Runaway Regrets

Kiarra

It wasn’t supposed to turn into a fight.

I didn’t know how to answer his question either; I was too strung out with anger.

My heart thumped almost painfully in my chest as I became acutely aware of my surroundings.

My cheeks flushed.

The longer I stood there before him, the worse it was getting.

Only one signal was firing off in my brain: run.

I didn’t think twice. My body did it for me.

I shot back into the woods before anyone could say or do anything.

I ran as fast as the thoughts and feelings swirled in my head. I knew I had made a huge mistake, and I couldn’t take it back.

I should’ve run to him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and screamed, “Yes! Of course, I want to be your luna!”

But that’s not what I did.

I got what I wanted. I’m alone.

When I was reasonably sure Aidan wasn’t following me, I slowed and found a tree near the stream.

As I tried to make sense of the bullshit hurricane I was in, I felt the tears start growing in my eyes.

Aidan wasn’t wrong; I have major commitment issues.

It’s hard for me to make connections and even harder to keep them.

So, what was my fucking deal?

I hated feeling so desperate.

I never knew them. They weren’t there for me, so why am I convinced that going to the Apex Pack grounds is right?

I sobbed. It wasn’t something I could stop.

The toll of this ordeal had kicked my ass and broken my heart.

I wasn’t looking for friends or love when I arrived in Lunar Valley.

This town was supposed to be like any other place I’d been.

Get a job, take and make what you need, and move on.

The trouble was, I did find love in more ways than I’d bargained for.

The thought of leaving Aidan and the pack is enough to destroy me for good.

As strong as I thought I was, I knew I’d never recover if this bond were broken.

~“Kitten? Where are you?”~

The mind-link startled me.

~“I’m here, by the stream.”~

Suddenly, there he was in all his glory.

This man was chiseled in granite, staring at me with those smoldering eyes.

Dripping sex everywhere he went.

As I gazed up at him, I realized one thing: I was batshit crazy.

Who would leave a man like him alone for one minute?

“Hey beautiful,” he whispered, grazing my tear-soaked cheek with a soft hand, “Come here.”

He lifted me from the ground and into his arms.

“Aidan, I …” my voice choked up, “I’m so sorry, I’m just as confused as you are.”

“This is the most screwed shit I’ve seen in a long time, but trust me, Kitten,” he sighed and hugged me tighter, “you have nothing to apologize for.”

I said nothing but couldn’t remember ever having felt so safe. Probably because I never had been.

Aidan kissed my forehead and released me, “Look, never mind whatever the fuck just happened back there, okay? Just forget it.”

I loved him immediately for his forgiveness, but still, I couldn’t shake the feeling he was hiding something.

I needed to know, even if it meant risking this newly established truce.

I wondered in the back of my mind what the price of this forgiveness was.

‘There’s something I need to tell you, but I need to make sure you can handle it.’

“Handle it?” I laughed lightly, “I’m not as delicate as you think. I can take a good beating.”

“Mmm, yes, you can,” he replied, biting his lip so subtly that I swore I was dripping where I stood.

He smiled and continued, “The other night, there was a breach on the territory.”

He breathed out heavily, rubbed his face, and started to pace slowly back and forth.

The suspense was killing me, “Come on, Aidan, you know you can tell me anything,” I encouraged.

Whatever this was, it was severe.

I could see how worried he was.

I looked down and waited for this earth-shattering news. After all, I asked for it.

“The thing is, since the Kendricks arrived, I closed the borders. It was the best call for pack safety and our guests' security.”

“So, what’s the punchline? Rogues always do that sort of shit. They’re wired for that.”

I was confused. Why would this be such a big deal?

“It wasn’t rogues, Kiarra.”

“What do you mean? Then who was it, Aidan?”

I felt my heart starting to thump. What fresh hell was about to land?

“It was a female; she belonged to a pack as far as Jack and I could tell.”

“What gave you that idea?”

“From the agility, the speed of her run. She was confident and calculated. She knew what she was doing, Kiarra.”

That was it; suddenly, everything clicked. The reason Aidan had been acting so shifty, so suspicious.

The reason I had spent the last hour arguing over shit like trust and motives.

The entire time, he knew and said nothing.

The she-wolf was my sister.