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Chapter 137: Ayla
I woke up around two in the morning. The house was quiet. The only sound was Theo’s
soft breathing next to me. I gingerly moved his arm from my waist and slipped out of bed.
I made my way to the kitchen, pulling a glass from the cabinet for water.
“Ayla…”
I nearly jumped. My hand went to my chest as it took a second to recognize Kylee’s voice.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I turned to her. “It’s fine. I’m a little on edge still, I guess.
Kylee nodded.
“What are you doing up?” I asked.
“I can’t sleep,” she said with a shrug. “I… I’ve had a lot to think about.”
“I would think so,” I replied.
She let out a shaky sigh. “Ayla, I think I should stay here.”
I set my glass down on the counter, waiting to see if she would continue or if I could go
back to bed.
“I don’t know what to do, Ayla,” she explained. “I am so ashamed of myself, but I also still
feel hurt. Two months ago, I was planning my mating ceremony. I thought I had my future
all figured out. Now, that’s gone, and I have to find a way to come to terms with the
person I’ve become. It hurts.”
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I started to turn away from her. Two months ago, I would have taken her in my arms and
told her how I would make everything right. I didn’ t have that inclination anymore, I
couldn’t give her what she wanted.
“I know you’re the last person I should be talking to about this,” she rushed, grabbing my
arm. “I know you don’t deserve to hear it, but I… I just don’t know what to do.”
I exhaled heavily. “You can be hurt, Kylee,” I said. “You just can’t blame it on me.”
Kylee winced. “I know,” she conceded. “My head understands that, but the rest of me
doesn’t want to accept it. That’s why I think it’s best if I stay here. Ma told me what you
said to her. How you want her to go to rehab and stuff. To get better so she can make
things up to you. I think I need to take some time to do the same.
“Okay,” I said. “I think that would be a good idea.”
I dumped the water in the sink and rinsed the glass, heading toward the bedroom.
“Ayla,” Kylee stopped me, “Ma said that you would forgive her someday. Do you think
you’ll ever be able to forgive me?”
I shrugged. “Probably,” I said. “But I don’t think that’s what you need to focus on.”
“What do you mean?”
“My forgiveness isn’t for your benefit,” I said. “If I forgive you, it’s because I’m ready to
move on and heal. If you find comfort in me forgiving you, great. But my forgiveness is for
me. And that doesn’t mean I’ll accept you back in my life, Kylee. I will probably let Ma
come home if she wants. But that’s because I know I enabled her.
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Doesn’t matter what the reasons were. I did. You didn’t learn to be selfish from me, Kylee.”
“I know,” she agreed.
“I don’t know what changed with you, Kylee,” I continued. “But I know I taught you better.
I may not have been there as much as I should have, but I know what our time together
was like. I don’t think you’re this person. Or, at least, I don’t believe you were this person
three years ago. You might want to figure out if this is who you want to be.”
She shook her head. “It’s not. I don’t want to hurt people, Ayla.”
“Then you need to figure out how to change that,” I insisted. “And don’ t think staying
here means you can just live off of Alpha Harden’s Kindness. You want to show me you
want to change, then you need to actually make some changes. You’re twenty years old.
It’s time that you pulled your weight. If you want to go back to school, fine. But you’re
going to find a way to pay for it. If you have to get a job, get a job. If you’re going to stay
close to Ma, then you’re going to have to step in and help her stick to the program. It’s
your turn to take care of the family, Kylee. Because right now, I’m not a part of it.”
Silent tears ran down her face. Her eyes shifted from me to the hallway. Theo was
standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. He was looking at Kylee with
uncomfortable disdain. I’m not sure if he would ever be comfortable having Kylee around,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmand I couldn’t blame him. Whether she realized it at the time or not, she took advantage
of him in a vulnerable state.
I turned back to my sister.
“And I won’t make any promises for the future,” I told her. “I won’t do anything that puts
my mate in an unpleasant situation. If Theo doesn’t want you living near us, then you
won’t.”
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“I understand,” she said. “I… I will do my best, Ayla. I promise.”
She stepped closer to me tentatively, moving in to hug me. I hugged her back gently,
letting her take this last bit of comfort from me. Maybe she would take hope from it.
“I love you, Ayla,” she whispered.
I pulled away, holding her shoulders. “Go get some sleep.”
She returned to the room she shared with Ma, shutting the door behind her. Theo came up
behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“You okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“You did what you could, babe,” he said. “The rest is up to her. Now, come back to bed.”
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