Page 44 of Fate Awakened

Once in a lifetime. That thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It's not like I can expect someone who’s that hot to be exclusive with a girl who won’t commit to him. Our relationship status had only changed twenty-four hours before. Maybe he hadn't had time to cancel his other plans.

I messed everything up. Classic Bri. Run at the first sign of trouble.

I should have let him explain.

My heart clenches thinking of him now. He must be wondering where I am. Thinking that I’m ignoring him, or worse, that I’m done with him altogether. My body sags onto the counter. The pain of these emotions feels physically heavy.

Maybe I’m not worth saving. Maybe I’m a lost cause. No.

I won’t allow my fear to dictate my future. I’m not the key to a criminal war. I’m the only one who can choose my future. Fuck Ghost’s divine messages.

I’m in control of my own destiny.

Regaining my spine, I resolve to fight my way back to Cain. To at least give him a chance to explain. Let him tell me what he wants, and stop assuming I know what he’s thinking.

A thought occurs to me, and I walk out the front door to the porch. Sitting in the sturdy rocking chair, I find Hudson with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He stares out at the woods, looking every bit like he's about to run off.

“Tell me about the redhead,” I state, surprising him.

“What?” His face flashes with confusion, and he throws a rock at the nearest tree, hitting it square in the trunk.

“When I showed up at my apartment, you said I made a mistake. Tell me about the redhead. Who’s she?”

“That was probably Pres, Presley, Dante’s little sister. Basically, Cain’s little sister too. She lives in the other apartment on his floor,” he responds, not bothering to look my way as he picks up another rock and repeats the motion, nearly hitting the same spot.

“They aren’t together?” I ask, feeling the pit in my stomach grow.

“Not if he’s still breathing. Dante would kill him if he ever touched her. Not that I think he’d be interested. Cain doesn’t date. Not ever. You’re the first one who has ever even appeared to matter to him. That's why I took you. I knew you were important to him. It makes you valuable to his enemies,” he shrugs, hitting the tree again and again as I juggle my emotions.

I was wrong. I left him for nothing.

Shaking my head, I try to will away the burning of tears that have started behind my eyes.

“So the people you’re giving me to, they hate him? Why?” I adjust my questioning, hoping it will ease my guilt.

“Yes and no.” he shakes his head, still not looking at me.

“Well, that clears everything up,” I respond sarcastically, picking up a rock, throwing it at the same tree, and missing completely.

Well, I won’t count on my aim to get me out of this.

“They want the Vegas territory. Dante controls Vegas. Cain’s his best friend,” he explains, connecting the dots, which creates a vague understanding. I stand there processing this information for several minutes while he walks out to grab more rocks before sitting back down and repeating the process of chucking them at the tree.

“What happened to your family?” I ask, hoping his explanation will help me to understand what he's doing all this for.

“They’re basically enslaved. Sold to an Alpha in Florida to work off my dad’s gambling bets, but with no way to actually clear their debt.”

“An Alpha?” I ask, confused by the term and noticing his eyes expand at my question.

“Like the head of a family of criminals,” he explains.

“How does trading me to a group here help them?”

“This Alpha and the one in Florida are cousins,” he explains, as some of it finally makes sense to me. I ponder over the trades he's making and try to put myself in his shoes. Would I kidnap a person to save Liv or Keith? Probably. I can’t imagine losing them.

Sometimes bad guys are just good people in impossible situations.

The thought sinks into my mind and takes hold, not allowing me to ignore it.

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