CHAPTER 6

Halfway into their journey back to Jace’s house, the words of her father keep playing in Clara’s head.

“A daughter with self respect.”

Her dad may be extreme in his ways but is she really giving herself any respect right now? Is this what she really wants? Going back to him or is she doing it just to please others?

“Stop the car,” she says to the driver from the back of the vehicle, making her mind to go back to her father’s house and if he doesn’t let her back in as he threatened, she’ll find a way to survive but she’s not going back to him.

The same pattern will just repeat itself and she’ll find herself in more pain, anguish and regret. It is better to face it all now, once and for all.

“What?” Gabriel replies from the front beside the driver.

“I said stop the car.”

“Keep going,” Gabriel orders the driver, looking away from her.

“I swear to the goddess, if you don’t stop this car this minute, I’ll open the door and jump down and you know I will,” She replies in a cold voice, looking daringly at him as she puts her fingers on the door lock.

“Stop,” Gabriel says defeatedly, releasing an exasperated sigh, “can’t we just talk about this?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she replies as the car comes to a halt and she steps out, slamming the door shut.

Days later, she is in the backyard of the house, uprooting the weeds growing around the flower plants with her hands.

She is slowly getting used to her new reality even though she often catches herself slipping back into having thoughts of Jace. Chores like these help clear her mind and she has been thinking about returning to work too.

She needs the distraction if she is going to ever get Jace out of her mind completely.

The rich baritone voice of none other than Jace reaches her ears and her heart pounds on its own accord.

What is he doing here?

She did not even hear him coming, not that that is a surprise, there’s a reason he’s called the Silent Wolf.

Her wolf’s excitement does not help, making goosebumps dance around her skin as Jace trudges closer to her, his minty and earthy smell sending her stomach into a wild frenzy.

She did not expect to be so rattled by his presence.

“Knock yourself out,” she says, pointing to the large expanse of flower beds in the backyard without looking up at him.

If his voice and smell are doing this to her, what will happen if she looks at his handsome face, into those beautiful blue eyes.

Jace chuckles and steps right behind her, crouches and curls his hands around her waist from behind, lifting her up to face him.

“I miss you,” he says in the sweetest voice and clasps her into a tight hug, “the comfort your smell brings,” he groans passionately, digging his nose into her neck.

Clara fights back the tears tugging her eyes, hearing how her heart pounds, feeling her body letting loose in his arms, the joy of her wolf.

This is what she hates the most, how she finds him irresistible, how his touch drowns away her pain even when he is the one that inflicted the pain on her but she cannot give in this time, she has been here before, several times.

After this faux show of affection, doting on her and a lot of sex, he’ll revert back to being cold and distant in a few days. She knows this script, she has lived it too much and wants no more of it.

“I don’t miss you,” she says in a cold tone, pushing away from his hold.

“I don’t believe you,” Jace flashes her a beautiful smile and takes one of her arms in his but she smacks his hand away with her free hand, glaring at him.

“What are you doing here?” She asks, hating how her actions are a direct opposite to her feelings.

“What does it look like? I’m here to take you home.”

“I am home.”

“Listen baby girl,” Jace replies, the smile on his face vanishing but his gaze is not cold, just blank. “I’ve given you time to do whatever it is you have been doing but now you have to come back to reality. You’re practically the Luna of this pack, abandoning your responsibilities is not something I expected of you.”

“Well, I’m sorry if I disappointed you. Alpha,” Clara replies with a sneer on her face, bitterness growing inside her.

What is this responsibility everyone is going on about as if she is the most irresponsible being to have ever lived by choosing her peace.

If Jace wants someone to carry the responsibility of Luna, he should give it to the woman he left her at the altar for, she’s sure Maya would be more than willing to oblige.

“I didn’t say I was disappointed. Look, let’s just go home and put all of this behind us,” Jace says, reaching for her hand again, his voice calm and his eyes holding something that looks like remorse but it cannot be.

Clara glares down at his hand, ignoring the tingles his touch is sending through her.

He probably thinks this is just like old times when he shows up and asks her to let it go and she does, he’s in for a shock this time.

What exactly is she to put behind her, the fact that he left her at the altar to be in the arms of another woman or the lack of decency to even show up afterwards to talk to her?

She scoffs and yanks her hand away from him. “I’m not going anywhere with you, just leave me alone.”

“Clara!” The tone of Jace’s voice changes, becoming harsh, raised slightly, his eyes turning into frost. “If you don’t come back home, I’ll reject you and be done with this.”