“What did you do, Lucy?” Ace screamed before marching over to me. Ryker growled behind him and went to rip him back, but Avery stepped forward with her hands going to his face. He clutched her hands as they locked onto the side of his head before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Ace’s body started to tremble, his canines protruding before his breathing became ragged. She suddenly let him go, and he staggered backward. Ryker grabbed his arm to steady him before his eyes locked on me. I stepped back into Tyson, his hand around my waist, and Ace looked at Avery.
“Did you do that, really?” He shook his head, his face twisted in anger.
“I gave you her memories. Maybe next time, you will make better choices. Never pick anyone over your mate,” Avery told him before walking over to Aamon.
“It wasn’t a lie?” Ace gasped, and my heart hurt at his words. He really thought I would lie about something like that. He believed Melana over me. It hurt, and I glared at him. Disgusted that he still didn’t believe me even after I’d told them.
“I will take care of Mr. Tanner, but we will be leaving now,” Avery said, and I nodded. She truly was a good woman. She and Aamon misted out of the room, the smell of burned almonds getting stronger, and I cringed.
“Lucy?” my mother said from where she was sitting on the couch. I looked at her, smiling sadly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. You can come home if you want,” she blurted as I turned to leave the room.
“Lucy, don’t upset your mother,” Ryker said behind me, and I turned back to face the room.
“Yet she has no problem upsetting me. The moment you had Rayan, you forgot about me! I get it. I was created from a bad past, one you wanted to forget. A constant reminder. So don’t worry, mother, you don’t have to worry about me corrupting your real children,” I told her before turning on my heel and walking off.
“Lucy?” she called, and my heart clenched at her voice.
“Just let her calm down. She has had a rough day. I will bring her back over during the week,” I heard Tyson tell her, but I just walked back to his room, shutting the door. I wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep and forget this day ever happened, along with the rest of the days that tormented me.
Chapter twenty-two
Ace
I felt gutted knowing everything she said was true. I didn’t know why I doubted her. Maybe it was my guilt, or maybe I was just too blinded by my anger after what Melana had told me that I didn’t see sense. But now, I felt like a piece of shit for not believing her when she had never given me a reason to question her before. Lucy usually owned up to her wrongs, and now I was going to have to do the same.
Lucy stormed off to Tyson’s room, and I didn’t blame her; she hated me. I hated myself for what I did, but I never expected her to have the bond removed, and now I had to face her rejecting me all over again. Leaning on the veranda wall, I tossed my smoke. Ryker came out with Reika, and he opened the car door for her. A growl escaped him when he spotted me leaning on the wall. I watched as he shut her door before walking over to me. I knew what was coming; I could see it a mile away as he stalked up the steps toward me. I faced him head-on and didn’t even flinch when he raised his fist.
My head whipped to the side as his fist connected with my face. My blood trickled down my chin, where he split my lip open.
“You knew she was your mate and fooled around on her. Then, to make it worse, you forcefully marked her,” Ryker growled at me, raising his fist and punching me again.
I spat blood on the ground, knowing I deserved it, but it still angered me. He was no fucking saint either.
“If she rejects you again, you will not mark her,” he snapped at me. “Ace?” he screamed in my face, grabbing the front of my shirt.
“I won’t, okay? She rejects me again, I will leave,” I told him. He growled but nodded reluctantly before shoving me away. Tyson came out, looking at me from the door. He pressed his lips in a line but said nothing. I knew he was angry at me. He had always been the more selfless one out of us. He waited for her and would have continued to wait until she’d figured it out. I ruined things for him, and now it has put a strain on our relationship.
Ryker nodded to Tyson, clapping his hand on his shoulder before heading to his car. I watched them leave before turning to Tyson, who was blocking the doorway.
“I’m not going to do anything,” I told him. I just wanted to speak to her. He stepped out of the way, and I walked inside, about to head toward his room, when he called out.
“Leave her be,” he said, and I stopped, a growl escaping me before I shoved it down.
“You must be loving this? Loving that she hates me because you can keep her to yourself?” I snapped at him.
“I didn’t hurt her. You did! I may not like having to share her with my brother, but I would never do anything that would hurt her. If she keeps you, I won’t try to stop her. I accepted the fact we had to share her, understood it, but I won’t sit back and watch you destroy her more than she already is.”
“And if she rejects me again? You understand she can now.”
“She doesn’t want to reject you, Ace, but you forcing her will make her. Stop being selfish for once in your goddamn life, and let her decide instead of taking her choice away from her.”
“So, you expect me to sit back and watch you two cozying up together?” I growled at him.
“Yes, I do. Don’t make things worse, Ace. You didn’t just put your bond with her at risk; you put mine at risk too. This was never a normal mate bond considering she was raised alongside us, making it already more difficult enough than you screwing around with Melana. What did you expect to happen? Then to top it off, you mark her and choose Melana over her. You messed this up, not me. And I won’t be punished for your misdoings,” he said before walking off down the hallway toward his room. I watched him close his door. Jealousy coursed through me before I stalked off toward mine, slamming the door. I really made a mess of things.