Arise

Following my words was dead silence.

This was just as uncomfortable as before.

“Are you sure?”

No. I sighed. “Yes, Alpha.”

He nodded and walked over to Logan. Logan stepped forward but kept his eyes on me. He only slowly looked away when Caleb stood directly in front of him.

He stuck his hand out and smiled. “Welcome back.”

Logan’s mouth slowly widened into a giant grin and he threw his head back laughing, before shaking his hand.

“MOONRISE,” Caleb roared.

“Moonrise!” Shouts sounded behind me. It started a wave of everyone stripping out of their clothes before shifting all at once.

Logan and his parents were hugging each other, crying and laughing before they each shifted. Logan was the last to shift as he waited for me. He opened his mouth to speak, but I was already stepping down from the dais and to the children.

I found myself an hour later nibbling on a bag of chips, watching the children play around me. By then everyone was returning and shifting back. As usual, mates were helping each other get dressed, including CeCe and Shaw. From the past shifts I had witness, I had realized that this was the one thing they both had always done. Every shift, they shared this one moment, as if they could only be with each other only then.

Out of habit, my eyes reached Logan’s form. His wolf was not as vibrant as I had remembered. His wolf was rather skinny compared to those around him. He trotted beside his parents before the three of them shifted.

He stood at his full height, grabbing the clothes from the nearby bench.

My heart quickened as he stared at the cloth, scrunching at its edges. He was remembering all those times I helped him.

As if feeling the mate pull, his eyes looked for me.

My eyes glistened as I stood up and made my way to Valerie and Caleb. Thankfully, the two were fully dressed. “I’m getting tired. I should head back.”

They nodded before Val engulfed me into a hug. She squeezed me, and I squeezed back, closing my eyes.

“We should talk tomorrow. We haven’t had a girls’ day in forever.”

I nodded gratefully before kissing her cheek and releasing her. I took the short walk back to the house, not daring to let my mind ponder.

I slept until I heard voices downstairs. I laid awake in my bed until I heard two doors shut.

Five minutes later, I was treading down the stairs for a glass of water.

Leaning against the sink, I let the cold water relieve my throat. My mind remained vacant. Even as my ears perked at the sound of someone coming down.

Logan rubbed his eyes before walking into the kitchen. He noticed me immediately, eyes beholding surprise. “Hey.”

I took another sip. “Hey.” He strode past me and opened a cabinet and then another, peering the shelves. “If you’re looking for wolfsbane, I threw it all out the day after you left.”

He stilled just before shaking his head. “Just a teabag.”

“I threw all those out too.” He closed the cabinets and turned to face me. I set the mug down into the sink before reaching into the drawer and grabbing a tea bag. I ripped it out of its case and placed it in another mug. I turned to him. “Here.”

“Thanks.” His fingers grazed mine lightly before I let go of the handle.

I stepped back and said nothing.

He turned the kettle on, waiting for water to come to a boil. “I’m going to be taking my parents to therapy tomorrow and then we’ll be going into town. I was wondering if you would like to come?”

“I have work.”

He nodded. “Okay then, well I’m planning on making dinner tomorrow so if you have any—”

“What are you doing, Logan?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

The kettle turned off and he poured the water into the mug. “What do you mean?” He knew exactly what I meant.

“I can’t do this with you. Not anymore.” He had said those exact words to me months ago.

He swirled the tea bag around but stopped to look at me with raised eyebrows. “Can’t do what, Doll?”

My jaw twitched. That damn nickname. “Rosetta.”

“What?” He appeared as if I slapped in the face. Ironic how many times it felt like he had slapped me.

I let out a sarcastic laugh. “You don’t get to act like everything is fine when we both know it’s far from that.”

His eyes dropped down to his tea. “I just thought after last night. . .”

“What? That you would move back in here and everything would be okay between us? That I would fall at your feet again and believe every lie you spit?”

He shut his eyes and shook his head. “No, that’s not what—” He lifted one hand as if to touch me but thought better of it.

I stepped forward, hands on hips. “Then what? Did you think I would welcome you with open arms? If it were up to me, you would be gone.” I stopped abruptly, not realizing I said the last part out loud.

He peered up at me. Anger on full display. “Then why let me say?” His eyes struggled to stay gray.

“Because I can’t go on one more day with your parents looking at me like I forced you into prison—like I killed you. I can’t let you rot in that damn cell knowing it was because of me that you stayed there for so long.” My eyes burned. “I’m not heartless enough to take away your home. I just wanted you to be honest with me and you made me feel guilty last night.”

He struggled to maintain his composure. Eyes and teeth fighting to stay humane. “I was honest yesterday. Rosetta, I lo—”

I shook my head violently. “No. You can’t say that and think it’s okay—that we’re okay when we clearly aren’t. It’s too late for that.”

His hand braces the island table. “I’m sorry, please, Rosetta. J-just let me make it right.”

“I don’t love you anymore, Logan!” My throat burned as I tried to stop crying. Wisps of hair hitting my face from the cold wind. Bile threated to rise as the lie came out of my mouth.

In an instant his eyes turned completely gold. Not a fleck of gray in sight. With a gut-wrenching growl that shook me to my core, he hurled the mug across the kitchen, shattering it to a million pieces behind me.

I held my breath, as I watched him breathing heavily, shoulders hunched. I whimpered and hugged myself. This was like having my heart torn apart again. “I promised myself years ago that I wouldn’t go through this again.” My voice was too quiet, too scared to speak any louder.

His jaw tightened. “I’m not like the human you were with.”

I sneered. “No. You’re worse.” I glared into his eyes, unveiling every feeling of hate and offering it to him.

His eyes returned to gray as they rounded with regret. His arms reaching out to me. “Rosetta--”

I took a step back, my body exhausted. “You and me,” I gestured between us. “We’re done. You mean nothing to me. Not anymore.” I turned around and walked right back up the stairs, not waiting for his respond.