The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. Chapter 73 73: A non-present father

Lyla

In no ti, we were tucked in bed. I held onto him, rubbing his back slowly, hoping he would go back to sleep but the awkwardness had returned. He was bigger than and by right, he was supposed to be the one, holding .

"The nightmares started in the third year!" he said, suddenly breaking the silence. "He was getting tired of coming every day and torturing with all sorts of things and then getting disappointed that I wouldn't talk."

He paused and sighed before continuing. "He decided to ss with my head. Wanted to hypnotize into confessing the address but my will was too strong to break. I didn't tell him anything."

We fell silent again, with only the sound of our breathing filling the room. I wanted to ask a lot of questions. I wanted to know why Ramsey had been looking for … did he care? Was it his obsession to turn into his mistress and sex toy?

"But I'll be fine!" Nathan said again. "The Pack doctors said it's the side effect from the hypnotizing drug and I just need to rest plenty."

"I'm glad!" I said quietly and the silence returned. After a while again, Nathan pulled himself from my hand, giving a teasing look.

"Aren't you tired of holding ?"

I shook my head, managing a small smile. "But let's switch places. I will go back to holding you after a few minutes."

He nodded and we switched places. My head was on his chest, I could hear the erratic beating of his heart. I could tell he wanted to tell sothing but I didn't know why he was hesitating.

After a while, he nudged quietly. "Are you sleeping?" he asked.

"No!" I replied with a deep sigh. "You?"

"I can't sleep!" he said. "Would you like to co back to Blue Ridge?"

The question was unexpected. "No! why are you asking?"

"Nothing! Just wondering if you ever missed ho and wanted to co in for a quick visit."

"I do miss ho," I chuckled. "Sodays I'll wake up and panic because it seems the faces of my family – my father, my mother and my sister are slowly fading from my mory. I'm worried that I might not be able to recognize them – that I'll forget how they look."

"Then you should focus only on the mories and not the faces," he chuckled, pulling closer to him. "Have there been others since Ramsey?"

Another unexpected question.

"No!" I lied. "It's just being and my studies and Nanny. I have one year left before I graduate and get a degree. I already have a job and I'll be due for a promotion soon. It's not so much but I'm grateful for everything I've been able to achieve so far."

"So, you plan on staying here even if there's a way for you to co back to Blue Ridge?"

"Except my father dies…" I chuckled sadly "But I don't want him to die. Except that, I don't see myself coming ho. My family are not as accepting as you and soon when my father gets older, you'll need to resu your duties as Alpha… have you thought about who you want to make your Luna."

"You!" he said without hesitation. "If you'll have !" he added. He seed distracted.

"I feel like the only reason you'd want to marry is to throw it in Ramsey's face!" I laughed.

"No! I want to marry you because I like you enough and think you'll make a good Luna but then, your heart is still with him, Lyla. You're still in love with your mate."

"Ex-mate!" I tried not to get angry "And we were never in love. Having a mate bond doesn't guarantee love. You saw how ssy and broken everything turned out for ."

"So, if you ever cross paths with him, you won't try to reignite things?" He asked.

"Of course not!" I glared at him. "Who do you take for?"

He didn't say anything. He just sighed and placed a kiss on my forehead and we fell into silence again.

"How long do you have until you go back ho?" I asked breaking the silence again.

"Why?"

"I was thinking, you should stay the weekend. There are lots of fun places to go. Who knows, the next ti I see you or I may never see you because you'll soon have a wife and lots of pups…" I sighed. "I don't want to lose any ti with you."

"Lyla!" he called out suddenly, his tone was serious. "I can't stay until the weekend. I have to return to the pack tomorrow. I wish I could but…" he sighed "My plate is full."

"Full with what?" I shrugged into a sitting position, facing him. I loved how his hands covered mine and the way he was still staring at through half-lidded eyelids.

"Taking care of the pack and a lot of details," he said quietly. "I ca here for a reason and I must do it."

"You can always turn off your phone and stop taking any mindlink from anyone. You just got back from prison, you shouldn't be doing anything except making up for all those lost years."

He pulled himself into a sitting position, a ghost smile on his lips. "I know right?" he chuckled then reached for , lifting from where I was to him.

He pulled closer so that I was leaning directly on his chest and his arms were around . The gesture felt so intimate but I was trying hard not to see it that way. Nathan was my friend and I wanted it to remain that way.

"There's sothing I need to tell you but I want you to make a promise," he said quietly. That serious tone was still in his voice.

"What promise?" I asked, wondering whatever it was he wanted to tell .

"That you'll not let go!" he said quietly. "That when you get sad…"

"You want to tell a sad thing?" I asked.

"Just… maybe!" he shrugged "But you won't leave , or leave the room, that you'll draw comfort from …"

"Okay!" I nodded.

"Promise?"

"I promise!" I smiled twisting my head to look at him, dodging another kiss to my lips. "Now, tell , what is it?"

He stared at for a second, I could feel his hand tightening around my body. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and when he looked up again, there was pain in his eyes.

"Go ahead, Nath," I urged him. "Spill already or should I make a guess?" I asked.

He smiled and shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I'll tell you." he paused. "Your father… Alpha Logan Woodland… is dead."

On the one hand, it was good news because I didn't cry. I just let Nathan hold until the first light of day streaked in through the curtain cracks on the window.

On the other hand…I felt… I didn't know what to feel…

Tell … how does one feel when they lose a non-present father?