Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 116

3 years later.

A large rough, callused thumb runs across the shiny surface of a piece of glass in a frame protecting and immortalizing the most important word ever written. Connection

The rest of the note is long gone. Just that single word cut out and put overlaid on one of the only photos that remains of a happy couple. A sweet moment immortalized. The voice in the room starts again and Connor shakes his head, trying to pay attention to the words he has no interest in hearing.

Connor looks once again at the photo. It is not a staged photo and only side faces can be seen, but to him it is one of his most prized possessions. The girl in a beautiful silver dress with long white blonde hair dancing with a man, looking up at him like he is her entire world, his thumb runs across the word once again.

Connection. He is not sure if it is possible for him to feel a connection with anyone else in the world. It has only ever been her and will only ever be her.

"The council has made the decision. The stormy pack is moving forward too fast. You don't have a luna, you don't have an heir, you are twenty-seven years old this year Alpha Storm. There is no delaying this any longer. You must replace a mate and be with a pup within a year or the council will replace one for you"

Connor leans back on his large leather chair. The space he uses more than a bed. His nights becoming a random drift off within the chair than a standard night of sleep in a bed. After her scent left his bed, there was no need for such things anymore. The room largely unused, it is a glorified closet.

Connor looks at the man in front of him who is trying to look intimidating. He understands that the man is just here to deliver a message, but the message is irrelevant to him.

The council will replace a mate for him? Even if he was forced to take a mate, are they going to force him to make her pregnant? Are they gonna tie him down and make his new luna s*xually assault him? Forced breeding?

Some things in life cannot be forced. He has no such interest in things. He will not allow others to dictate what he can and can't do and who he can be with. They can try and force him but they will not like the results of such things.

"I hear your message but just know I do not appreciate the threat. You can't make me do anything. None of you can make me mate with someone against my will"

"You have to understand...."

Connor slams his fist down on the solid wooden desk, making the thick timber shudder under the impact. Connor stands to glare at the man. Connor has increased in size. His already large mass has filled out even more pure rippling muscles. A pure perfect powerhouse.

His aura is enough to keep the man seated and shivering as he stares at the alpha in front of him. Connor uses his intimidating height and size to get his point across.

"No, you have to understand that I would rather stand down from my position and lose my pack than mate with anyone else. It is only ever her. It will only ever be her" "Well, I don't understand why you don't just replace her?"

Connor chuckles darkly, the years of no sleep giving a constant dark outline to his eyes, which is the only thing that mars the perfect face. His voice has a hint of ruthlessness in it, while filled with so much sarcasm, it is practically dripping.

"Oh why didn't I think of that? You are such a genius, I will just walk out the backyard and I will replace her. If it was just f*cking easy she wouldn't have even been away from me for a single night....... now get out"

The man doesn't have to be told twice as he scurries out of the room questioning whether he truly has alpha blood. The way that Connor makes him feel, he feels like a mouse in front of an elephant. Connor glares heavily at the door that the man escaped through.

Just replace her?

Connor feels like he is scoured the entire Earth looking for her. It is not as if he's dealing with some average she wolf. She is highly trained, highly elusive and has the backing of an incredibly powerful and protective group.

If she was so easy to replace, she would be right here by his side now. Connor looks at the very empty luna desk that has been sitting empty for its entire life. He ordered it when Leilani went out on her first mission away from stormy pack and she never even got a chance to see it. Falling far short of being able to sit at it or hold the title.

There has been many days where he is thought of just throwing it away because he was hurt very much that day too.

The fact that she left without saying goodbye like she promised she never would again. Yes, this time he had her number but that does nothing to help him when she disconnected the number.

She didn't give him a chance to speak. She didn't give him a chance to choose.

Some days he gets down and thinks that way, but most of the days he knows exactly why she did what she did and that is because she is the person that she is.

She is perfect. She is selfless. She is everything that he has ever wanted.

But because she is that way is exactly why she left.

It hurts so bad that sometimes he feels like just collapsing on the ground and never getting up again. Sometimes the loneliness is so severe. It is the only thing that reminds him of what it was like to be with her, the time apart has far outweighed their time together, yet it is the only thing that is of importance.

Sometimes he feels like the only time he lived was in that short period. When he was with her was the only time he lived for himself instead of living for everyone else.

Connor tries to get back to work but all that keeps running through his head is the word Luna and the word heir.

It is impossible, it can only ever be one. It can only ever be Leilani.

It was true when he said he would rather step down from his position than to mate with someone that is pushed upon him, but if that was to happen, then his life would be so meaningless. The only thing that keeps him going now is driving the pack forward. If he loses that and still doesn't have Lani, where does it leave him? It leaves him with nothing at all.

He gazes at the photo once again, looking at the girl who was looking up at him with loving eyes, while this photo that Harvey took is amazing. Connor curses himself so many times that they didn't make more of an effort to take more photos. All he has left of their relationship that is actually tangible is this. It is the only thing that proves that the happiest period of his life wasn't just a dream. His memories are what keeps him sane, the memories of what they shared, their moments together, that feeling. "Lani, I can't even bring myself to let you go. It can only ever be you"

Connor's thumb runs down the photo over her hair like he can feel the softness, over her skin like he can feel a supple bounce.

He sighs as he stands up and stretches. Maybe he should go train. The pack has moved forward another twelve places in the pack standings that have just been released, which was mostly brought on by Connor's hard work. His whole life has been dedicated to his work. Trying to forget his love, trying to take away from some of the hurt and trying not to get lost in the bone crippling loneliness.

While it is good that the pack has progress so far, it is also what has spurred the council thinking they need to get involved in his affairs. The pack is just getting larger and larger, eating up struggling packs and gaining more land.

The Stormy pack is the first choice for those who want to transfer packs, the members growing just as fast as the land itself. The business is a booming going from strength to strength and everyone within the stormy pack lives a good life. But there is the glaring fact that there is not a luna.

There is no one to be able to lead the pack when Connor is gone. Even though twenty-seven doesn't sound that old. It is in the werewolf world because future alphas usually don't take the pack until at least nineteen or twenty years old. So, by then, Connor will be getting on in age and will be getting past his prime, no longer able to be leading such a sizable pack and that is only if they stop dead now with no more progress. If they keep going at the rate they are going, it won't be long till it is the biggest pack. Connor clicks on his calendar application and presses the across arrow to the following month, as it is the last day of the month already. The months have flown by and the years have dragged on. It is hard to know whether it is hard to believe that she has been gone for three years or more believable that she has been gone for an eternity.