Chapter 135

Chapter 1*5: Theo I made sure Ayla ate enough. By the time we made it to the safe house that morning, she was completely passed out from exhaustion. She even slept through the medic setting her up with an IV drip for a few hours. But overall, I was incredibly relieved with her condition. Physically, at least. Her wounds were healing fast, but I worried about the m**tal toll the experience would have on her.

When she was done eating, I insisted she take a long, hot bath to relax and recover. We needed to speak with Alpha Harden before we left for home, and I was going to make sure she used these few hours to take care of herself. There was no telling what she would be bombarded with when we got back.

I was on the front porch, just getting off a call with Randy, when I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

“What do you want, Kylee?” I asked when I saw it was her, pushing Kieran back as he growled in my head.

She shut the front door behind her. “Can we talk?”

I ran a hand down my face. “I have nothing to say to you, Kylee,” I stated.

“But I do,” she replied shakily. She took a deep breath. “I want to apologize to you. There were so many things I did wrong. I see that now. I hurt Ayla and I hurt you.”

“I’m not the one who needs an apology, Kylee,” I said.

“I’ve apologized to Ayla,” she rushed. “I know it’s not even close to being enough, but I did.”

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10:58 Chapter 1*5. Theo 288 iVouchers “Then, whatever happens, is up to her,” I told her, crossing my arms and leaning against the railing. “I no longer have an interest in your well-being as anything other than my pack member and my mate’s sister. And the latter is contingent on Ayla.”

Kylee’s hands fidgeted in front of her. Her lip trembled and her eyes brimmed with tears. Maybe I should have felt guilty for not caring, but I didn’t. It wasn’t as easy for me to forgive as Ayla. It was one of the many ways she was better than me. But if she wasn’t ready to forgive Kylee, I sure wasn’t. Looking at her now, it wasn’t even about what she did to me. I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive her for what she did to Ayla. Hell, I still hadn’t forgiven myself.

“Okay,” Kylee replied, seemingly surprised by my response, which kind of pi**ed me off. “But I still wanted you know that the things I did to be with you... It was all because I love you.”

“Don’t that to me, say JJ I growled. “Ever.”

“J Her eyes went slightly wide. “But I do...”

“No, Kylee,” I snapped. “You don’t. You love some schoolgirl fantasy of me. You don’t even know me.”

“That’s not true, Theo,” she said stubbornly.

I laughed. “Kylee, you were completely oblivious to the fact that I changed toward you. You had no idea that I had experienced something extremely emotional the night I met Ayla. I could see why your mother wouldn’t have noticed, but you? You saw nothing that was going on between the two people you supposedly love. At the time, I was grateful because I couldn’t hurt you if you couldn’t tell. But now... now I know that not seeing what was so clear to everybody else was a testament to how you saw me.

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10:58 Chapter 1*5 Theo 288 iVouchers “That doesn’t mean I don’t love you,” she insisted. “You’re my first love. I didn’t know what it meant to be in that kind of relationship.”

“But you know how to be a person, Kylee,” I admonished. It was starting to feel like I was talking to a child. “You’ve had more relationships and friendships than Ayla had.”

“I realize that...”

“You know how I know that’s not love?” I pushed off the railing. “Because I know every shift in Ayla’s mood. I know when she’s sad. When she’s hurt. When she’s pi**ed off. I know when she’s conflicted and unsure of herself. And if she ever started avoiding me for any reason, I da**ed well would be doing everything in my power to know why and what she needed from me. I know you didn’t love me, Kylee, because I love your sister with everything I am. And what you showed me was nothing compared to that.”

I took a step toward her. “And if you think you saying otherwise is going to give you any chance of getting back together...”

“Of course not,” she exclaimed, and for once, I actually believed her. “I just don’t want you to hate me anymore, Theo.”

“Alpha,” I corrected her.

Her mouth opened and closed as she searched for words before hanging her head. “Alpha...”

“Let me be clear, Kylee,” I said. “As your Alpha and as your brother-in- law, I am glad you are safe. I am still responsible for your safety and will take that seriously. I don’t hate you. I don’t feel anything for you other than the obligation I’ve sworn to uphold.”

“I understand,” she whispered. “Will you... can you... can you at least 52.72%

10:58 Chapter 1*5: Theo 288 iVouchers talk to Ayla for me, please? I want to make things right.”

“If you want to make things right, you should start by not talking about how much you think you loved her mate,” I insisted. “Find a way to be happy for her.”

”

“As if you would be okay with letting Ayla be with Kingston,” she snapped bitterly.

“I wasn’t okay with it, but I was ready to accept it,” I bellowed. She really wasn’t getting it. “It hurt like f***ing hell, but I would have never taken that happiness from her again. And Ayla belongs with me. You knew I never belonged with you. So, you’re still missing the point, Kylee. Love isn’t about your happiness. It’s about theirs. So, you either don’t have a clue what love is or you’re too da*n selfish to care. But if I were you, I’d start figuring that out before you start running that mouth of yours.’

I pushed passed her, pausing with my hand on the doorknob.

“Oh, and no, I won’t talk to her for you,” I said. “Whether Ayla forgives you or not, I will support her. But she has no obligation to allow you to make things right. I won’t do anything to encourage otherwise. She doesn’t owe you a da*n thing.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Kylee sobbed.

“Be better.”

Chapter 1*6: Ayla 288 Vouchers