SWNOVELS Chapter 66
Chapter 66: Theo
I didn’t bother going back into the main house. I headed back to finish setting up the swing for my parents. I needed a few minutes to pull myself together. Seeing that ring made me want to rip someone’s throat out. But it was a knee-jerk reaction, and I needed to keep my head. I had to think things through.
Our bond was still there. It was still broken, but it was there.
That meant something.
And I didn’t know what it meant. I assumed, but I didn’t know. Besides, if I was going to do this, I couldn’t try to compete with Kingston. I couldn’t make this about him. I couldn’t think about him. This was about Ayla.
I was almost done with the swing and still deep in thought when my mother came out.
“Son…” she said tentatively.
I sighed but didn’t stop working. “You could have told me, Mom,” I said. “At least given her a day. She was ambushed in there.”
“You’re probably right,” she said. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure how you would react if you found out she was here without me telling you. I didn’t want you to scare her.”
“Ha,” I snorted. “I guess you didn’t see the way she looked at me in there. She was scared anyway.”
“I did,” she said solemnly. “That was a little surprising.”
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“Really?” I said bitterly. “After what I did?”
“What did she say when you helped her with her stuff?”
“She said she wasn’t here for me and that it should be easy for us to avoid each other,” I said. I looked back at my mom. “I told her she must not know you very well.”
We both grinned at that, my mom shaking her head. My dad’s voice drifted over to us, followed by Ayla’s. We looked to see them on the back porch carrying trays covered in foil. Dad led her over to the grill and popped it open.
“Come on,” Mom said. “Let’s go help.”
I shook my head. “I’m going to finish up here. Give her a little space right now. You go visit.”
I kept working until my dad called me over once dinner was ready. I joined him by the grill as Ayla finished setting the patio table. My mom came out with a large salad and instructed me to grab a bottle of wine from inside. My parents had installed a wine cellar a couple years after they bought the house, so I headed downstairs to grab the one she wanted. When I returned, they were getting settled in at the table.
I took my seat next to Ayla, making sure not to sit too close. It didn’t want to crowd her. Dad placed a steak on each of our plates, and we all started to pass dishes of sides. The conversation was casual (at least for them) and consisted of many questions about Ayla’s new home in Sablemane.
She told us about her friend Emma and her new job. She answered any questions about Kingston, but I had noticed that she had turned the ring inside her palm to make it less conspicuous. It hurt to hear about her life away from me and the pack, but I was glad she was thriving.
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It seemed to make my dad happy as well. A weight seemed to have lifted from him, and he seemed more lively than he had since he found out Ayla had cut her tether. It gave me a sense of peace. Whatever happened between Ayla and me, Dad would be okay.
Ayla was patient with all their questions, but eventually, she started to steer the conversation toward my parents and pack news. I answered some of the questions but, for the most part, stayed quiet. By the end of the meal, we were all laughing as Mom and Dad told some of the stories they wanted included in the book. It helped relieve some of the tension between us. It was nearly dark out when my mom stood and started to clear the table. Ayla and I both stood to help her.
“Well, this just makes me look bad,” Dad teased.
“You stay and rest, Dad,” I said.
“Yeah, I think we can handle the dishes without you, Alpha Torin,” Ayla said kindly.
She grabbed his plate with a smile and went to the kitchen. I noticed my father glance between us curiously, and I moved to pick up the rest of the tableware. Ayla was helping Mom at the sink when I came in. I set everything down and started to pull out containers for the leftovers.
“I can handle this, sweetie,” Mom said to Ayla. “I’m sure you must be tired after traveling all day. You go get some rest.”
“I don’t mind…”
“I know, but I’m perfectly fine. Now, go.” Mom gave her a hug and shooed her out of the kitchen.
She said goodnight and left me and my mother alone in the kitchen. My mom went back to washing the dishes. The evening had been so nice. It was so close to feeling right. I didn’t think I had felt Ayla’s
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absence as strongly as I did then. I stood for a moment before I couldn’t take it anymore and rushed after her.
I caught up with her as she reached the guest house door.
“Ayla,” I called, stopping only a couple steps away from her. She turned to face me. “Can we please talk?”
She looked worried for a moment. “Theo, I told you, I’m not here for you.”
“I know,” I rushed. “I understand that, but there are still some things I want to clear up.”
“You really don’t have to,” she said, raising her hands. “I get that you’ ve moved on. I have, too.”
“What?” My stomach dropped. Did she think I still didn’t want her? “Ayla, I haven’t moved on. I never moved on. I…”
Her eyes went wide and her breathing quickened.
“I can’t…” she choked, backing up to the door. “Don’t do this to me now, Theo. I can’t do this.”
She opened the door and rushed inside. I closed the distance, but the door shut in my face. I gripped the doorjamb, resting my forehead against the wood as I took deep breaths.
“Ayla,” I said through the door. “Ayla, please. I just want to talk. I’m so sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry for everything. I was wrong. So incredibly wrong. And I hurt an incredible person because of it. I hurt you. I just need you to know that I’m sorry.