Chapter Forty Nine
ISABELLA
“You know, she is right.” I said to Thane, I knew he was considering staying in another room; that wouldn’t be ideal, and I wasn’t suggesting this only because I wanted to be in the same room with him.
I settled on the bed in my nightgown, and maybe I had gone a little overboard with picking something sexy, but Thane didn’t even seem to notice, and a part of me felt slightly… disappointed.
I still believed this could work; Thane loved us both, and he could have us both. I wouldn’t mind the time he spent with Riley as long as he was going to be with me too. It might seem pathetic, but I had already come to terms with the fact that she would always be a part of his life.
She helped him recover from the state I left him in, and for that I was grateful.
I watched Thane settle on the couch.
“What are you doing?” I questioned.
“Taking a nap,” he responded as if that wasn’t clear.
“You don’t have to sleep on the couch; join me on the bed.”
“The fact that we share a room doesn’t mean a damn thing; that doesn’t make us partners, and I don’t think sharing a bed is necessary, right?”
“Thane… What happened to you? I mean, you are nothing like I remember.”
“What did you remember? A lovesick puppy? I was a lovestruck child then, of course
changed.”
“No, you were not a child; you were a man, a man who was willing to do anything to make me happy.”
“I had been willing to do that, but then it turned out you kept secrets from me. Do you know what I went through after your death?”
“It must have been hard, I know.”
“It wasn’t just ‘hard‘; it was terrifying. I had given up, the pain was too much to bear, and I had to doom my own Beta to a life of loneliness. Things never did remain the same, Isabella.”
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+25 BONUS
Chapter Forty Nine
“I’m sorry.”
“That doesn’t fix things.”
“I know, I wanted to live; I wanted to spend more time with you, but I couldn’t, and you have every right to hate me because I deserve it.”
“I don’t hate you; of course it wasn’t your fault. You died; life happens. It was my fault, I didn’t move on.”
“You know you don’t have to choose between the both of us; you can have us both. You won’t be the first Alpha to have two mates.
“I don’t want to have the both of you, what I feel for you, it’s all tied to the mate bond, with Riley it’s different, what I feel for her is real.”
“But I am your mate; you’ve loved me once; you can love me again. Thane, you are all I think about; I can’t live without you…‘
“Just stop.”
“I love you, Thane. Why else would I keep hanging around even if it’s clear you both want me out? Why do you think I keep helping you? What I feel for you, it hasn’t changed one bit since all those years past.‘
“It had been over a decade, Isabella. I don’t feel the same way, and I want you to know that I will never choose you over her, not when I am in my right senses.”
His words struck me deep, hitting a place I’d tried to keep protected, and a tear rolled down my cheek. “I wished I remained dead. I seem to always be some kind of pest, a mere discomfort to everyone.” I whispered, shutting my eyes to avoid more tears from escaping.
“You’re not, and I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel that way.”
“It’s fine. Goodnight, Thane.”
“Goodnight, Bella.”
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