CHAPTER 24

AYLA

Flight 25787 is prepared for boarding...

My heart was racing. I had checked in, went through security and now I am waiting in line to board the plane.

"Ma, how long are we gonna be gone for? What about Pa? Isn't Papa gonna come with us?" Milo asked.

"I'm sorry Baba, but Papa isn't gonna come with us this time," I said with a shaky voice.

"But I miss Papa." Milo whimpered. I looked down at my son and saw him staring at the ground. My heart broke for him.

This suddenly made me rethink my decision. As I stood there, I realized that Milo hasn't had a father before and right when he finally has his, I'm taking him away for who knows how long.

I looked down at Milo and asked, "Do you want to stay with Papa instead?" His eyes widen. I bend down to my knees and gripped his shoulders, "It's okay if you do, Milo."

He stood there staring me and thinking, "Will we see Papa again?"

I nodded, "You will definitely see Papa again. We're only leaving for a little while and then we will come back."

Milo straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest, "Papa would want me to protect you."

"So what're you saying? You wanna go with me?" I asked hopefully

Milo nods his head, "I will miss Papa a lot, but if we see him again, it will be okay."

I smiled happily at my son. I pulled him in for a hug, "I love you with all my heart, Milo."

"I love you too, Ma."

I pulled back, "You will love Italy! Did you know, instead of roads, they have little mini rivers with boats everywhere."

His eyes widen in amazement, "That's so cool! And we're going there?!"

I nodded my head excitedly, "Yup, and we will be doing amazing things, Milo. We're going on an adventure!"

SOLOMON

It has been a week since Ayla and Milo left. They landed safely according to Zay.

I was currently sitting in a meeting with Xander, Noah, and Eddie. They were discussing the possible plans and strategies they could use against Kendrick. But I wasn't paying any attention. I was sunken in my seat, playing with a damn coin.

All that was on my mind was Ayla and Milo. I thought about them non-stop. Were they Okay? Were they safe? What're they doing? Who are they meeting? Who is Ayla meeting? All of these questions were constantly going through my mind in a never-ending cycle.

I still couldn't believe she left. I mean, I knew she would leave one day, but I always thought it would be us doing it together as a family. It made me think about what I did wrong. She knew I changed. She even called me a good man. But then what my mother said popped into my mind.

She wasn't happy here. This made me feel like I failed. I should not have tried so hard for her to be happy here. I should have just sat down and listened to her. Then again, she probably wouldn't even confide in me. She hated me. She said so herself.

"Soul?"

I lifted my head and saw all of them looking at me. I raised my brows and said, "What?"

Xander sighs and gets up from his seat, "Solomon, we're in a war. Get your head in."

I shrugged, "I'm so sorry Xander, "I said sarcastically, "I guess I'm a little distracted by the fact my mate and pup are gone. So please have mercy on me oh great and powerful Xander Nightwalker."

Xander growls, "Stop being an idiot. You can go cry after the war. But for now, we need you."

"And I need her," I said. I smiled at him without humor, "I guess we both don't get what we want."

I sit up from my chair and was about to go before Xander grabs my shoulder, "Are you turning your back on this Pack?" Xander asks.

I roll my eyes, "No, big brother, I'm not. I am just no use to you right now."

I walk away when he shouts, "Where are you going?"

"To go kill something!" I shout back in anger.

***

I've been patrolling for a while now. Just walking around. I was angry. How dare Ayla leave! How dare she take my son from me!

I stomp around fuming at the thought of never seeing her or Milo again. I hate the thought of never seeing their beautiful faces again. My heart hurt so bad that I felt like my chest was going to burst. There is an impossible amount of tension that does nothing but increases with every passing minute.

I walk back and forth, trying to find a bright side. But there is none. How could there be when the woman I love is gone forever with my little boy? I lean my back against the tree and look up at the stars. But seeing them makes me angry. Why did she have to leave?!

I grunt in anger. I turn to the tree and punch it. Hard. How dare she leave me! How dare she run away with my son! How could she do this to me? To us? I punch the tree again...and then again...and again, and again, and again, "Aaaahhhh!" I yell out. I step back, out of breath. I look down at my knuckles that seeped out blood.

I fall on the log that was behind me and sat down. I rest my elbows on my knees and hold my head. I don't know how long I sat there for, but I knew it was more than an hour.

"Soul?"

I didn't raise my head. I stayed exactly as I was, "What're you want, Mia?"

I felt her sit next to me, "I know it hurts-"

I groan, "Don't give me that talk."

She leans back and frowns at me, "What talk?"

"The talk that people do to other people about how the hurt will go away with time."

"Fine then," she said sassily, "I won't. Let's talk about Ayla."

I roll my eyes, "Let's not."

"So she has left you." She stated.

I finally raise my head and looked at her with a cold expression, "Thanks for stating the obvious."

She scowled at me, "Don't be such an asshole. I'm trying to be a friend here!"

"I think I have a right to be just a little bit of an asshole, considering my family is gone forever!"

She shook her head, "You're being over-dramatic. Of course, they will come back. Just not soon."

"You don't get it. She hates me. She won't come back."

"How do you know?"

"Because she told me."

Mia sighs, "Look Solomon...I am sure you're angry right now-"

"I am fucking pissed is what I am."

Mia gently nods her head understandingly, "Okay, you're pissed. That's fair enough. But I think you've missed something here."

I stood up and growled, "Everyone seems to think I have missed something when it came to Ayla! What have I possibly missed? I tried to be a good mate! I showed her I loved her, I was patient, I wanted to help her, Mia! So what have I missed?"

I could see pity in her eyes, but that just made me angrier. She stands up and hesitantly approaches me, "You saw everything and experienced everything through your own eyes. You needed to see things through her eyes. Do you know how it must feel for Ayla that she will probably never ever be who she once was? She completely believes that the Ayla from five years ago is utterly gone. She would feel a loss of identity. She doesn't know who she is anymore."

I never thought about it that way. I always thought I knew everything she was going through. But it seems I might have possibly missed an angle.

Mia hesitantly continued, "Ayla is confused about where her place is in the world. But it's even worse because when she is here, everyone, especially you, has treated her like she hasn't changed. She's still the same Ayla to you, but she just went through bad things. That is not the case here. She isn't the same at all, Solomon. She's not eighteen years old Ayla. She has had to survive, she's a mother now! She has to think about Milo!  Plus her feelings for you are conflicting."

My brows scrunched together, "Conflicting? You mean she cared for me?"

Mia looked at me like I was crazy, "Of course she cared about you! Solomon, a part of her truly does love you. But that love has been damaged and tampered because of your actions of the past. But because your actions lead to her suffering...she can't separate you and her five years of torment. In her subconscious, they are one in the same. She can't tell the difference and yet she cares for you. Do you know how tiring, confusing and draining that is for her? She can never rest. There is always some battle going on inside her. And being here was not helping. This place was her cage. She was trapped here."

I clenched my jaw as I thought of what Mia was saying. I never thought about what was going through her head. I guess in my mind, I always thought that if we were together that everything would fall into place and we would work through her problems. But it was the opposite. She couldn't heal if she was with me. She wouldn't be free of her chains if she was with me.

Knowing that I couldn't help her...nothing I could've done would have helped her...and that hurt. As a mate, it's my job to make sure that she was okay, but I couldn't do that. Everything inside of me was telling me to help her, be with her. And yet, that wasn't the right thing to do. I couldn't do anything and I hate it. I felt so helpless.

Tears pricked my eyes. My heart hurt badly. I felt like it had a wound that will never heal. I don't think my heart will ever heal. There will always be a wound there. And in a way, I don't want it to heal because I can use it as a reminder that I did find Ayla, and I had her for a little bit. We journeyed together for a while...until I wasn't a part of her journey anymore.

I sagged against a tree in defeat when I realized, "I have to let her go."