Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.-Chapter 260: No.

Leilani.

"But you cannot!" She cried so loud, I could literally hear my wall clock rattle perilously, threatening to fall.

And while her loud voice made me wince in pain, goddess, I couldn’t even blame her.

I couldn’t fault her for worrying so much about me.

I lowered my gaze, feeling shame crawl over me like several reptiles and whispered; "I can and I will. He promised to make it a marriage without set boundaries. He said that I’ll always be free to do whatever I want..."

"And you’ll be fucking your cousin every night! Did you never think about that?!"

At her words, I clamped my lips shut and looked away, hating the way bile now rose at the back of my throat as if making a mockery of me... as if showing me exactly how it would feel to have his hands on my body... his lips on mine after we said I do...

And bloody hell, I shuddered, almost convulsing when the repelling images flashed across my mind.

"Exactly that!" She screeched, pounding at my face. "That expression on your face is exactly how it would feel, Leilani... Gosh, why would you even suddenly think that? What does he have to offer you?"

"His mark!" I answered coldly— emotionlessly, "his mark which is the mark of a very strong Lycan... who coincidentally is also a dark knight. My wolf would have no option but to be in tune with his... it would have no option but to accept his mark and stop troubling me so much!"

"Leilani—"

"I wouldn’t have to be in so much pain whenever my wolf decides to act up and tries to come out. Gosh, I wouldn’t even encounter problems that come with being unable to control her by then!"

"So this is about your health then..." she said suddenly, causing me to snap my lips together. "This is about your strange wolf and that power within you that you cannot understand."

"Yes. And it is also about the agony I am put through whenever it acts up like this... Maya, you wouldn’t understand it but it is worse than what you think. It is more painful than the worst cramp you could ever imagine!"

"And I may not know what he— the Darius guy— must’ve told you, but have you ever stopped to think that he could be manipulating you? That he could be doing all of these just to get under your skin, or perhaps, entrap you?"

I have always known that most men were people who would easily lie just to get what they wanted. Goddess, I didn’t even fully trust Darius to begin with. I always knew that there was something he wanted out of all of this, but hearing Maya spell it out to me made me feel some type of way.

I sighed. "I don’t know Maya, but I am desperate."

"And I get it!" She snapped back, and even though I wanted to tell her that she doesn’t... that she would never get it as she’d never had problems with her wolf before, I couldn’t bring myself to say those words.

So instead, I settled for; "I will marry him."

A couple of seconds passed between us with each of us not knowing what to say to the other.

Her eyes met mine and held, and as if suddenly realizing that I had made up my mind, she sighed and said; "Okay."

For real? She’s agreeing?

Goo—

"Gavin has been looking for an antidote and if he doesn’t get it by Saturday, then you’re free to do what you want!" She snapped suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.

At first, I didn’t want to settle for that. I didn’t want to agree with her. But after seeing the stubborn set of her chin and the way she raked her eyes over my body, as if daring me to refute her opinion, I shook my head and muttered;

"Okay."

"So be it."

—

It is a couple of days after my agreement with Maya and guess what? We’ve finally come to a united conclusion; which is...

*Inserts drumrolls*

Darius was right!

There was no such thing as an antidote for the Moonveil draught elixir.

This realization along with the news hit me like a freight train, shattering whatever was left of the daydreams I used to have about getting better without needing his help.

My hands balled into fists on their own accord and I shivered slightly, hating the way the words echoed again and again... and again in my head as if taunting me non stop.

As if noticing my foul mood, Gavin stepped close and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug.

He was warm. He felt like a cloak. But do you know what? I still felt unprotected and alone. I still felt like a piece of shit; and worst of all, it felt like I was failing in life.

My episodes were coming back... worse especially these days that we’ve been experiencing back to back full moon nights. There were times when it felt as though my body could no longer hold up. There were moments where I would feel that strange surge of energy pushing through my bloodstream but then it would end with a very uncomfortable prickly sensation burning through my veins. It would always end with me passing out or struggling to live through the excruciating pain...

And Goddess, I couldn’t live like this anymore.

My wolf wanted to be out, but my body was too weak to accommodate her, and too too weak to survive the shift.

I sighed. "Thank you for trying so hard to get it. You should be planning your wedding now. But no, you’ve been running around for my sake, searching for the antidote of some elixir that seems long lost."

"But Leilani..." Gavin started speaking, his face contorting into a frown so deep, it was a miracle that his face didn’t have creases as it is.

His deep eyes bore into mine as if trying to see into my soul and for the first time in our lives, he patted my hair— gently, adoringly.

"I will continue to look for it and I will find it."

"But there’s no such thing as it!" I snapped back, hating myself for allowing my tears to fall at this exact moment.

Gavin saw this and dropped his gaze, but I didn’t miss the disappointment in his eyes, the regret, the self sabotage.

He was thinking that this was his fault.

He was thinking that this was all him... and maybe a bit of our parents’ fault as well. But I knew better.

Oh, wait, how do I know what he is thinking?

How can I hear his thoughts as if they were my own?

When my eyes shot up to meet his, to ask him about it, I however couldn’t speak because in that moment, I realized something I never had before:

That he cares/cared.

By the gods, he cares so much about me, he was literally burning from not being able to help.

This realization made my heart warm so much that I didn’t know when I wrapped my arms around his body. I however knew when he mirrored my action and wrapped his arms around mine, his chin coming to rest on top of my head as he whispered;

"Leilani, we can do something... I can do something... you’re getting worse. You’re not getting any better."

"And that’s all the more reason I should do something quickly. It is exactly the reason why I cannot wait for an imaginary antidote."

"So you would marry that lycan?"

"I will." I replied coldly, "since Jay is indisposed and I cannot burden him with my problems right now."

"Jay?" He asked, cocking his eyebrows at me and I nodded.

"Yes, Alpha Frostclaw. He’s an Alpha and has enough power that my wolf could probably tap from... but he’s ill. Very ill. I even doubt he’ll be excused or allowed to see me." I explained.

Gavin fell into silence and just when I had begun to think that he had nothing to say, he drawled;

"Or you could marry the triplets. They are Alphas. They have enough power to keep your wolf afloat. Goddess, they’re even your mates and if there’s anyone with the ability to right your wolf and body, it’s them."

I froze. My nostrils flared. "No."

"You can’t just say no, Leilani! Think about it! They could help you! They might be the solution we’ve been looking for for so long!"

"I can say no, Gavin!" I hissed, my voice sounding so cold, it sent chills down my own spine. "I can say no and I will. I’d rather marry that crazy guy, Micah, than the triplets!" I hissed, and I meant it.

Only the goddess knows how much I mean it.