<\u00a0<\/p>\n
* Reckoning of Heart\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rory dropped his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seth\u2019s smirk vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I\u2013I had nothing to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that is why I\u2019m scared to be mated to you four she continued, her voice shaking but fierce. \u201cHow do I know you won\u2019t cheat? How do I know you won\u2019t reject me the moment I don\u2019t measure up to your ridiculous expectations?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn\u2019t wipe them away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She let us see them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPrincess, we would never-\u201d Rory started, his voice pleading, but she stopped him cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done. Just leave me alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was barely a whisper, but it shattered the room. For the first time in my life, I had no idea\u00a0<\/p>\n
how to fix this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lila\u2019s POV:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The silence left behind after Rhea stormed out was suffocating. The four of them just stood there,\u00a0<\/p>\n
looking like someone had just ripped their souls out\u00a0<\/p>\n
Good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They deserved it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crossed my arms, glaring at them like the idiots they were. \u201cDo you even realize what you just\u00a0<\/p>\n
did?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Callum exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, his normally unreadable expression cracking with frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t mean to-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, spare me,\u201d I cut him off, stepping forward until was toe\u2013to\u2013toe with my eldest brother. \u201cYou hu miliated her. She was already scared to trust you, and what do you do? Prove her right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rory cursed under his breath, dragging a hand down his face. \u201cWe weren\u2019t thinking-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cf*****g right, you weren\u2019t,\u201d I snapped, shoving his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble. He let me. Probably because he knew he deserved it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon was silent, jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack. Seth, for once, wasn\u2019t smirking. His fingers twitched at his sides like he wanted to break something\u2013or maybe just\u00a0<\/p>\n
himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she tell us?\u201d Callum muttered, his voice strained, the weight of his guilt pressing down\u00a0<\/p>\n
5\/8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beckoning of Heart\u00a0<\/p>\n
on him like a boulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let out a bitter laugh. \u201cTell you? You think she should\u2019ve volunteered that information to you? After\u00a0<\/p>\n
all the things you guys have done to her feelings by reeking of other women the first time you saw\u00a0<\/p>\n
her, telling her she belonged to you. Then went and gave her those damn rules and went ape\u2013s**t\u00a0<\/p>\n
crazy when another guy was mentioned. Yeah, I wonder f*****g why.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their flinches were satisfying, but it wasn\u2019t enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t trust you because she had no reason to. Do you think a mate bond is enough for her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She spent her entire life being left behind. She wasn\u2019t going to hand her heart over to the first set\u00a0<\/p>\n
of Alphas that said she belonged to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seth scrubbed a hand over his face, looking like he was physically in pain. \u201cf**k,\u201d he muttered under\u00a0<\/p>\n
his breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon took a step back, hands gripping the counter like he needed something to anchor him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rory looked at Callum, who had gone completely still, his expression unreadable\u2013but I could feel it. That storm brewing beneath the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how she was a charge of the pack?\u201d I asked, voice softer now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They all nodded, still watching me like they were preparing for the worst.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she tell you why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon\u2019s jaw tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe figured she was just another wolf dad took in,\u201d Callum admitted, his voice strained. \u201cLike any other orphan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wasn\u2019t just any other orphan,\u201d I said, voice sharp. \u201cShe was left to die in the woods by her own\u00a0<\/p>\n
parents.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their reactions were immediate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon swore violently, stepping away from the counter like the impact of my words had physically\u00a0<\/p>\n
struck him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rory\u2019s entire body tensed, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seth went deadly still, his usual amusement completely wiped from his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Callum?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Callum\u2019s breathing deepened, his nostrils flaring, his wolf pushing dangerously close to the\u00a0<\/p>\n
surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe found her,\u201d I continued, locking eyes with Callum. \u201cOur dad. He brought her in until a family was\u00a0<\/p>\n
|||\u00a0<\/p>\n
O\u00a0<\/p>\n
6\/8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reckoning of Heart\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clay\u00a0<\/p>\n
willing to adopt her. Put her in the academy. Kept her under our protection. But don\u2019t mistake that\u00a0<\/p>\n
for her ever feeling like she belonged.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Callum exhaled sharply, stepping away from me, raking a shaking hand through his hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought Ethan was her mate for years. He was her best friend. He was supposed to be hers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And you know how she found out he wasn\u2019t?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They all looked at me, waiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe night before his birthday, Nora, our other best friend, told her. Told her that she was fated to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ethan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon let out a guttural growl, and the air around him crackled with energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called him out outside the pub. Didn\u2019t yell, didn\u2019t cry, didn\u2019t even ask why. Just looked him in\u00a0<\/p>\n
the eye, wished him well, and walked away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tension in the room thickened, but I wasn\u2019t done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she got wasted. And even then, she spent the night taking care of her friends instead of breaking down like any normal person would have.\u201d My throat tightened. \u201cShe never let herself fall apart, because Rhea doesn\u2019t believe she has the right to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Callum turned away, his breathing unsteady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rory sat down, pressing his palms against his forehead like he was processing the weight of it all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon\u2019s hands shook at his sides, his expression a storm of devastation and fury, his wolf pushing\u00a0<\/p>\n
to the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seth muttered another curse, his jaw tightening as he ran a hand through his already\u2013messy hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t cry,\u201d I whispered. \u201cDidn\u2019t fight for him. She just let him go because she thought she had to.\u201d I exhaled sharply. \u201cAnd then not even four hours later, you four showed up\u2013reeking of s*x with\u00a0<\/p>\n
other women\u2013and claimed her like she was just another part of your collection.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Callum let out a low snarl, pacing to the far end of the room like he needed to put distance\u00a0<\/p>\n
between himself and the truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rory lifted his head, looking at me with a broken expression that I almost felt bad for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Almost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made her feel like a choice,\u201d I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. \u201cLike she was\u00a0<\/p>\n
7\/8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reckoning of Heart\u00a0<\/p>\n
something you decided oninstead of something you could never live without.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jaxon\u2019s breath hitched, and when his eyes met mine, they were tortured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe already felt replaceable, I whispered. \u201cAnd you just proved her right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seth cursed under his breath, shaking his head like he wanted to undo everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claim\u00a0<\/p>\n
Callum looked like he was barely holding himself together. His eyes met Jaxon\u2019s, something silent passing between them, but I could already see it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The raw, desperate need to make this right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do we do?\u201d Jaxon asked, his voice hoarse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I studied them\u2013these four powerful, ruthless Alphas, standing there looking like lost boys. They were my older brothers, and I loved them to the limit beyond, but Rhea needed me. She was everything to me, the sister I never had, the girl that looked beyond my alpha family, the girl that saw just me and right now my brothers could hang upside down, but my loyalties stood with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou fix it,\u201d I said simply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d Rory asked, his voice gruff, raw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed, rubbing my temples. \u201cYou show her. That she\u2019s enough. That she\u2019s worth everything. That she\u2019s yours\u2013not because of some mate bond, but because you choose her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t move; they just stared at me, their guilt thick in the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe feels the bond too, you know. Maybe not as strong yet, but it is affecting her as well,\u201d I muttered, shaking my head. She\u2019s just too scared to admit it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Callum inhaled sharply, his hands clenching at his sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll fix this,\u201d he said, his voice stronger now. Determined.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shadows Of Passing Time \u2013 Carter Hughes 117 <\u00a0 * Reckoning of Heart\u00a0 Rory dropped his gaze.\u00a0 Seth\u2019s smirk vanished.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-melting-the-ice-princess-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29758\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}