The pain she felt was unlike anything she has ever dealt with. Part of her heart was taken out and crushed as she watched Tyler's back fading into the darkness with no hope of ever seeing or being a front of him with a smile toward her.It had all made sense to her until now. She was deeply in love with her mate, and it was beyond physical. Her inner walls came crushing. All of it. Her will for revenge was replaced with an urgency for forgiveness. She didn't mind letting go of everything just to be with Tyler once more.Lana was left alone. Broken, she wandered off deep into the island. Not even the tree branches that scratched her skin affected her. Nothing existed anymore. She wanted to feel some other type of pain. She wanted to inflict it on herself. Finding herself under a waterfall, she put her head down, not minding the coldness.The water kept slapping against her skin. Her wailing voice filled the silent night. “Tyler, I'm sorry,” she silently begged, wishing there was a way
There was no need to treat herself to warmth. She went out of the tent and fixed her bath. She was still sobbing.Lana was lost in thought as she immersed herself in the cool, refreshing water. She was so deep in thought that she didn't even hear Tyler's footsteps as he approached.Tyler had been out for a stroll, trying to clear his head. He wanted to avoid Lana but, he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. As he turned a corner, he was stunned to see Lana standing in the water, her back to him.At first, he couldn't look away. Her long, silver hair was cascading down her back, and her curves were accentuated by the way the water clung to her body. He could feel his mate bond igniting within him, urging him to go to her.But he couldn't. He felt that she had hurt him deeply, and he didn't want to make things worse by saying the wrong thing. So, he forced himself to turn around and walk away, ignoring the fierce desire that burned within him.Lana, unaware of Tyler's presence, continue
Tyler kept pacing, his mind unsettled. Although his energy was back to the fullest, and he felt invisible, he somewhat felt lost and in pain, but it wasn't physical. It was rather emotional. His thought drifted to Lana. He could feel her discomfort, hear her sobbing, and scent the shift in her floral smell.He had gone on a walk, thinking it would've helped. He even ended up working out, numerously punching the innocent trees, thinking it would subdue the hurt. Still, it got nowhere. Coming back and accidentally crashing in on Lana taking her bath, awoke all his emotions and dilemma.What even broke him more was the betrayal. He didn't know how to forgive that. All his life, he has been surrounded by disciplined people who feared betraying him because they knew the consequences of doing so.In a bid to cool his head, Tyler opted to take a quick bath too. He took a steady path out of his tent to the waterfall, where he allowed the cold stream of liquid, to cascade down his body. As free
The night was terrible for Lana. She felt guilty so much it kept her awake all night. Little did she know that her moments of twisting and turning led to the day breaking without her getting any sleep. She felt a sense of tension between her and Tyler. She had barely slept at all the previous night, her mind racing with thoughts of their relationship and the future. As she saw him outside, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.Immediately, she dressed in one of the loose tracks and a hoodie, dashing outside. She was prone to trying to get him to probably act differently toward her. “Good morning, Tyler,” she said softly. “Morning,” he replied, not meeting her gaze. Lana could feel her heart sinking. She knew that nothing changed between them, but she still wanted to try harder.“Pack up. We're taking the bikes to the main house,” he said to her.Lana was surprised by the proposal, but she agreed to go along with it. “Sure, that sounds like a good idea,” she said. Fran
Lana's mind was distracted to the point nothing that Aragon or Frankie said made sense to her. She was lost in thought and overwhelmed by emotions. Still, she tried to fake commitment to their conversation until they noticed.“Luna, did you even sleep last night? Your eyebags are visible,” Frankie pointed out, cutting through leaves that opposed their walk.“Yes, I did,” Lana lied, trying to put up a facade. She wasn't going to be vulnerable before these guys again. Put up a show of strength, for as long as it lasted. “Why didn't we change the packhouse to this place after realizing the threat from Annik? Lives would have been saved.”“The timeframe to convey everyone was short,” Frankie explained. “The best thing was to stay back and defend our pack. No matter how we tried to escape, they would've caught up with us.”It wasn't making sense to her, but she didn't want to push further too. “What do you guys know about mindlock?” she suddenly asked.Both of them stopped in their tracks,
“Viktor, I thought you didn't make it,” Lana added, ignoring Tyler's emotionless attitude. “I was so worried about all of you,” she said, her voice shaking.“It's good to have you back,” Kamala hugged her, sobbing uncontrollably.Levi gently slapped Frankie and Aragon across the shoulder. “How did you guys survive?” Tyler finally asked.Leading them through the darkly light tunnel to the full square of the basement, “when they gathered us to set the cells on fire, two of the prisoners they put us with, showed us the crack they've been creating to escape. Collectively, with our powers, we worked faster. Soon, we made it to the hole. As many cubs as we could lead, we led out with those prisoners. When Annik's came back and saw that our cell was empty, they just set it on fire. I'm thinking that they didn't dare report to him that we had escaped for fear of their lives.”The tunnel wasn't brightly lit, but, since they knew their way around, Kamala just led Lana by the hand until they go
Tyler took a quick shower and returned to join them. They went over and over the relocation plan. All the while, they were alert in case of intrusion, occasionally taking turns to go check out the area.Lana brought to light all she learned from the Lowells, encouraging Tyler that they could seek help from these unknown wolves. Who could be trusted was the issue, but it was better to cast their bread on the water with faith than recoil to fighting alone since Annik's power has spread throughout territories.When they finalized, Tyler went around, checking on the cubs before taking the guys to go stand watch. Lana was left with Kamala, who was sadly packing things while occasionally sobbing.From behind, she hugged her. Lana understood that Kamala felt like she was alone. She hadn't really been around to know what happened, so Kamala sat her down and told her everything. Including Katida's betrayal.She felt bad but didn't want Kamala to feel her discomfort as well, adding to her miser
Tyler silently led the survivors back to the Island. The ride was sad, only the waves of the sea slapping hard against the boats. By nightfall, they were at the entrance of the Island. Carefully, the men led others through, driving them on bikes back to the Mansion.As the survivors approached the mansion, they were met with a grand entranceway. The double doors were made of solid oak and stood tall, guarding the entrance to the luxurious home. Tyler led the way, using his keycard to disarm the security system and allow them inside.Even Lana was properly observing the place for the first time, as there was less tension in the air. She was a bit relaxed and far past walking on eggshells.Once inside, the group was awestruck by the opulence of the mansion. The main foyer was adorned with crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and ornate pillars. The living room was equally impressive, with plush velvet sofas, a grand TV set, and floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of