Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Theo The results of the investigation into the fire at the library weren’t what I had hoped. The fire marshal’s final report concluded that the fire was set intentionally. Since someone had targeted the pack, I ordered a full autopsy on Mrs. Walport. My suspicions were correct. Her neck had been broken. She was dead before I even entered the building.

I had dedicated every second I could to the investigation. Mom and Dad stayed at the packhouse instead of returning to the lake house. It was a big help and seemed to help lift Dad’s mood. But I worried he would overwork himself, so I had been keeping up with as many of my responsibilities as possible.

I It meant I wasn’t sleeping much, but it also meant I didn’t have time to think about Kylee and our upcoming mating ceremony. Or Ayla. Although that wasn’t as much of a relief as I had thought it would be. In fact, it was bothering the heck out of me. Briggs had finally convinced me to learn more about Ayla’s past the night of the fire, but that wasn’t exactly something I could prioritize, considering the circumstances.

It was late, but I was still in my office trying to get through the supply orders we needed for the packhouse and the surrounding housing units. Briggs came in and sat in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

“You’ve got to get some sleep, man,” he said. “And take a break. You can afford to at least take half the day off.”

“Not yet,” I said. “I’m meeting with the detectives on the 1/5 Chapter 23 The 288 Vouche Walport case tomorrow.”

“Then get some sleep, Theo. I’ll finish up in here.”

I sighed and put the papers I was reviewing down on the desk. “I can’t.”

“Theo, you can’t keep doing this. You’re no good to anyone if you’re burnt out.”

“I’m no good to anyone if I can’t even protect the pack,” I snapped.

“Theo.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Briggs,” I said. “I’m not even the Alpha yet, and I have a murderer on the loose. I can’t stop until they‘ re found.”

“Fine,” Briggs said, raising his hands in surrender. “But don’t forget Kylee’s cousin will be here this weekend. You need to be there when she arrives and make an appearance at dinner.”

“I really don’t have the energy to care about that right now.”

“Well, you better muster some by the time she gets here,” Briggs said. “Kylee has been bitching enough about you never being around anymore.”

His comment didn’t help my mood. I had seen a change in Kylee for the first few days after the incident at the library, but it didn’t last. It wasn’t even a week before she started complaining about the things she was asked to do or finding ways to get out of them. We would have already had another talk if I hadn’t been so busy. I would have to make time soon.

This time, I would postpone the ceremony. She still had a lot Chapter 33: Theo to learn. That’s if I even stayed with her.

288 Voucher I stood from my chair, going straight to the carafe of whiskey I kept in the office and pouring myself a glass.

I didn’t think I was ready to break off our mating entirely yet. I wanted to give her more time. It’s still a big change for her. If I didn’t make it work with her, I wouldn’t be able to try with anyone else. Not with the bond with Ayla still intact.

I lifted the glass but nearly dropped it as a sharp, searing pain pierced my heart, bringing me to my knees.

“Theo,” Briggs called. “What the hell?”

The pain didn’t alleviate. It was steady, making it hard to breathe. I gasped to pull air into my lungs as I tried to make sense of what was going on. It was Kieran’s agonizing howls that made me realize what it meant.

“Theo, what is it?” Briggs was at my side as I fell back against the cabinet.

I felt the tears start to well in my eyes. I really had lost her.

“Theo?”

“He’s with her.”

My head fell back against the wooden cabinet, my eyes closing as I let the tears fall, too tired and hurt to fight them. Briggs gripped my shoulder in support but didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. I had no right to be angry. No right to be jealous. I had no right to feel anything about another male’s another Alpha’s – hands on Ayla.

–

,,didn’t move until the feeling finally passed, allowing me to Chapter 33. Theo 288 Vouchers breathe again. My fisted hands slowly relaxed, revealing my bloody palms from my claws extending.

“What have I done, Briggs?”

Briggs dropped down to the floor beside me.

“I didn’t know,” I said quietly. “I didn’t know she would feel it. We aren’t marked. We shouldn’t be able to feel...”

Briggs sighed. “Theo, it’s time to face that this isn’t a normal bond. It’s time you figured out a way to fix this.”

I shook my head. “I’ve already lost her, Briggs. She... She’s with him now.”

“The bond is still there, Theo. She’s not lost yet. You can fight for her.”

I flung the whiskey glass across the room, shattering it against the opposite wall.

“She didn’t want me in the first place,” I yelled, getting back on my feet.

“You don’t know that, Theo,” Briggs yelled back, pulling himself from the floor as well. “Do you want to know what she said when I talked to her? She said to tell you that there is always two sides to every story. The side you never gave her a chance to explain.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“I saw the look in her eyes, Theo. She wanted you to know,” he said angrily.

“She’ll never forgive me, Briggs. Not after what I did. Not while 4/5 Chapter 33: Theo she has him.“.

288 Vouchers “Damn it, Theo,” Briggs bellowed, getting in my face. “Stop it. I won’t watch you destroy yourself because of your f***ing pride.”

“I can’t live through it again,” I yelled. I took a few deep breaths to calm down. “I can’t do it. Kieran can’t do it. If she rejected us again...”

I didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. I walked out without another word.