Page 15 of Unforgivable Fate

“You’re the strongest woman, the strongest wolf, I’ve ever known.” Darius spoke, his eyes never leaving her. “If anyone is strong enough to handle this kind of curveball from fate, it’s you.”

She sniffled a little when she tried to give him a smile. She wanted to believe him. She wanted the man who had helped raise her to be right, but he wasn’t. Not this time. She wasn’t strong enough for this and she couldn’t do it.

“I love you guys.” She managed before opening her arms to them. “Come on. Give me a hug and then go home. I just want to get some sleep.”

Leo moved towards her first, “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

She nodded and hugged her brother tight. Darius watched them embrace, lips pursed, but he didn’t say anything as he hugged her next. If anyone had seen through her lies, it would be him but he didn’t call her on it and she prayed he hadn’t put together what she planned.

Her sisters were next and she tried not to be overly emotional with them. She hugged them. Let Maya ruffle tug one of her locs. Let Luna whisper that she was only a phone call away. She nodded and then she said goodnight and let them go, watching them all fade into the shadows of the woods, not knowing that what she’d really meant was goodbye.

There was nothing else to think about. She knew what she had to do. Fate had put her in an impossible situation that they didn’t understand. How could they? Neither did she. All she knew was that she couldn’t seal the bond with Griffin Clary.

She couldn’t trust him. She certainly couldn’t love him. And she would not be the weak link in her family again. She wouldn’t let another Clary into her life, into all of their lives, only to watch him tear them apart the same way his brother had.

The past could not repeat itself and it was up to her to change her future.

CHAPTER SIX

Call it gut instinct. Call it a feeling in the back of his mind. Call it the tiny thread of connection that simply touching Nova DeLuca yesterday had created but whatever it was, it had woken Griffin from a dead sleep and told him that she was going to run.

He’d followed her scent to a small cabin in the woods on the edge of pack territory, isolated from the other homes. It had been painted white, standing out like a beacon among the dense trees that surrounded it. There was a large wrap-around porch with what looked to be a lot of seating areas, he could only assume to accommodate her large family when they came over to visit. It was a nice place, a warm and welcoming home with ivy growing up one side and a little garden with peppers, tomatoes and zucchini in perfect lines. He couldn’t help but imagine himself living there, with Nova, as he stood in the shadow of the trees just across the little path from her front door.

That vision of his future, of them living together, peaceful and happy, shattered into a million pieces when the front door opened and the woman that was meant to be his stepped outside with a large backpack slung over her shoulders and sad, puffy eyes.

Her wolf must have sensed him the same way his sensed her because as soon as she stepped outside, she spun around, her gaze finding him instantly. She took a step backwards, away from him, and then caught herself and tipped her chin up defiantly. He held his hands up in a show of innocence and stepped from the shadows.

“I just want to talk.”

“No thanks.” She cleared her throat.

“Please?” He took another step towards her and she fidgeted with the straps of the backpack.

“I can’t talk right now. I’m… going for a walk.” Her eyes darted away, a clear indication of her lie, but she pulled herself back together and looked at him when she continued, “We can talk later.”

“Later?” He took another step, closing the distance little by little, and his wolf hummed beneath his skin, happy to be in the presence of their mate, even if she was lying to their face.

“Yeah. Totally.”

“When you’re back from your walk?”

“That’s what I said.” Her eyes narrowed into a glare.

“Only you’re not planning to come back from your walk, are you Nova?” He raised an eyebrow and she hissed.

“Don’t act like you know me. You don’t know anything about me.”

“You’re right. I don’t. But I’d like to.” He still had his hands up and was purposefully keeping his voice soft and steady so as not to spook her again. “How about you let me walk with you to the bus station?”

“Wh- How did you…” She caught herself and snapped her jaw shut. Her teeth ground together and defiance radiated off of her again when she glared at him, “How about I walk you to the bus station and you get on it so I don’t have to?”

God, she was gorgeous. Fierce, stubborn and proud. She was a tiny little thing, probably only a few inches over five feet, but she had curves that he knew would fit against him just right if only he could find a way past her defenses.

Her skin was lighter than his, with golden undertones that made it seem as if the sun had kissed her with its warmth. Her locs were piled on top of her head the same way they had been yesterday, with only one or two escaping around her face and framing her angelic beauty. Her eyes were brown with a hint of that same golden light and her lips were full in a way that made him think of what they’d feel like pressed against his own. He had seen her yesterday but he hadn’t really gotten the chance to take all of her in like he could now and the result was that she took his breath away.

“Stop it.” she snapped, jolting him out of his stupor and he blinked.

“Stop what?”

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