Part 1

I stood in the garage and looked at Levi. What the hell was he talking about? Everyone just looked at me, and I couldn’t decipher the look in their eyes. I didn’t want their pity. I wanted answers! I needed answers.

“What do you mean, there’s not much?” I yelled at Levi.

“Have you checked her room? Did she pack a suitcase?” Levi asked. His eyes were calmly holding mine, refusing to let me look away as I took in his questions. Checked her room? Packed a suitcase? What the hell was he talking about?

Jace turned away abruptly, and walked back into the house. I could hear his footsteps as he went up the stairs, probably two at a time. Levi had a hand on my shoulder, and I blinked, looking into his gray eyes.

“Jace would know if anything was missing.”

I nodded my head. He was close with Adelie, but the thought of her just leaving didn’t make sense in my head. She’d given me her virginity the night before; she let us complete our imprinting. Our bond was stronger than ever before. Nothing about this situation made sense, and the only thing I could think of was that she’d been abducted.

A shudder went through me. Kari had been abducted once, too. It had broken our fragile bond, but Adelie wasn’t fragile like that. I shook my head. I couldn’t focus on anything; I couldn’t breathe properly, but I had to. I had to find her.

“You said there’s not much, meaning there’s something,” I said, as I looked Levi in the eye.

“Her car stopped at the Safeway at 8 a.m. this morning, and it’s still there,” Levi said.

“What about her phone? I texted her,” I said. ‘She never replied,’ said a voice in my head.

“The number has been disconnected. It pinged near Anchorage the last time,” Levi said, and I gripped my keys tightly in my hand.

“So, let’s go to Anchorage then,” I said, and we all turned at the sound of Jace’s footsteps, running toward us.

“Kai, she left a note, and her clothes are gone,” Jace said, and my whole world crashed around me. Something gripped my heart forcefully. It’s why Levi wasn’t already on his way to Anchorage with me; it’s why he’d asked. He knew more than what he was telling me.

Jace handed me the envelope, and I looked at it like it might explode. In all honesty, it already had. I ripped it open and took the folded piece of paper out.

“Kai,

I’m sorry that I can only leave a note, because if I had to say this to you in person, my resolve would break, and I’d choose you. I’d always choose you. I have to leave, it’s  best for everyone, especially for you. I love you, Kai, but I had to leave before you asked me to marry you, because I can never marry you. I want you to be happy, and you can be; as soon as you let me go, you can be happy again.

I can never belong to someone, it brings back too many painful memories of being owned. Please don’t be mad at me. You only feel this way about me because of the imprinting. You can cut that bond as soon as you reject me. Rejection does exist, you just have to believe in it.

Don’t come looking for me.

Adelie.”

The letter fell from my hand and fluttered to the floor of the garage. Anger made my skin ripple, and I turned away from everyone and walked away from them, heading to my Jeep. I couldn’t believe it. I was such an idiot. She didn’t love me, she never loved me. I was just convenient, until I wasn’t anymore.

“Kai! Where are you going?” Kiran asked me, gripping my shoulder.

I stopped walking, but I didn’t turn around. “Home.”

I got into my Jeep, and Falcon took a step toward me. He was standing at the front door, but I shook my head at him; I knew he wanted to know if he should follow me. We had a strange bond like that, knowing what the other one was thinking.

I needed to be alone right now. I couldn’t face anyone at this point. I reversed out of the driveway and drove home slower than I normally would. I parked in the garage and watched as darkness descended around me as the door closed.

I stayed in the Jeep and stared out in front of me. I had no idea  she had felt this way about us. I had dreams of a wedding, her pregnant stomach, and us living a happy life together. Last night hadn’t prepared me for this, but it should have.

She had tried to tell me she wasn’t staying. I struggled to understand her reason why though. She wanted to be intimate, she’d made that clear. Why? Why complete this bond with me if she never planned on staying?

I couldn’t help the tears now as they escaped where I sat alone, where nobody could see my pain and confusion. I sat there for a long time and tried calling her again, but this time I didn’t even get her voicemail.

My phone rang in my hand, and I lowered my head and answered it. “Dad.”

“Are you okay?” he asked me.

“No,” I said, honestly. How could I possibly be okay?

“Come home,” he said, gently.

“I am home. I just need time,” I said, and I knew he was worried. When I lost Kari, I mourned her for two years before I imprinted on Adelie. It was the only thing that had stopped my grief. I wouldn’t be so lucky this time, because Adelie was still out there somewhere.

“Kai, I’ll go with you, if you want to go after her,” Kiran said. “Maybe you can change her mind.”

“Did you read her letter?” I asked him.

“I did.”

“So why would I go look for her? She made it clear she doesn’t want me,” I said, angrily.

“Kai–”

“No, Dad. Right now, I’m angry, and I’m hurt; no, I’m way beyond pissed off!” I said.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Kai,” he said.

“Like what?” I asked him.

“Like where you were three years ago,” he said, and I could feel it. That sinking feeling of loss, and it hurt like hell to know  I’d lost someone again. I didn’t know how I was going to get through it this time.

“I just need time to process this,” I said to him, and sighed.

“Okay, call me, Kai,” he said. “I’m always here for you. I’ll help you through this however you need me to help you.”

“Yeah, I need to go,” I said, and ended the call.