Chapter 65: _ Given You Your Freedom
The gasp that escaped my lips echoed in the silence. "Liam! You can’t say that!" I scolded.
I was both horrified and disappointed. How could Liam say soone– a person, a teacher in his school deserved to die cruelly like that?
"No matter how bad Mr. Fenrir might have been, he was still a person." I firmly supplied.
Kylo narrowed his eyes and looked at
and then back at Liam. "What do you an, ’bad’?"
Liam fidgeted in his seat, avoiding Kylo’s gaze. "He... he was trying to bully Ms.Isleen— I an, Mum. Even harass her a little bit, if I wasn’t there."
Liam just called
’Mum’. That just lted my heart regardless of how mad at him I was. My heart had just softened.
However, Kylo’s jaw clenched tight, and I could practically see the anger radiating off him. "Why didn’t you tell
about this, Isleen?" he demanded.
"It was nothing, Kylo," I mumbled, feeling a wave of guilt wash over .
I hadn’t wanted to worry him with sothing I could handle. It wasn’t like Kylo could take on the whole pack for . He was already doing enough as it was.
But Liam continued, "Even Mrs. Morrigan talked down on her, and the rest of the school..." His voice trailed off, but the ssage was clear.
Geez!
Kylo stood up abruptly, leaving his unfinished food forgotten on the table. "Co with
inside, Isleen. We need to talk."
"I’d co with you if she doesn’t." Cullen chirped in and I was about to send him a spank on the head when his hand held
mid/motion.
I was quite stunned by that and I turned a questioning brow at him. "Don’t let anyone bully you, Isleen. It’s high ti that stopped."
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t stop the quiver in my voice. "I know, Cullen. It’s high ti I step up my character. It’s better now that I’m not alone anymore. I have my son... he follows
everywhere," I managed to say.
Truth be told that I had no idea what to say anymore, and that was why I brought up Liam. But it’s true, I felt a lot better now that I had him around
always.
Liam piped up from across the table. "Do you want
to protect you, Mum?"
What the?
Cullen burst out laughing, and even Kylo cracked a small smile. I couldn’t help but join in. That made
feel a montary sense of relief. Liam sure does take his role as the son seriously.
"Yes, Liam," I replied with playful sincerity, "I need you to protect
with your strong little muscles."
Cullen’s laughter intensified, while Kylo simply shook his head. They knew I was ssing around with him. However, Liam didn’t smile. He didn’t seem to get the joke.
With a seriousness that belied his age, he declared, "Noted. I will protect you, Mum."
"Ah— I feel so protected and safe now." I grinned from ear to ear.
Liam was hilarious. It should be the other way around rather.
Kylo, however, had returned to his somber state. "Cut the crap," he grumbled, then reached for my hand. "Isleen, co with ."
He led
back to my bedroom, and the second we were inside, he pulled
into a tight embrace. I felt him tremble ever so slightly. "Why didn’t you tell , Isleen? Why didn’t you tell
what those bastards were doing to you?"
A lump ford in my throat. It was a question I anticipated. "It’s nothing, Kylo," I murmured, "truly. Stuff like that... it happens to all the ti. You know it too. It’s not a big deal." I didn’t want to burden him with these worries.
Kylo fell silent, and the hug seed to suffocate
with its sudden intensity. I pulled back slightly and t his eyes. "Kylo?"
Without a single reply to , he retreated to my bed. He sank down onto the edge, his gaze fixed on a spot on the floor.
A sense of dread washed over
as I knelt beside him. "What’s wrong, babe?"
It was rare for
to use such pet words for him even though he used them on
all the ti. Yet, he never complained. Not for once.
After an uncomfortably long silence, he finally spoke. "Isleen, this is mostly because of . They pick on you because you’re with ... because we dared to be the first to break the mating rule. You’re an easy target than I am, so they go for you. And then– you’re an Oga. You are vulnerable, Isleen. I can’t keep acting like this isn’t happening. I can’t keep letting this happen."
I could replay us having this kind of conversation over and over again in the past. There really was nothing we could do about it. Kylo could be so annoying at tis.
"Stop that, Kylo," I said sharply. "We’ve been over this a thousand tis. I told you, I’d endure anything for love."
"There’s no point in enduring love if it hurts you!" Kylo’s voice rose. "I shouldn’t have let this go on for so long. I’ve been a coward, Isleen, and I should have just... given you your freedom a long ti ago."
A gasp escaped my lips. "What are you talking about?"
I knew what he was talking about. We’ve been here before. I shouldn’t be so worried, but that look in his eyes... it told
he was goddamn serious.
He stood up abruptly, avoiding my eyes. Where the hell did he think he was going?!
"Kylo, look at !"
He turned to , and the despair in his gaze was like a cold blade. I felt its cut. "Isleen, I want to give you your freedom."
This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. I never knew I’d hurt so much at the ntion of being apart from Kylo. Being with him had beco a pattern— one that I was used to.
"You want to give
my freedom or yours?" I spat back, disbelief and fury coursing through my veins. "Are you thinking for
or for yourself? If you truly love , Kylo, you wouldn’t dream of leaving , no matter what anyone says or does. You’re going to let them tear us apart after all these tis? Bullshit, man!"
"Love is sacrifice," he retorted, albeit, calr than . "And this— this sacrifice is going to break . I’ll spend every day miserable, I’ll regret it but I’d rather go through all of that than allow for so bastard to hurt you. In the end, if this continues without being checked, it would get to a point where you’d be frad for sothing you didn’t do just because you are an easy target. It would get to a point where you’d be manipulated– be used. It won’t just end at the bullying alone, Isleen. Should... when that happens, I’d never be able to live with myself. I have to finally choose between you and the pack. I choose you, Isleen. Not the pack and if you don’t see that... well..."
At that mont, I realized just how deeply I’d co to rely on him. My own circle was so small, and the thought of losing Kylo... it ant sinking back into loneliness.
Now, I’d only have Cullen and Liam.
But more than that, I knew I didn’t want him to leave. Without him, my determination to resist his father would likely crumble.
Would my wolf be strong enough to fight those urges if he wasn’t here? I thought to myself as a chilling dread crept up my spine. Would I be left as so vulnerable she-wolf who’d end up accepting Gamma Rhett, just because I had no one else?
No, I couldn’t let that happen.
As if that wasn’t enough, "Go find your mate. Find soone who can give you the life you deserve without this burden." Kylo added.
"Kylo, please..." my voice cracked, pain twisting my insides. "Don’t leave . I won’t survive if you leave."
"Don’t make
wait until you get hurt by one of these people before I do the right thing!"
He left.
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