“Not interested,” he replied curtly.
“She looks upset.” I tried to encourage him to speak with her.
“Just tell her I’m not here.”
I walked back downstairs and opened the door again. “He’s not home,” I said.
“Please, I need to see him. I can see his car in the lot.” She was quickly becoming hysterical. “He won’t answer any of my texts or calls. I need to talk to him.”
“I’m sorry, he’s not home.” I reached out to touch her arm, seeing how desperate she was.
“Please, help me. I know there was something between us. I can’t believe he would just ignore me after everything.” She started sobbing, her entire face turning red, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. I was dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. I soon sensed the scent of my mom and Blake’s mom as they entered the room. I stepped outside, shutting the door behind me so they wouldn’t witness what was happening.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help you. I’m sure Blake didn’t mean to hurt you. He’s just not in a good place right now.”
“So he thinks it’s okay to just play with people’s feelings? He thinks it’s okay to just sleep with someone and then pretend nothing ever happened?”
I shook my head. Blake had always been a player, but he had become even more callous in the past few months. I was surprised that women still flocked to him even with his reputation. It was always the same story—they thought they were going to be the one to change him and change his ways. But Blake was Blake, and now he was an even more fucked-up version of Blake.
“You should go. I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else I could say. I didn’t think explaining that she wasn’t the only one would help the situation. She sniffed, likely resigning to the fact that it was over, and walked away feebly.
“Who was that?” my mom asked as soon as I reentered the house, her, Blake’s mom, and my dad all staring at me.
“Just some girl,” I said.
“One of Blake’s girls?” Luna Sienna asked. I nodded. They turned away and walked toward the living room. I went back to the dining room to return to my homework.
“I don’t know what to do,” Luna Sienna cried. “I can’t stand seeing Blake like this.” I continued to pretend to do my homework, but I instead turned my attention to the conversation, which I could easily overhear with the open floor plan of the packhouse. She continued, “He was always such a sweet boy growing up. This isn’t my Blake.”
“He is James’s son. I’m really sorry, Sienna. I pray to Artemis it isn’t the case, but this is how it started with James. After his father died, he acted out in exactly the same way. It’s almost like watching history repeat itself.”
“I just want to help Blake so much. But he’s shut me out.” I could tell Sienna was speaking through tears.
“He’s shut all of us out,” my mom responded.
Luna Sienna spoke again. “He’s grieving. And James isn’t helping the situation. He’s fixated on Blake becoming alpha. No matter what I say or do, he won’t listen to me. Blake needs to heal. He can’t become alpha now. I know James is worried after so many people died during the battle, but can’t he see that Blake isn’t in a position to take on so much responsibility right now?”
“Sienna, I’ll speak with him,” my dad said. “I can understand where James is coming from. We can’t deny that the pack is growing weak, but we also can’t have a leader that’s so unstable right now. Maybe we can find a compromise.”
“Ria was so good for him.” Luna Sienna sniffed. “After everything James put him through, it seemed like Blake would finally be okay. Why did she have to die? Why did Artemis take her life? Why does my Blake have to suffer so much? I just wish I could take it all away from him. I just want my son back. All I do is pray all the time, but I’m starting to lose hope.” She was sobbing now.
“Don’t lose hope, Sienna,” my mom consoled her. “You can’t. Blake will heal. He just needs time. Al and I will talk to James. We’ll figure something out. And we’ll pray for him too. Artemis never gives anyone more than they can handle. Blake’s a strong boy. He’ll find his way through this.”
“His grandmother didn’t,” Sienna cried.
“They never marked each other, don’t forget.” My dad was speaking now. “There’s hope. The pain would be much worse if they had marked each other. Blake still has a chance to get past this.”
After they left the living room, I made my way back upstairs and knocked on Blake’s door.
“Yes?” his voice sounded.
“Can I come in?” I asked. I knew this was a stupid idea, but we had been close before all this happened. Maybe there was still hope that some semblance of our friendship was still there.
“Fine,” he said. I opened the door. Blake sat up in his bed. I looked at him to see that he had practically grown a beard—it had clearly been a long time since he’d last shaved.
“We’re all worried about you, man,” I said. He looked at me, not saying anything. After a pause, I spoke again. “What happened with that girl that came by today?”
“Which one was she?” he asked.