Page 48 of Semi-Rejected Life

Now, this is the hard bit. There was one more stipulation to my inheritance that I never mentioned.

A wife.

And she’s already been picked out for me.

My father is waiting at home with my new mate, my future Luna, and also my fiance. I’ve never met her. In fact, I don’t even know her name. My father took it upon himself to get that all taken care of. After he found me in bed with another guy in high school, he’s always known that he’d have to force me to marry if he wanted his line to continue. That’s why he gave me a deadline for my freedom this summer and why he’s picked out a Luna for me. He knows I’d never willingly do either of those things myself.

She means nothing to me. I need you to understand that. Her, the money, and the pack… they’re nothing compared to you. I love YOU, Vince. Nobody else. If the world was ending tomorrow, I’d be at your side instead of anywhere else. You are home to me now and I love you more than anything in the world. I might have kept secrets about my past, but I would never lie to you about how I feel. Your love was the one thing I tried to avoid at all costs because it scared me to death. But the moment I gave in to you… there was no going back. I want to be at your side for as long as you’ll allow me to be. I give my heart completely to you to do with it what you will.

Also, from this moment forward, I swear I will never keep anything from you again. I’ll live at your side (if you’ll have me) in complete honesty. The only time I might lie is if you do something weird with your hair or grow a mustache. But who knows? Maybe I’ll learn to like it with time! But those are the kinds of things that mates can do when they know they can trust one another.

I trust you. And now that everything’s out in the open, I hope you can find it in your heart to trust me once more.

I’m calling my father tomorrow to tell him I’m not coming home. My home is here now, with you, in Shifter Grove. Even if you break up with me tonight, I’ll still stay. This town has grown on me and I can’t bear to leave it behind. Dad will be mad, he’ll threaten me and call me every name in the book, but nothing, not even he, could pull me from your side.

I love you more than anything, darling. And I’m staying.

Love,

-River

I read the letter twice, tears running down my face as the emotions threatened to overwhelm me. As I finished it the second time, it dawned on me what had actually happened this morning.

River wasn’t late to breakfast because he took a long time at the hotel. He was late because he’d been trying to figure out how to tell me the truth. He’d stopped at the pizza shop long enough to pen this letter and leave it out for me to find. And that meant, when he’d told me that he had planned on admitting everything today… he wasn’t lying.

I jumped up from the couch, stuffing the letter into my jeans pocket. I’d already wasted far too much time sulking. River could already be on his way out of town. But that wasn’t going to stop me. I had to get him back, no matter what the cost.

Without a second thought, I ran out of the pizza shop, the door hanging wide open behind me.

Chapter Twenty-Four: River

I didn’t have to convince my father to at least let me go back to the hotel to gather up my things. It seemed both he and Michelle had checked in there earlier that morning, anticipating it would take a day or so to find me. However, with their plans suddenly accelerated, we all needed to retrieve our bags before we were ready to go.

When I walked through the door, I saw Sam sitting behind the front desk. He looked up with a smile, waving.

“Hey River! I wanted to let you know that you’re–” His gaze fell on my father and Michelle walking in behind me. “Oh… you already know.”

I headed to the desk, my head hung low. “I need to check out,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I… I’m going home.”

Sam furrowed his brows. “What about Vince?”

I simply shook my head and repeated, “I’m going home.”

He didn’t ask questions or push me. I’m sure he knew everything he needed to know from my defeated demeanor alone. Everything was in shambles and my only choice now was to go back home with what little I had left of myself.

“Just leave your key on the table,” he said. “I’ll collect it when I flip the rooms later.” He looked up at my father. “And I’ll refund your rooms.”

“No need,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “Come on, River. I want to get out of this place.”

I started to follow him toward the elevator when Sam’s fingers gripped my forearm and held me back.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked, his voice low. “You’ll have to live with this for the rest of your life.” He leaned close, his hand on my shoulder. “You’ll never see him again.”

Tears threatened instantly. “You think I don’t know that?” I snapped, pulling my arm away. “I wouldn’t do this if I had another choice. But I don’t. I never did! And I was stupid and childish to think otherwise.”

I pulled myself away and to the elevator. Even with my gaze fixed on the ground, I could feel Sam’s eyes on me until the doors closed and the elevator began to move.

“Nosy owner,” I heard my father mutter under his breath. He looked over at Michelle. “Get our bags from the rooms and leave the keys behind. I’ll help River gather his things and meet you down at the car.”

---