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Chapter 108: Theo
My heart broke as I watched my mate walk away from me, knowing she was breaking
inside. But I had to address the crowd that had gathered.
“Ayla Garner is my fated mate,” I announced. “As your future Alpha, that sacred bond to
me is all you need to show her loyalty and respect. I owe you no other explanation. But if
any of you doubt her right to be your Luna, I have proof of the lies that Kylee Garner
spread within our pack. Now, go.”
Everyone dispersed, returning to whatever they were doing before. Everyone except
Jimmy, who I called to me.
“Make sure Kylee leaves the city,” I ordered. “I don’t want her within fifty miles of Ayla or
me.”
“My pleasure,” Jimmy said with satisfied smirk.
I put a hand on his shoulder before he left. “Did you hear the rumors?”
“Oh, I heard ’em,” he confirmed. “After what I saw the day of the attack, there’s no way in
hell anyone could convince me that woman is the same person in those rumors.” He
pointed toward Ayla’s apartment. “Not a single, sane wolf present that day would.”
“Good,” I said. “If you hear any more talk or any discontent…”
“Don’t worry, Alpha,” Jimmy said. “We’ll make sure they see the error of their ways long
before you need to step in.”
I squeezed his shoulder in gratitude.
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“Alpha,” Jimmy said, “tell our Luna we’re proud to have her.”
“I will, Jimmy,” I said with a smile. “I definitely will.”
I went back to Ayla’s apartment but didn’t see her there. I searched the place and found
her on the bathroom floor, sitting against the tub, head in her hands. I knelt down before
her, running my hands down her legs.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Baby,” I said gently.
“I can’t do it, Theo,” Ayla whispered.
“Can’t do what, honey?”
“I can’t be your Luna,” she choked out.
My heart stopped. “Don’t say that, Ayla. You’re the only one who can be my Luna.”
She shook her head. “No, I can’t. No matter what I do, no matter what choice I make, I
hurt people. I can’t be responsible for that. I can’t take it anymore.”
“Shhh.” I changed positions, pulling my mate onto my lap. “You couldn’t be more wrong,
baby.”
“I chose Kylee – I hurt you. I chose Kingston – I hurt him because I didn’t belong. I chose
you I hurt Kylee,” Ayla explained. “The pack would never accept me with a track record
like that.”
I laughed at her words.
“Theo,” she scolded.
“I’m sorry, babe,” I said. “But it’s hard to see it that way when Jimmy is
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gleefully escorting Kylee out of the city as we speak because he won’t tolerate someone
hurting you.”
“What?” She sat up to look at me. “No, that’s not what it is. Jimmy barely knows me.”
“Ayla, when we got to the packhouse the day of the explosion, what did you do?” I asked.
“What does that…”
“What did you do?” I interrupted her.
“I helped make sure everyone had made it out,” she said.
“You figured out how to know who was there, organized the check-ins, and kept everything
from breaking out in chaos,” I corrected her. “That alone was enough to find out that
Annabelle was missing. Then to rush inside and save her…” I made her look at me. “That’s
the choices a Luna makes. You chose to do those things even when you’re family was in
trouble. You chose to trust me to keep Mina safe, so you could keep my pack our pack –
safe.”
–
“That’s different,” she insisted, her brow furrowing. “That’s what anyone would do.”
“Kylee didn’t,” I argued. “When the library was on fire, she couldn’t even be bothered to
show up.”
She still had doubt in her eyes as she looked at me.
“Baby, you didn’t hurt Kylee by choosing me,” I insisted. “Kylee hurt herself. But you made
me the happiest wolf in the world when you chose me. Doesn’t that count for something?”
She melted against me, a wave of defeat washing through our
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connection.
“But I can’t be more important,” she whispered. “I’m not worth risking everyone else for.”
I sighed, holding her close.
“Do you want to know the hardest lesson my father taught me?” I asked. “I was sixteen.
My friends and I were being st**id teenagers, and there was an accident. My friend was
trapped and it didn’t look good. Help was seconds away, but I didn’t wait. I went in to save
him. I got him out, but I nearly lost a leg in the process. Had I not gone in, we would have
had time. They could have gotten him out safer. It was dumb luck that I got us both out
intact.”
Ayla shifted, turning her head so I knew she was listening. I brushed my fingers through
her hair as I spoke.
“Dad was furious,” I continued. “When I argued with him, he said I had to start thinking
like a leader. A leader must understand how important they are. Again, I argued, saying
we weren’t more important than our pack. He said I was wrong. We weren’t more valuable
than our pack. The importance of a role doesn’t determine the value of the person holding
it. A leader keeps everything running, makes our society work, keeps our fighters on task.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWithout an Alpha, wolves don’t thrive. So, when we fill that leadership position, we are
more important than the rest. Because we are protecting the value of our pack. If we fall,
they fall. That is our value.”
I rested my head on Ayla’s.
“You always put everyone else first, Ayla,” I said gently. “You see the worth of everyone
around you without question. You will do whatever is necessary to protect that. That’s
what makes you so important to me as an Alpha. I need you more because they need
you.”
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She was quiet for a long time. She finally took a deep breath and sat
up.
“What if I make a mistake?”
“Look who you’re talking to, babe,” I laughed. “I made the biggest mistake I could possibly
make. You do whatever you can to make up for it and accept whatever consequences are
left. You’ll learn to recognize those tough choices and I know you’ll do what’s right. No one
expects you to be perfect, sweetheart. They just want you to be you.”
She snorted. “They don’t know me. I’m pretty boring.”
“Now that’s a bald-faced lie,” I teased. “You are anything but boring, my little mate.” I
pressed my lips to hers. “So, is this a good time to tell you that our secret is out?”
She laughed. “I think I figured that out. I’m sure everyone is talking about the she-wolf
who stole her sister’s mate.”
“No, they’re talking about their Alpha finding his fated mate,” I corrected. “I made the
announcement in the hall. I didn’t want any more rumors to take root in this pack.”
“How do you think they’re taking the news?” she asked nervously.
“Well, Jimmy was happy as a clam. I know that much,” I chuckled. “I guess running into a
burning building made quite the impression on him. Even if I did tear him a new one for
letting it happen.”
“Ha, ha,” she mocked. “What about everyone else?”
“Well, there’s one way to find out…”
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