Chapter Une Hundred & Six
Chapter One Hundred & Six
Cai finally let me go at the revelation unfolding before us and took a step towards her. A turn of events that none of us had expected.
As the initial mate bond moment then finally ran its course, so many emotions flashed across his face. A s if you could physically see the different thoughts running through his mind, put on display for everyone i in the room.
Confusion, recognition, happiness... and then quickly followed by guilt, shame, and regret.
And, as he finally tore his eyes away to look at me, I immediately knew what he was thinking.
Because I was partly thinking it too.
Of all the people for Cai to be mated to, only Myra could have made us feel so genuinely terrible about what we did. Or, in Cai‘s case, significantly worse.
Because I‘d slept with my best friend‘s mate… and Cai had also slept with the woman who killed her.
This was... messy.
“Myra... I‘m so happy to see you,” he said, unable to even meet her eyes.
But the look of hurt on Myra‘s face said it all. She didn‘t understand what was happening and Cai‘s reaction to their mate bond was probably only making it worse.
“Cai...? You‘re my... mate?” she asked quietly. “How... how can that be possible? I‘m not ranked.”
However, there wasn‘t any further discussion made on the topic. No, instead Cai quickly turned around, confliction still evident across his features.
“...I‘m so sorry,” was all he said.
And before Myra could say anything else, he instantly started to leave the room.
Or, at least, tried to.
I quickly ran after him, reaching out my hand just as he made it to the door, and caught him before he could get too far.
“Cai,” I hissed quietly to him. “Wait a second.”
“Aria… I can’t... I’m not...,” he started, fumbling for the right words. But I knew what he was trying to say.
I‘m not good enough.’
And I completely understood where he was coming from.
Truthfully, I felt sick at myself too. Somehow, I‘d let Myra convince me that she wasn‘t interested in Cai all those years ago. I should have known better and trusted my instincts. It was so obvious that she had feelings for him. Thinking back now, I wondered if she was just projecting that through me instead, living vicariously from a false belief that she would never have a chance herself. If only she‘d known.
Heven made perfect sense for them to be together. They had the opportunity to meet in high school and would have balanced each other out perfectly; Cai and his old playboy antics would have been straightened out immediately from Myra‘s sweet nature, and Cal would have done wonders for Myra‘s confidence issues. Before her death, she had already been blossoming into a much stronger, more vocal person. Robbed too early of her full potential, she was someone I always said would fit a Luna position perfectly
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Chapter One Hundred & Six
But, more disturbingly, it also held a puzzle piece missing from the timelines.
...Because they were both originally destined to die.
Now things were complicated, a lot of history and errors being made in her absence... but it wasn‘t necessarily impossible to fix.
Especially since now, more than ever, they would need each other,
Cai‘s trust issues ran deep from where Thea had hurt him. I was sure that if it were anyone else standing before him, claiming to be his mate again, that he would be sceptical. Possibly even completely unwilling t o accept it.
But this was Myra.
Someone we both knew extremely well. I knew he had his own form of close friendship with her, the two o f them exchanging letters even after he returned home. For a period of time, Myra was probably closer to Cai than I was
So, if anyone was able to help him let go, move on, and be happy... it was Myra.
Myra, who had never held a grudge or ill wish against anyone, and the kindest person I had ever met.
Myra, who would be understanding and forgiving of the struggles he endured.
...Myra, who also just so happened to need someone supporting her through the beginning of her new life. A probably traumatic experience after more than two years absent. She would benefit greatly from Cai helping her adjust and warm up to all the changes.
No, they were still perfectly balanced.
In fact, I couldn‘t think of a better fit.
“I get it,” I said to him, moving to grab his hands gently. “But I think if you walk out that door right now, you‘ll regret it for the rest of your life. The worst possible thing you could do is ruin this moment before you‘ve even given her a chance to decide.”
“Aria...,” he said, teeth gritted.
“She needs you, Cai,” I pressed. “Be the man she thinks you are and show her you‘re not defined by your past mistakes. I think you‘ll find she‘s more forgiving than you realise. This is Myra, after all, a girl who has been in love with you since we were fourteen.”
He closed his eyes and frowned, still unsure, but after another few moments had passed, he finally nodded. Taking what I said to heart, he straightened back up, took a deep breath, and rubbed his face to refocus.
“Okay... okay,” he said. “I‘ll just... I‘ll just go back there then... ahhh, how do I look?”
I laughed and took a step away to observe his appearance.
“You look like your only friend died three days ago and you haven‘t slept since,” I joked, remarking on his more rugged condition. “Aww, how sweet of you. I‘m flattered.”
He just nodded his head, clearly too nervous to actually listen to what I was saying. A first for Cai, I was sure. I doubted any woman had ever made him so self–conscious before but I knew the pressure would b e immense.
“Alright, stop stalling,” I smiled. “You‘ve already kept her waiting.”
With a final thankful look towards myself, he slowly walked back over to her bed and sat in the chair, closing the curtain before he did so. A chance for them to talk in private and salvage what he had almost
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Lapier Vile Hundred & Six
royally messed up.
“Hey... Myra...,” I could hear him say before he lowered his voice.
And I couldn‘t help but feel a little overwhelmed by how perfect things had worked out.
“I hope those tears aren‘t from being sad,” Aleric suddenly whispered by my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.
“I‘m not crying...,” I started to say, but as I reached a hand up to my face, I realised he was right. “Oh. No... I think these are happy tears.”
I‘d been so caught up by it all, I hadn‘t even realised.
“Come on,” he said, gently tugging my arm to the door. “Give them some space.”
And I knew he was right.
I followed him out, feeling as though I‘d aged another ten years with how intense everything became upon waking up. But it had been worth it. Every second of it.
Now just the two of us, in the silence of the hallway outside, the fatigue was finally catching up with me and I felt my eyes sting from exhaustion.
“Time for snacks and bed?” he asked, watching me fail to stifle a yawn.
I merely nodded, too sleepy to reply, and leaned into him for support.
“Alright, I got you,” he said.
And he picked me up in his arms, walking us back to the car.
I immediately nestled my head into his neck, greedily taking every chance I could get to be close to him. I didn‘t want to waste any time, not even a second. Not after everything we‘d endured to get here.
“So... What are we going to do tomorrow?” he asked quietly as we walked. I could feel the vibrations from his chest as he spoke, making me melt against him more.
But, despite my otherwise preoccupied thoughts, I did take a moment to consider his question. Just a small moment was all I needed before a smile spread across my face.
Because, now living a life of endless possibilities, without Thea or Selene breathing down my neck at every turn, there was only one answer to that.
One very simple answer.
“Tomorrow...?” I repeated. “Tomorrow... we do whatever the hell we want.”
** SIX MONTHS LATER ***
We‘d been in bed all morning, procrastinating all of our duties on possibly the most important day of our hives. But somehow that knowledge had only made it feel all the more exciting.
“Seriously,” I said, though nothing about my tone implied anything remotely serious. “We need to get ready. We‘re going to be late.”
I felt as he then started making his way over my body, planting little kisses everywhere, until he eventually landed by the mark on my neck
- 0.
“You‘re so beautiful,” he said, meeting my gaze in the mirror.
And it was almost enough to make me give in to his incessant badgering.
Almost.
“Nice try.” I said. “Now go get ready.”
He gave me a final smirk before leaving to do as I‘d asked, and before the hour was done, the two of us were finally on our way to the meeting hall.
“Of course,” I replied. “How could I not be? Aren‘t you? Today, we‘ll be making history.”
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