Page 116 of Villainous Fate

“I wish I could,” I say quietly.

“You can,” he whispers, his forehead falling against mine, his hand holding my cheek while his thumb swipes away the stream of tears. “I love you, Tails. You. With or without your wolf is irrelevant to me. Reject their choice. Choose your own future. Choose us,” he says, causing my heart to ache in my chest.

“And what about your best friend? Do I force him to lose his wolf, his future as an Alpha leading a pack, his plans? I love you, Deacon, more than you possibly know, but it's not fair to ruin his life for my selfishness. My wolf wants his. My heart wants you.” I pause, grabbing his face with both of my hands before continuing.

“It’s an impossible decision. If I choose you, I lose my wolf, he loses his wolf, he loses his future in the pack, and we both know he will make an excellent Alpha. If I choose him, I lose our future, but you keep your wolf, I keep my wolf, he keeps his wolf, and I can still have you in my life. It might be in a different way, but it does the least damage. The Fates wouldn’t have done this if they didn’t have a plan for you. I’ve always trusted their decisions. Without them, I wouldn’t have found you. Without them, you wouldn’t be alive.” I finish, apology in my voice as I beg him to understand.

His eyes are shut, and his jaw flexes beneath my hands. The next words out of his mouth burn themselves onto my memory like a scar that will never heal.

“Maybe I shouldn't be. Maybe letting me live was our first mistake. Maybe my being here was always a loose end they were trying to tie up,” he says, pain rippling out of him. He pauses, collecting himself as he rises from the floor.

“I accept your choice. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. Now, you truly can be. Marcus will take care of you and give you the life you deserve, but I can’t stick around here to watch it.” He finishes, opening his eyes, reading my face in a way that feels like he is memorizing it.

No.

“No. This isn’t it for us. Deacon, you’re my best friend. I need you too,” I plead, feeling the distance between us growing by the second and grasping at everything I can to hold us together.

“Goodbye, Grace,” he says, turning away before leaving the treehouse altogether, taking with him a part of me that I will never get back.

He called me Grace…

Chapter 57

Deacon

It'sfunnyhowpainworks. Just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, the world collapses, and you fall again.

That’s how the conversation at the treehouse felt.

I’d begged, on my fucking knees, for her to choose me.

Pathetic.

The thought of how that must have looked to her has me snarling.

I’m weak. I’ve always been weak. She has always been the thing that made me weak.

The fact that I’d wanted to comfort her in those moments only solidifies the insanity of the hold she has over me.

Had over me.

As soon as I left her standing there, I knew what had to be done—what should have been done years ago. My feet steer me there without thought. My wolf, exhausted from running, barely fights the path we take.

Time to finish what The Fates started.

I’m thankful that the packhouse is quiet at this hour. The night shift is already settled for sleep, the morning shift is out at their positions, and the swings are still asleep.

I hit the third floor and turn toward the Alpha’s offices on the west side. He starts his day early to keep up with the East Coast packs. Without bothering to stop at his secretary’s desk, I open his office door without knocking only to find it empty. That means he’s already in a meeting with the council.

Pivoting, I turn to the conference room, again barging through the door without a knock. My Alpha’s eyes flash to mine, irritation evident as he finishes his statement. I stand in the doorway, not bothering to sit; instead, I wait for him to finish.

“...to complete the transaction. Our transporter will meet at the rendezvous point,” he says before addressing me. “I see your manners haven’t improved in your time away.” His signature sneer is on full display. “What do you want?”

“Release me from the pack,” I state, my words firm, not asking a question but making a demand. A gasp from his left makes my eyes jump to Luca, confusion evident before understanding and pity take over.

He fucking knew.

At the realization, his words ring out loud in my memory from when he picked me up.

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