Souls Entwined

Chapter Twenty-Nine

'That's not fair.' I scowled and dug my nails into the palm of my hand as I stared at him.

'I gave you space, Elle, and I'm done.' He admitted as his chest deflated. He took a step back and then another. 'You're not allowed to hate me anymore.'

I reared back, 'What?' I cried out, following him step for step as he paced away from me. 'You can't tell me what to do!'

'I can if it pertains to your safety.' He said snootily, unwrapping the bindings around his wrists. 'And if I have to deal with your stubborn ass hating me for one more day, I might just murder you.'

'Fallyn! Did you hear how he is speaking to me?'

Fallyn was wise enough not to comment.

'Real mature, Elliot.' Jacobi huffed, moving steadily as he packed up the equipment. 'You're stuck with us, Elle. I know you. You will become our Luna because no one is better for the job. No one will care as much as you will. I am not going anywhere, and I will not stop trying to get you to realise that we both made some terrible decisions these last few years. Maybe I should have told you, but if you can forgive Kaden, you can forgive me. You needed someone to blame. After everything that happened, Kaden was your safety net, so I understand why you didn't push him away to alleviate some of the pain, but I am sick of being the person who has taken the brunt of it all. It's not fair, Elle.'

He hefted his bag over his broad shoulders and started back towards the packhouse. He didn't bother looking back as he marched past his packmates.

***

I didn't seek Kaden out because I wasn't childish enough to think that my petty squabbles were more important than the million other things he had to do. Instead, I forced myself to sit and reflect for twenty minutes and then forced Fallyn to spar with me until my time for training was over.

Then I sat with Iris as she looked over some paperwork. That was another wasted hour since she had just told me to sit against the wall and said nothing as I stewed in my anger. I had forty minutes for lunch before Kaden and I had a meeting, so I grabbed food before heading into the forest with Fallyn leading the way.

'You're not going to say anything.' I grumbled around a bite of my sandwich.

Fallyn snorted, 'I'm not paid enough to give my opinion on shit like that. You're my future Luna, and Jacobi is my Gamma. Whatever I say will offend someone.'

'Good,' I grumbled, offering her an apple.

We stalked through the forest silently. Fallyn was following a barely visible path which I would have gotten lost on if I had been the one leading us.

'So,' Fallyn started, and my muscles locked up tight at the tone of her voice. 'Have you given much thought to university?'

I released a breath and shrugged even though she couldn't see me. She strode effortlessly over the foliage. Years spent training and running patrols here meant it was as familiar as walking down a concrete path. She had an athletic build, sleek muscles, and a toned body that made it obvious she looked after herself, but it was deceptively simple for a woman as dangerous as Fallyn was. 'Yeah.'

She held back a branch for me, pausing to let me catch my breath. 'Are you going to do it?'

I chewed my lip as I wondered how much I wanted to admit. Kaden knew, but he also wouldn't condemn me for my choices or for changing my mind if I decided it wasn't something I could do. Saying it aloud made it more real, but maybe that wasn't bad. Finally, I nodded and quietly admitted, 'Via correspondence.' I continued walking, prompting Fallyn to fall in step with me as I explained. 'I'm going to do Business Management. I think it will be more valuable than a Law degree, and I can always ask someone to assist me with the legal side. It's also what I'm most familiar with. I wasn't technically managing the hotel, but I helped occasionally.'

'There is no harm in giving it a go,' Fallyn jumped over a log and then helped me over. 'It'll be a lot to take on while you're trying to get used to being a Luna, but I reckon you'd do alright at both.'

My brow pinched, and I faltered. Fallyn, realising I had fallen back a step, slowed. 'You think I could do both?'

She didn't get the chance to reign in her expression, her eyes widening and her lips parting. It lasted only a second, and by the time I blinked, her face had returned to its stoic nature. 'You were going to wait?'

I could feel the headache beginning to form behind my eyes. 'I didn't want to stretch myself too thin, and I still have lots to learn.'

'Want to know how I learn?' Fallyn asked, and without waiting for an answer, she barreled on. 'I do things. I know you and I didn't have much to do with each other, but I remember you being similar. You learnt best if you could do it yourself.'

'Maybe. But this is different,' I confessed, holding back a groan as my foot sunk deep enough in the mud to squelch in my shoes. 'Usually, there were safeguards. If an experiment went wrong in science, sprinklers and fire extinguishers existed. If I made a mistake in maths, it was easy enough to erase it and try again. If I had a debate in Legal Studies, there weren't seven hundred people who could be impacted by every decision I made.'

'You do have got safeguards, though.' Fallyn declared, 'And it's not as if you make every decision yourself. In fact, that would almost never happen. Rylan is your Beta, and until he finds his soulmate, he will support you and Kaden. Once he has found his soulmate, his primary role will be to support Kaden, but that does not mean he will not help you if needed. His soulmate will be your Beta. If it involves the safety of our people, Jacobi will consult, but from what I heard, he is willing to help in any way he can. The elders will be consulted for nearly everything else. Honestly, you'll be sick of all the people that go into making a decision. And then, of course, you've got Kaden. You can always ignore everyone else's voices, but unless you go to Selene and get her blessing, you and Kaden will always have to make the decision together.'

'If so many people are making decisions, then why does it matter if I finish the degree first.' I asked, not wanting to be difficult but trying to see it from a different perspective.

Fallyn stopped, turning on the narrow path until we were face to face, nearly touching. 'You can never repeat this to anyone, especially while she is still Luna. You saw how it was with Iris. Kaden hasn't even been Alpha for three months, and they're already disagreeing. She has something against you. I don't know whether it's because she can see you're about to strip her of her title or because you're human. If Kaden sides with you and not her, she will rebel. I don't know if the pack will survive three years of tension between our Alpha and Luna.'