Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

A lena stumbled into the backroom of the diner, her heart shattering into a million jagged pieces. Zane's words echoed in her mind, each one a cruel twist of the knife.

"It was a mistake. We're done. Get it through your head, little girl. It was nothing."

How could he say such things? After all the dreams they'd built together? And the worst words of all, "Stay away!" Had it really meant so little to him? Was he just playing her? In for the conquest, and that was it?

Kelly rushed to her side, concern etched on her face. "Alena, what happened? Are you okay?"

But Alena couldn't speak; her throat ached from the tears she was holding back. She shook her head, a broken sob escaping her lips. "It's over. He doesn't want me. Doesn't want us. I…" she stammered. "I just don't understand… It makes no sense! I thought we were…"

Her bear keened within her, the primal bond to their mate stretching and fraying under the weight of Zane's rejection.

Kelly gathered her into a fierce hug, murmuring soothing nonsense as Alena wept. "Slow down, tell me what happened. It's going to be all right. We'll figure this out, I promise."

But how could anything be all right again?

Her bear's instincts surged to the forefront, a desperate need to keep her unborn child safe from the chaos and heartbreak. It felt like the walls of the little breakroom were closing in on her. She had to get away, had to find somewhere to hide and lick her wounds. Still, it just made no sense…

Suddenly, the door burst open, startling them both. Archer and Brandon stormed in, their faces full of anger, but also concern.

"Have you been seeing him? Zane? A dragon, Alena? What were you thinking?" Archer demanded, his voice shaking with a mixture of surprise, frustration, and outrage.

Alena flinched, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "It's not… you don't understand," she whispered, her voice hoarse and broken.

"Oh, we understand plenty," Brandon spit. "He's using you, Alena. Trying to get to us through you."

Archer cut him off. "Easy, Brandon, she's still my sister. Show some respect."

Brandon instantly stepped back a little, "You saw what they did to my tools, Archer," he said in a more measured tone.

"I saw what someone did, yes, but even if it was a dragon, that had nothing to do with my sister."

"She was with a dragon!"

"I'm not saying I'm happy about it, but let's just take it down a notch, all right?"

This seemed to calm Brandon down a little.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Alena," Archer asserted. "And Misty Vale is no place for Dragons and Bears to be getting tangled up together! Especially not with a Livingstone!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Arch!" Alena practically yelled, anger coming into her voice. "He's not like you think. And Zane and I… we…" But the words stuck in her throat. How could she possibly explain the depth of her feelings for Zane? The crazy bond she had felt? What did it matter now?

I'm such a fool…

"You were at the meeting," Archer said, his tone softening slightly. "You saw what happened. Everything is going to shit. The whole town is falling apart. You have to be more careful, Lena. You have to stay away from Livingstone and his kind."

Something snapped inside Alena, a white-hot surge of anger and despair. "Well, that won't be hard. You heard him, he told me that himself. And I don't know why I am trying to explain any of it to you two," she snarled, her hands curling into fists. "You won't listen. You'll never listen."

Archer and Brandon exchanged a glance, taken aback by her sudden vehemence. "Alena…"

But she pushed past them, her vision blurred with tears as she moved through the main dining area. She couldn't do this anymore. Couldn't stay in this town, suffocating under the weight of a stupid fight that had nothing to do with her. It had nothing to do with anything!

Fuck all of it. And to think I believed my stupid Trash Hike would do anything. It was another stupid idea that would never happen, just like her nature center and mapped out trails. Because she was leaving.

I am indeed a fool.

Her bear paced restlessly within her, urging her on. Alena stumbled out of the diner, ignoring the startled looks from patrons and staff alike. She made it back to her small cabin on the outskirts of town, her mind racing and her heart pounding.

With shaking hands, she grabbed a suitcase and began throwing clothes and essentials inside.

I can't stay here. Not one more night. Nothing felt safe anymore. Nothing and no one. Tears streamed down her face as she packed, each item a painful reminder of the life she was leaving behind.

Stop whining and don't go victimizing yourself.

Right. She couldn't afford to fall apart. She had to be strong, for herself and for their baby. She had to find a way forward, even if it meant starting over somewhere new. Job number one was to just get out so she could clear her head. She could certainly afford a motel somewhere for a few days.

Alena zipped up the suitcase with trembling fingers, a sob catching in her throat. Dammit. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

She'd truly believed that her love for Zane could overcome any obstacle, could bridge the gap between their warring clans. What a fool she'd been. But even as despair threatened to swallow her whole, a tiny spark of hope flickered to life in her chest. Their baby, the precious life growing inside her, was proof that something had existed between them. Perhaps with time, she would know exactly what it had been.

How had it all gone so wrong? Just yesterday, she'd been full of hope, convinced that Kiki's confession would change everything. That she and Zane could finally be together, openly and without fear.

Enough. She had to stop this obsessing. You need to focus, Lena. You can do this.

"Looks like it's just you and me now, little one," she whispered, placing a hand over her still-flat stomach. A single tear tracked down her cheek as she felt the desolation of it all overcome her. "Just you and me against the world. Just a stop at the market to load up on supplies, and then we are outta here."