Chapter Eight: No Goodbyes

Tears stung my eyes as I shoved my clothes into my suitcase. I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t going to let him win once again, even if it felt like he’d already done.

I’d been stupid enough to underestimate him like I’d always done, and now I was paying the price.

There was a knock on the door, and I froze, already knowing who it was.

She didn’t wait for a response, Audrey stepped in, shutting the door behind her.

Audrey who was always bubbly and excited over everything and nothing stared at me now with teary-filled eyes.

“Tell me it’s not true,” she muttered, “Tell me you’re not planning to leave me too.”

Too.

Like her parents had.

It was in times like this I realized I was all she had. All the more reason I had to do this.

It was either this, or she’d get hurt, and I’d rather die than let that happen.

“Audrey, you know I don’t have a say in it—this is not my choice,” I tried to explain, but she was beyond reasoning.

“Then you could have easily said no!” she snapped, angry tears spilling down her eyes, forcing out the tears I’d so desperately tried to hold in.

“I know you, Bellatrix. And the girl I knew would never stop fighting back,” she said, but to that I said nothing. “And how about your plan of getting your revenge?” she questioned, “Are you just going to let them win?”

My chest clenched.

“No.” she went on, “The Bellatrix I knew would never do that, the Bellatrix I knew—"

“Is dead!” I snapped.

The words had left me even before I could think on it, but only now did I realize how true they were. My child hadn’t been the only thing I’d lost three years ago. I’d lost a part of myself too.

“The Bellatrix you know is dead, and it’s time you deal with it.”

I watched the emotions on her face, from anger, to pain, to betray and then to cold realization.

Without another word, she turned around and headed for the door.

“Audrey!” I called, but she was already out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. I went after her, throwing the door open—

Only to walk into the very last person I expected to see.

Asher.

I quickly wiped away my tears, even if I knew he’d already seen it.

A part of me never wanted to be vulnerable before him ever again.

“I—I wasn’t expecting you. Alpha.” I said, my tone clipped.  

Asher, who'd gotten married to my sister two weeks ago, was supposed to be on his honeymoon in a lake-house hours away from here. Yet, here he was.

“Can I come in?”

I stood by the door a few seconds longer, before stepping aside, letting him in.

I stared down the hallway to realize Audrey was long gone.

“I was just finishing up,” I said to him, motioning to the suitcases. “I’ll be done in a few minutes—”

He grabbed me, cutting off my words. I stared at him, wide-eyed.

What. the. hell?

In that moment, I saw an emotion in his eyes I’d never seen before. Fear.

“You don’t have to marry him if you don’t want to,” he said, “The Brimstone Alpha—he’s not the kind of man any woman would want as a husband.”

He had no idea I was being forced into the marriage, he had no idea that I was never given a choice.

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since his wife died, he has never been the same. If he was bad before, he became a monster after her death.” There it was again, that hint of panic in his voice, “I know you’ve been through a lot, but you don’t have to do this.”

I was reminded of that night, years ago, when I’d gone into labor right in my room, and he’d found me. I could have died that night if he hadn’t taken me to the healers in time.

But I had no gratitude to offer. He was the reason I was in that position in the first place.

I took in a sharp breath.

“I know who he is,” I lied swiftly.

“Then why would you agree to this? A man like that would never be able to make you happy,” he said, and I almost laughed at that. Almost.  “He’d never be able to love you either.”

Rosalia’s words rang in my head. “There’s more to life than just love,” I re-echoed, “At least I get to be Luna, and that’s more than a girl like me could ever dream of.”

He stared at me in surprise, almost like he couldn’t believe I’d said that.

I didn’t miss the fact that he still hadn’t let go.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he began, but I could see the conflict in his eyes.

Finally, he let go.

“If you change your mind, this pack would always be open to receive you.” he said, but I couldn’t help the feeling that there was something else he’d wanted to say.

“I won’t.”