The Cost of Love

Chapter 13

I nod once. So, we can't search for her, she could be anywhere, and hunters could possibly kill her. Great. Panic crawls up my throat like I've never felt before, because what if Saxton finds her and decides to kill her of right then? It would save him a lot of time and energy if my only task is to kill the Alpha. 

Shit. Now it's serious. "We have to find her," I say helplessly to the Alpha. My voice is laced with worry, and I think he can sense it because his eyes soften and he doesn't look so guarded anymore. 

"We will," he says confidently. He pats a hand on my shoulder, awkwardly trying to comfort me. As if he didn't just hate me an hour ago. 

Were the fuck could she be? The forest? She's been warned about hunters. She couldn't possibly be that stupid. Maybe we're all overreacting and she's locked up in her room or something. 

And then it hits me. 

"I like to sit on the roof of the pack house." 

"I know where she is," I say and then take off running. I can hear the Alpha's heavy footsteps following me. Once I reach the front door to the pack house, I sprint a far enough distance so that the roof is fully visible. 

And sure enough, I see a slip of movement. Kiara. 

"Where is she?" the Alpha questions, looking around. I point up to the roof, and he sighs. "She needs to get down. She could fall and get hurt." He looks like he's ready to jog up to the house, so I stop him. 

Without thinking of the consequences, hell, without freaking thinking, I say, "You shouldn't be too hard on her." 

A hesitation. And then he's running his hands over his slight stubble, sighing once more. "I know. But she's my only daughter, my only heir. It's imperative that she's protected." 

"She'll become a great Luna. I can see it. But not with you hovering over her every second." Wow, I must be on a roll here. I seriously need to shut the hell up. 

But the Alpha doesn't scream, or tell me to get the hell out of his pack. He simply looks at me, eyes simply narrowed, and I know he's annoyed. 

"I'm not going to stop worrying about her," he says, "But I'll try to stop hovering so much. If you promise me one thing."

I nod, regreting my parenting advice instantly. I mean, who am I to tell him how to raise his daughter?

"I need your word that you'll always protect her. You'd put your life in front of hers anyday, because we both know she's more important. Her safety comes first. Promise me that."

I feel a growing pain in my chest, because I want to tell him so bad-- I want to tell him about the plan. But Saxton would kill them all before I even get out the first syllable. So I gulp down the lies and say, "I will."

We stare down at each other until he seems satisfied. He motions with his head up to the roof. "Go," he says. "Make sure she's okay. I'll stay out of it."  

I climb the walls of the house with great difficulty. I mean, you'd have to be freaking five feet tall to fit in these spaces. When I get close enough to the top, I can see her clearly. She's sitting on the edge, her head resting on her knees. She's still in her dress from the pack dinner, which feels like hours ago.

"Oh Rapunzel, let down your hair," I attempt to joke as I scramble up the last few notches until I'm fully standing ont he roof.  She smiles softly, but doesn't look my way, seeming to be mesmerized by the bright orange sunset. 

"Let me guess, my dad sent you up here," she replies, her voice sounding raspier than usual. 

I sit down next to her, propping my knees up so I can place my wrists on them. "No, I wanted to. Everyone thinks you've run away. You scared the shit out of us. Out of me."

"I'm sorry," she whispers, her eyes never leaving the sky.

I raise an eyebrow. "Want to talk about it?" My voice has an edge I never saw coming. I just hate that bastard, Adrian. How dare he claim to be Kiara's best friend, then make her so upset?

She puts her head in her hands for a moment. "No," she says. And I don't fight her on it. Because frankly, if I find out what Adrian did right now I would have no hesitation to go up to him and rip his heart out. "It's funny," she continues. "I thought for sure I was going to run away like I always do. I was going to run straight for the forest and I didn't care about anyone trying to stop me. But then I just... I didn't. I came here instead. I didn't want to leave."

"It's normal not to want to run away. This is your home."  

She turns towards me, her eyes soft. "No, it's really not. I used to always talk about escaping this place. Always thinking about it, always dreaming about it. I would take off and go wherever I please." I nod, encouraging her to go on. "But now when I close my eyes, I'm with you, Connor. And it feels like the ultimate dream." 

Needless to say, I didn't expect her to say that. My breath caught in my throat, and I could only sit there staring at her. 

She turns away, looking at the sunset again. And I can see the outline of her silhouette, causing me to notice little things about her. The shadows her eyelashes cast on her cheeks, the curve of her nose, the strands of hair brushing against her collar bone. And let's not forget the bite mark, still red, low on her neck. Gazing at her as she watches the sunset, unknowingly smiling at the view, I'm overcome with a sense of calm. It should ease me, but I'm only more worried because I'm never off my guard. But I don't know who could be able to stand strong when she's looking so vulnerable like that, so serene. 

I want to grab her and kiss the daylights out of her, maybe run my hands through her hair, down the length of her. But I don't dare touch her. She's too precious for me to do that, for me to tarnish her with my touch. I'm a monster, and she's fucking beautiful. 

All the secrets and lies suddenly surface, and I think This has gone too far. I need to tell her. I need to tell her before she really gets hurt. 

"Kiara, I-" I start, and the words die in my throat. I can only stare at her, a pained expression etched on my face. Because if I tell her, it would all be over. She would hate me, fucking hate me, and I would lose her. I can't lose her. 

She looks over at me, the warmth still evident in her eyes. "What?" she murmurs, the wind making her hair frame her face like a fucking halo.

"Nothing." And before I can even think about it, I'm pulling her to me. She folds into my arms so easily, and I unconsciously tighten them around her because I don't ever want her to leave. I duck my head so I can place my lips on her shoulder, trailing up to her collar bone. Her small frame shivers, and I pull back to grin at her. She smiles back and cups her hands around my face. 

We're so close that our chests are touching. And as I lean in towards her, my thoughts cease to exist, and the only thing my brain seems to know how to do is get closer to her. But there's one thought in the back of my mind that won't seem to go away. 

It screams at me saying, "You're selfish, Connor. Fucking selfish."

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I uploaded!!!!!! *Hoorayy*

I'm in a sappy mood, hence the sappy chapter. I hope it makes up for the time I was gone...

So what do you think will happen? Connor's pretty screwed... But the Alpha seems to be warming up to him :) 

Thanks to anyone keeping up with this story, I really appreciate it! 

Please don't forget to Fan/Vote/Comment and enjoy :).