“But that’s the thing, mom. You didn’t survive that place. You just thought you did. And I was just the reminder that sometimes slipped through, telling you you didn’t survive. Not really, not completely,” Lucy told her. Reika hung her head, shaking it.
“Are you leaving me, Lucy?” Rayan asked just as Jacob came out. He handed a bottle to Ryker, who then took Ryden from Reika.
“No. I will never leave you. But I can’t stay here, Rayan,” she told him, and he nodded.
Chapter thirty-nine
Lucy
“Lucy?” Tyson asked as I closed the bathroom door. I couldn’t wait to get away from there. I was the reminder. The pain that broke my mother and, in turn, broke myself. I couldn’t stand the guilt on her face. I couldn’t stand the guilt I felt toward her. Knowing everyone knew I was to blame, sucked. I hated that they all hid it from me. If I had known, I never would have come home at all.
“I’m fine, Tyson. I just want to shower and go to bed,” I told him. Ace had been silent all night since we left. No one knew what to say or think.What do you say when you know you are the reason someone is so mentally unstable they literally had to kill off a piece of themselves?Sorry didn’t seem like a good enough word.
I heard him still hovering near the main bathroom door, his weight creaking the floorboards.
“I’m fine. Go to bed, Tyson,” I told him, and I heard him sigh before walking off. I turned the shower on and hopped in. I washed quickly, wanting to go to sleep so this day would be over and done with. Forget that my life wasn’t some huge disappointment and overall fuck up. Getting out, I quickly brushed my teeth before rinsing my mouth. I chucked on my panties and Tyson’s shirt to wear to bed before towel drying my hair. When I was done, I sneaked into one of the guest rooms before climbing on the bed and crawling under one of the covers.
Everyone lied to me. They all pretended nothing was wrong and kept it from me. Rayan even kept it from me. I made sure to lock the door. I just wanted to be alone, alone with my thoughts. I wondered if I would ever build a relationship with my mother again.How do you build on that when all we seem to do is cause each other pain?We were each other’s punching bags and each other’s guilt.
My eyes felt like sandpaper and burned from my tears, but I eventually succumbed to sleep. I was woken up by a loud banging. I waited for one of them to answer the door, but I hauled myself out of bed when the banging got worse.
Tossing the door open, someone was pounding on the door. I saw a post it stuck to the bench, picked it up, and read it.
“Got an urgent call to the borders. Mindlink when you wake.”
I placed the post it down, and the banging on the door got worse.
“Hold your horses. I am coming,” I yelled out, rubbing my eyes from sleep. My eyes felt so dry and itchy. The banging stopped, and I opened the door only for it to be shoved in the moment it unlocked.
“Good morning to you too,” I snapped at her. She waved me off while walking in and placing her hands on her hips.
“Ace isn’t here,” I snapped at her rudeness as she just walked in like she owned the place.
“I’m not here to see Ace. I am here to see you,” Melana said before walking into the living room and flopping on the couch.
“Seriously, Melana, leave. Ace told you to stay away, now leave,” I told her, walking into the kitchen. I flicked the kettle on and grabbed a coffee mug.
“Two sugars,” she said, walking over and sitting on a stool at the bench.
“Did you not hear me tell you to leave?”
“Oh, I heard. But like I said, I am not here to talk to Ace. I am here to talk to you. Now be hospitable,” she said.
I rolled my eyes, grabbing another mug and making coffee. “Fine, what is it you want to talk about?” I asked her, plastering a fake smile on my face.Fuck. If being Luna means smiling at dumb bitches all day, I don’t want to do it.
“I want you to reject Ace,” she said, reaching for her cup and taking a sip. I felt like tossing mine in her face. I didn’t know what was going on with Ace and me, but I sure as hell didn’t want Melana to have him.
“Look, I get you were with Ace for years, but you aren’t his mate. I am,” I told her, and she frowned, looking down at her cup.
“You have Tyson. Why do you need Ace? You don’t need both of them. Either way, you will be Luna,” she said.
“I don’t give a fuck about being Luna, Melana. Ace is my mate, and I am not giving him up because you have a stupid crush on him. Get your own mate. Better yet, maybe beg the one you rejected to take you back,” I snapped at her.
“I gave up everything for Ace, only to be tossed aside when you come back. I love him. You had no right to come in here and stake a claim on him when you don’t even want him,” she said, standing up and placing her hands on the bench. I sipped my coffee.
“He is my mate, Melana. I am not rejecting him,” I told her, still unsure of that answer when Melana decided to get petty.
“Must really grind your gears knowing that while you were away at school, I was keeping his bed warm. And he had no care for you at all. Bet it really sucked knowing he was screwing me for five years, not caring you were his mate. That’s how little you meant to him.”