Page 80 of The Gamma's Second Chance

“My ex,” he says.

His throat works, and his head whips around towards the packhouse. The words linger in the air—my ex—each syllable piercing into my soul like my arrows pierced the target. He glances down at me for the shortest second, then back towards the packhouse, his eyes frantic. His stare is endless, and time stops along with my heart as I wait for him to say or do something.

When he finally looks at me again, he winces, running his hand over the top of his head before gripping the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Daisy, I… Something came up and I need to go. I won’t be too long. I promise.”

I swallow and blink my eyes, pushing the itching in them away as I nod. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry,” he says again, gripping and squeezing my shoulders once before rushing off towards the packhouse.

Leaving me all alone.

After Nolan left, Ispent the rest of my day with Maddie, playing cornhole as her teammate since we did so well together yesterday and sampling food from every stand and truck we came across, until we couldn’t eat another bite.

But it’s now evening, and Maddie has disappeared, running off to join her friends. As pack members light the fire pits, everyone else also splits off into pairs or smaller groupings, gathering around the fires with their friends and family.

I stand on the edge of the event, arms folded to block against the chill in the evening mountain air. Nolan’s friends sit around a fire nearby, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. Reid has a sleeping Savvy draped over his chest, her hands curled under her round cheek against his shoulder. He holds Taryn’s hand, and across from them, Haven sits in Wesley’s lap, his hand resting protectively over her growing belly. They’re cozy and familiar as they enjoy the slow pace of the end of the festival, warming themselves with the flames of the fire and the bonds of their camaraderie, none of them noticing Nolan’s absence.

Or mine.

Loneliness plagues me, and I spiral deeper into confusion and trepidation, a torrent of questions haunting my mind.

Where did he go? Why did he leave in such a panicked rush? Did the mention of Rachel trigger him to rethink everythingand need space from me, or was his exit caused by something unrelated?

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Rachel meant—or means—to him. She’s the one the ring on his dining room table was for. He didn’t need to elaborate when he told me she’s his ex. Not his ex-mate, the one who rejected him, but an ex-girlfriend. Someone he wanted to take as a chosen mate.

What does she have that I don’t?

No. I can’t let myself think that way. Something came up. Someone mindlinked him. He was in a hurry because he was needed elsewhere, which is why he didn’t explain everything to me before he took off. Maybe something happened to his mom or his dad. Maybe Wesley needed him to run an urgent errand.

Even with those attempts to encourage myself, my stomach twists. I spin away from the gathering, blinking against the itching in my eyes. I take my phone from my pocket and dial my mom’s number, not caring what time it is for her. I need to feel that sense of family that the Crescent Lake members are experiencing right now, and I can only get that from her and my dad.

But the phone rings and rings with no answer, until it rolls over into her voicemail. I bite my lip and end the call. In my current state of mind, I’d just leave a blubbering mess of incoherent rambling.

I gaze over the expanse of the shore, once more taking in the groups gathering around the fires. He left me alone to navigate the intricacies of life in his pack, and once again, all my insecurities surrounding my relationship with Nolan come rushing back to the forefront of my mind.

But determination quickly replaces the insecurity. So what if he isn’t here? And who cares if he hasn’t answered his phone or any messages I’ve sent him? I’ll find out where he is and what he’s doing and go to him instead.

Yes. That’s what I’ll do.

I take off towards Nolan’s house, my steps hurried and purposeful. I’ll grab my purse, find someone to drive me into town if I have to, and I’ll hunt Nolan down and make him tell me what’s going on.

Upon entering his house, though, it’s clear he’s here. The lights are all on, and his phone is on the entry table where he sometimes leaves his things when he’s in a hurry. I breathe a small sigh of relief, even though I don’t understand why he didn’t let me know he was back, and I head up the stairs. I stop short, however, when I reach the doorway to his room.

Much like this morning, his back is to me as he sits on the edge of the bed. He’s hunched in concentration, staring at something in his hand.

A small, unopened, black velvet jewelry box.

The same jewelry box that sat on his table the day I arrived. The box with the solitaire square cut yellow diamond ring inside it.

Ice returns to my veins along with every insecurity I worked to banish from my mind. The pain inside me grows into a behemoth tree of agony, rising with every second, twisting itself around my heart and ingraining itself into my soul.

I gave myself too much hope. Looking back, I realize there were signs. I overlooked them, though, preferring to remain optimistic. He claimed me, sexually and verbally, telling me I was “his,” but it was always selfish possessiveness, never love. He never opened up to me beyond the bare minimum. I ignored it all, though. I wanted to be accepted and loved so badly that I let myself pretend the warning signs weren’t there. But in the back of my mind, I knew our time together had an expiration date.

I just didn’t think it would arrive so soon.

I turn to leave, tears pooling in my eyes. Tomorrow I’ll ask Haven to help me move my things out of Nolan’s room and his house. For tonight, I want to be alone with my sorrow and my pain.

But the floorboards creak. I freeze, inhaling, my fists clenching as I face the bedroom again, my stomach tumbling down a mountain and into an endless gaping pit. Nolan rises from the bed, his head whipping towards me, his eyes widening, and his body tensing. “Cassandra! I—”

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