palace steps to greet me, holding Camelia in his arms.

“How did it go at the Scripture Pack?” he says.

“Not great,” I respond. “I’d like you to start coordinating a trip back to Fate’s Web. Call our navy and tell them to ready a ship as soon as possible.”

He grins. “Sounds like a lot to ask. Aren’t you gonna buy me dinner first before I put out like that?”

I flash him a serious look and begin climbing the stairs. “Just do it, Dom. I need to grab a couple hours of sleep before we start.”

“Consider it done! But you’re telling me you’re going to ~try~ to get stuck in the spiderweb this time? Is that really the best plan?” He looks at me dubiously.

“No, it’s the ~only~ plan. Tell Helena your daddy duties are over for the morning. You’ve got work to do.”

He nods, watching us get to the palace doors.

“Hey Alex,” he calls out, grinning, “for a moment there you almost seemed like an alpha.”

I flip him off as I enter the palace.

ARIEL

Alex and I walk down the hall toward the royal wing, hand in hand.

I honestly can’t wait to just cuddle and fall asleep in his arms for a few hours before we start our planning to go to Fate’s Web.

But then I hear a sob float through the hall.

“Did you hear that?” I ask Alex. He nods and points to a door that’s slightly ajar up ahead.

Natalia’s room.

Alex and I glance at each other.

“Don’t wait up,” I say. “Sounds like she needs some sister time.”

He nods understandingly and kisses me before disappearing down the hall.

I tiptoe toward the door and push it open, peering inside.

Natalia sits on the bed in her fuzzy pink robe. Her puffy eyes betray that she’s probably been crying all night.

Something bad has happened.

And judging by the fact that Chuck is nowhere to be seen, despite having been by her side every waking second for the past few days…

I brace myself for the worst.

~Oh, Natalia.~

I step inside, maneuvering around crumpled tissues and a battleground of clothing scattered on the floor.

~No moonshine bottles anywhere, thank the Goddess.~

I silently sit on the bed and put my arm around her, pushing her hair behind her ears and glancing at her mascara-streaked face.

“Nat, what’s wrong?” I ask softly.

She looks up at me, her eyes red and swollen.

“I ruined everything, Ariel.”

“There’s always something you can do, Nat. Trust me. If you love each other, you’ll find a way.”

She shakes her head.

“Not with this. He’s packed everything up. His truck is gone.”

She takes a deep breath, as if it’s all truly hitting her for the first time.

“He’s really left me for good.”