*GRAYSON*
My eyes met Keera’s, taking in the worried look in her eyes. Lexi, Conall and Joe emerged from the shadow their faces set in determined lines. I stared at Gusto, sizing him up. The idiot. Did he think I was scared of a bullet? The game was over. It was time for justice. Joe immediately pointed his gun at Gusto. Gusto’s eyes flicked between us, his gaze calculating. Elena took a step back, her eyes darting between Gusto and me. Conall immediately stepped forward, pointing at her. Her eyes bulged and she raised her hands in surrender, knowing she was trapped.
In a swift turn of events, Gusto moved the direction of his gun from me to Keera.
My stomach dropped.
The bastard must have realized his mistake. He smiled wickedly when he caught the troubled expression on my face before I had the chance to hide it. His gaze shot to Joe. “Put the gun down, Joe. You don’t want to hurt anyone.” Keera met Joe’s eyes, shaking her head subtly. She didn’t want Joe to listen to him. I knew Joe was a firearm and weapons expert, but how could he? If he shot at Gusto and missed, or if he wasn’t fast enough, Keera could be dead.
I caught his attention and signaled for him to put the gun down. I wasn’t risking Keera’s life. And more than that, we had a plan B which she wasn’t aware of. Joe hesitated and then lowered his gun. The corners of Gusto’s lips widened as his smile became even brighter. “You’re such a fool.” My heart skipped when his finger moved over the trigger. Keera shut her eyes tight, anticipating the worst. She’d noticed Gusto was about to pull the trigger and shoot her.
Time seemed to slow down as we waited for the inevitable.
A bullet went off, the sound echoing through the forest. Unlike before, I wasn’t worried for Keera’s life. I didn’t even bat an eyelash. Because I knew Keera wouldn’t be feeling any pain. She opened her eyes to find Gusto on the ground, my grip as hard as a rock in the gun in my hands. Her shocked eyes met mine and I smiled softly. “I see why you carry this around with you,” I said, referring to the gun. I shrugged cockily. “It’s quite handy.” A laugh bubbled out of her.
Lexi rushed to Keera’s side, exclaiming, “Oh, thank goodness you’re safe!” She quickly worked to free Keera from her restraints. Keera had bruises on her arms, torso and legs. Large reddened spots that I knew would take a while to completely heal. She fell back against the tree, obvious relief washing over her. I could almost see the tension drain from her body, instantly getting replaced by exhaustion. Her eyelids dropped and Lexi was there to immediately catch her as she fell unconscious.
They must have drugged her.
Elena took another step back and Conall shot her an angry look I was sure would send chills running down her spine. “Don’t move an inch, or you’ll be staked,” He warned. He kept his bow trained on Elena, ensuring she didn’t escape. I stalked towards Lexi and picked Keera up, carrying her bridal style as we headed back to the pack. I took in her beautiful facial features as I walked, wondering what I would have done if I had lost her.
“You’re safe now,” I whispered.
***
I gently laid Keera on her bed, sending for Dahlia to come down and do a check up on her under Ginny and Lexi’s supervision. The pack was in a state of mayhem. No one could believe Elena had been behind the murders this whole time. They wanted answers, needed to know the way forward, and above all, they were demanding justice for the loved ones that they’d lost. I asked Ryan to gather the pack members together. Everyone gathered in front of the pack house including Dahlia and Ginny.
Keera was still unconscious but Lexi was watching after her. I stepped out after making sure Keera was okay and stalked to the front of the house. I stood before the gathered pack, my voice firm and authoritative. “I have shocking news to share.” I began solemnly. “Elena, our own pack healer, has been revealed as the killer.” The pack erupted into horrified gasps. Their faces contorted in anger and disbelief as they talked amongst themselves. They glared at Elena, who stood bound and guarded by two pack warriors.
I raised my hands, my palms outward, to calm the crowd. “Please, let’s maintain order.” I pleaded, already tired of the situation. I couldn’t wait to finally get the case behind me. “Justice will surely be served.” I vowed. “Elena is going to be banished from the pack,” I declared, seeing the relieved and satisfied smiles on their faces. A few of them looked unhappy; they had probably hoped she would be given the death sentence. I couldn’t deny that it had been my initial choice.
Until Ginny had pleaded with me.
In Keera’s name.
The murmurs subsided, and I began the banishment rites. With a deep breath, I made the declaration. “I, Alpha Grayson of Moon Valley pack, hereby strip Elena of her pack membership and banish her from our lands.” The words weighed heavily on my heart, but justice demanded it. Elena’s eyes flashed with pain as her connection to the rest of the pack got severed. Everyone knew what this meant. She was now a rogue. The pack members were free to attack her whenever they saw her after today.
She had lost all protection from our pack and was now on her own. Her scent would be tainted and while roaming around in the woods, other werewolves would also be able to tell she was rogue, helpless and defenseless, thereby putting her at risk. My shoulders became heavy with the weight of my decision but I knew this was the best I could do. The pack’s anger simmered as they came to terms with my decision. I dismissed the gathering, ensuring they understood that Elena’s actions didn’t reflect the pack’s values.
I motioned for the pack warriors to escort her outside the pack’s borders. The pack dispersed and my thoughts turned to Keera. I made my way to her room, finding her awake and laughing with Ellie. The sight warmed my heart. “Hey,” I said softly, gaining their attention. They both smiled at me. “Ellie, could you go meet Ginny downstairs?” I asked politely, my gaze never leaving Keera’s.
Ellie nodded, hugging Keera before leaving. I closed the door after Ellie had left the room, stalking further until I was seated on the chair beside Keera’s bed. I took her hand in mine, rubbing it gently. I hated that she was back in this position, but I consoled myself with knowing that it would be the last time it would happen. “You’re safe now,” I reassured her. “Elena’s being handled.” I felt her tension ease.
“How are you feeling?” I inquired, studying her face.
“Better, thank you.” Her smile faltered as she studied me closely, slowly pulling her hands from mine. I immediately noticed the shift in her expression. “We need to talk,” She said, her voice low and even. I sensed a storm brewing, but I had no idea what was coming. I leaned into my chair, searching my mind as I tried to figure out what might be wrong. I came up blank. We had been cool before Elena had taken her and held her hostage.
“What’s wrong?” I asked tentatively.
“Your conversation with Ryan,” She blurted out. I felt the blood in my veins run cold at her words. I knew exactly what conversation she was talking about. She held my gaze, giving me a sad smile. “I overheard it.” She confessed, hurt flashing in her eyes. “I’m your fated mate Grayson, and you kept it from me, all this while” My heart sank as I realized my mistake. I should have told her the truth from the beginning.
I made an attempt to explain, but she didn’t give me a chance to speak, quickly cutting me off. “How could you, Grayson?” She asked, her voice small. “How could you look me in the eye, knowing you were keeping such a big secret?” Her anger was rising. “How could you deceive me like that?” She yelled, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. My reason for keeping the truth from her has been incredibly selfish.
A part of me had known she would never have gotten involved with me if she had known the truth from the start. She wouldn’t have wanted to raise my hopes or even worse, lead me on and get me to fall for her, knowing she could never give me what I wanted. That wasn’t the kind of person Keera was. I felt a pang of guilt knowing I’d hurt her deeply. Worse, my fears were coming true. I’d spooked her. “Keera, I -”
“Apologies won’t cut it, Grayson,” She interrupted, her voice cold. “You lied to me, kept something this huge from me. All this time, I thought we had something real, but it was all a facade.” I reached for her, but moved away from reach. My heart felt like it had ripped out of my chest and stomped on. A dark feeling settled above me and even my wolf let out a fearful howl. Keera… she couldn’t possibly end this. Not now. Not when I couldn’t survive if she wasn’t near.
“I didn’t want to scare you off or complicate things, Keera.” I explained hurriedly, desperation creeping in. I could feel her slipping from my grasp. Her guard, which I hated so much, was back up and it felt like there was an invisible wall between us. I wanted to tear it down and get to her on the other side. I wanted to shake some sense into her. How could she just give up on us without a fight? “I was waiting for the perfect time to tell you.”
Her laughter sounded bitter. “Perfect time? You think there’s ever a perfect time to reveal something like that?” She shook her head, pressing her lips together. “It doesn’t matter now,” She said, her voice resigned. “We already knew this would end eventually.” Her sad eyes met mine as she pushed her hair behind her ears. “We lead different lives, Grayson. There’s no way we can reconcile them.” My heart sank, hearing the finality in her tone. “Keera, please -”
“Don’t,” She interrupted, her eyes flashing. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. We’re done.” The words cut deep, and a part of me felt like I’d already lost her forever. No, this couldn’t be the end of us. “There’s no hope for us, Grayson,” She continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “We’re from different worlds, Grayson. You’re an alpha, and I’m… human.” Her words hung in the air; the elephant in the room. The harsh truth we’d been skirting around.
We were two different sides of a coin; two parallel lines.
I wondered if we could ever meet.
If we were even destined to.
We stared deeply at each other, the tension between us palpable. I swallowed, my heart pounding in my chest. I gently took her hand, my fingers intertwining with hers. I knew I had to choose my words carefully. “Keera, will you…” I began, my voice low and urgent. She immediately drew her hand away from mine, her eyes darting away. Pain surged through me. She knew what I was going to ask. I wanted her to turn, to become a werewolf, to be with me forever. Like the goddess wanted.
Her rejection stung.
“Don’t ask that of me, Grayson. Please,”
Tears rolled down her eyes and I couldn’t help but just stare at her, my heart ripping in two. She didn’t even want to hear me out. She’d already made her decision. She’d chosen who to fight for, and it hadn’t been us.
It hadn’t been me.