The joy of seeing Mike doesn't last very long. After he tells me the purpose of his visit, he and Claire get into a seemingly never-ending argument.
"It's too late," Claire says.
"Enough with your theatrics, Claire," Mike says. "And you're not the only one who gets to decide this. Did you even ask Rose what she wants?"
"Don't you dare tell me that. I know better than anyone else what's on her mind. She feels the same about it. Our answer is no," Claire says.
Mike ignores her and asks me, "Rose, is that what you really want?"
No. The answer is no. The answer is no for Claire, too. It's not what we want, but it's what we need to do.
"What does Sid want?" I ask Mike.
"He wants the same as me," he says.
"Is that what he said, or like Claire you also think you know what's on your friend's mind?"
Mike sighs. "Just give him time, Rose. He'll come around."
"Was five years not enough?" I shout.
Mike looks at me with pity.
I wave at him and drink from the glass of water I brought for him. "He doesn't want me back," I say.
Mike says, "Fine. Let's say Sid doesn't want you back. But what about what I want, what our parents want? As you said, it's been five years. Isn't it time you two return home?"
"You're the one who sent us here in the first place," Claire says.
"To keep you both from those two! And it worked, didn't it? You moved on with someone else. You have been together for years now."
"And your response to that is asking me to leave my boyfriend and move back home?!" Claire says.
Mike massages his temples. "Okay, if you don't want to come, don't. But don't hold back, Rose, too."
Claire snorts. "She's right there. I won't ask her to stay if she wants to leave, so why don't you ask her if she wants to go?"
Mike looks at me.
"I'm not going anywhere without her," I tell him.
Mike gets upset. "Why are you two being like this? First, it was those two Hill River jerks, and now this. Why don't you just give me a break?"
"Like you gave us a break before you kicked us out?" Claire asks.
Mike gives up and sits on the couch.
I understand Mike's frustration. He just wants us to come back home.
But for Claire and me, it's more complicated than that. Everything we say is just an excuse to avoid going back.
Truth is, we don't have the courage to be on the same land as our mates. I, especially, don't have the guts to go back to where he is, after what I did to him.
Mike says, "You know what bothers me the most? You two refuse to take in a mate or come back home because of them, whereas they had moved on."
He continues, "Ben is soon going to make Sandra his Luna, and around the same time Luke will make Katie his mate, too. They don't care about you two. That's the kind of guys your mates are. And you are here still getting mad at us for not accepting your relationship with men like them."
I wish Mike hadn't said that. I wish he hadn't.
Claire gives a bitter laugh. "I'm sorry, was that speech supposed to make us believe that you care? All you ever cared about was your reputation and ego."
"That's enough," Mike says, sternly. "Don't forget, I'm still your Alpha. If I wanted I could've ordered you both to return a long time ago."
Claire retorts, "Then why didn't you do it? To make everyone believe you're above it? Why don't you do it now? Go on, order us around like we're a pair of rogues. Detain us in the cells. Isn't that where we belong for tarnishing your name by receiving mates you detest?"
"Stop it, Clare," I say. "Both of you!"
I've had enough of them. Hurting each other like this is not going to solve anyone's problems. Sid and I had already drifted apart. I don't want the same for Claire and Mike.
"If what you said is true, Mike, we'll come back after they had done it. Once our bonds are broken, we'll return," I say.
Claire starts to disagree but I stop her. "I want to go home," I tell her. That stops her from arguing back.
"Okay," Mike says. "I can agree with that. The second they accept new mates, you both are coming home."
Mike looks at Claire for confirmation. She looks displeased, but she nods.
Mike stays with us a little longer before leaving for the Germund's packhouse. It's customary for the Alpha to stay with them. Also, our Luna, Violette, is waiting for him there.
Two years after we left, Mike became the Alpha, and Sid, our Beta. Violette left her pack to be with Mike. I found that ironic, how Claire and I couldn't go back to Moore Cliff and had to make ourselves a life here, whereas Violette left her home here and moved to Moore Cliff to become our Luna.
——
"You really didn't have to do this," I say to Violette.
The next day of her mate's visit, Violette brings us homemade pizzas. "I made enough for all of us," she says.
I have a feeling she noticed the not so great mood Mike must've returned yesterday to her in. She probably guessed we fought and has now brought us a peace-offering. She sure is the perfect Luna for Mike.
In midst of gorging our pizzas, Violette carefully says, "I know you both are angry at Mike, but can't you cut him some slack?"
Claire puts down her slice. "So this is what it's all about? First, it was him, and now you want to lecture us, too?"
Violette says, "That's not how it's at all. I know he likes to give a tough speech but trust me, no one wants you both back home more than he does. He'll never say this out loud but he misses you both. There are days he can't sleep and stays up looking through photos of you two. He regrets sending you away."
"I'll believe that when the man says so himself," Claire says.
Violette sighs in defeat. I say to her, "Don't worry about Claire. We agreed to return home. Everything is settled."
Violette sighs again. "Oh yeah, I heard about your condition. Your brother sure is a brilliant Alpha but like most men, he sucks at differentiating what's real and what's a rumor in matters like this."
"What do you mean?" Claire asks.
"The soon to be matings of the Alpha and Beta of Hill River is just a rumor. It's been going around for a while. Comes and goes with seasons. Trust me, they are not going to move on, just like you two," Violette says.
"People change," Claire says. "And it'd be better if they do, too."
"Don't act like you two still don't love them," Violette says.
Claire and I exchange glances. Our feelings are a sensitive topic that we haven't breached yet, and we most definitely don't want to do it with Violette around.
I say to Violette, "That's it. We're no longer having this conversation. Violette, I appreciate your insights but as I said, Mike and we came to an understanding about it. Don't worry."
After Violette leaves, Claire says, "Do you want to talk about it?"
I shake my head. "I'm not ready yet."
