Betrayed and Broken

29.

Skylar's POV
"I've known Kail my whole life. We all used to play together till Haze, Kail, and Luke discovered girls. Then they were too good to hang out with us little guys. Everyone laughed. Everyone knows what happened at my 18th birthday party. It's no secret. That time of my life would have been so hard, but it wasn't, and that's because of Kail. He was there for me. He showed me what it was like to be loved. He used to buy me a rose and a Coke every day because I love the way roses smell and a Coke because it's my favorite drink. He was considerate like that. I remember once it was my time of the month, and I was extremely grumpy. Kail went out and got me a dozen roses, a bag of Snickers, some Carmel popcorn, some Coke, and chocolate milk. He put it in a basket with some tampons he bought and some Midol. He called it a period basket." I laughed at the memory, and so did everyone else. "He had laid a bunch of blankets and pillows on the floor in his room in front of his TV. He turned Netflix on and watched the kissing booth with me. He knew how much I loved that movie. He hated that movie, but he suffered through it for me. "

Oh God, Sky, keep it together. I feel the tears falling. "Kail and I had an amazing three months together. Some of my best and favorite memories are from those three months. I know some people might think that three months wasn't long of a relationship for Kail and I to have fallen in love, but we did. I can honestly say I loved him, and I know he loved me. He showed me, love, love at a time when I needed it most. I had thought I would never know love, and I'm lucky enough to experience it twice. I will always love him and be grateful to him for what he did for me. Somewhere along the way, Kail lost his way. I should have been there to help him find his way back, but I wasn't. I was hurt and going through a hard time myself. I wish I weren't so hard on him. I wish things could have been different. I loved him, and I always will. He will always have a place in my heart. He was an amazing person. He was funny, kind, sweet, sensitive, strong, smart, fierce, and a great brother and friend. He would give the shirt off of his own back if someone needed it. Kail died trying to save me. The last thing he said to me was I'm sorry." I linked him and told him I forgave him. I don't know if he got the link or not, but I hope he did.  I want him to know I don't hate him, and I'm sorry." I broke down and fell to my knees, sobbing.

Jane, Kails' mom, came to me and wrapped her arms around me. "My son loved you so much. He knows you loved him, and I'm sure he knows you forgave him. I want to thank you for showing my son what love was. If it hadn't been for you, he would never have got to experience such love. You gave him three months of pure happiness and love, and I will forever be grateful for that, " she said as she hugged me. I leaned into her chest and cried.

Haze came and helped me up. He carried me back to our seats. He held me in his lap and let me cry into his chest. Alpha Theo and Kail's parents and brother stood up and walked to the front of the pyre. "Rest with the goddess, Kail Anderson. You will forever be missed, " Alpha Theo said, then went and sat down. Kail's parents, Blaze and Cole, each held a touch. They said their final goodbyes and lit the pyre. We all stood there and watched the smoke rise. They say the smoke rising is the body releasing the soul to be with the goddess. I hope that's true. I watched the smoke till I couldn't see it anymore.

Afterward, we all went to the dining hall and had Kail's favorite meal. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and a roll. He loved fried chicken. Pizza was a close second. Everyone sat and ate and continued to share memories of Kail. There was plenty of laughing and crying.

Alpha Theo stood up and raised his glass. "To Beta Kail Anderson, an amazing young man." "To Beta Kail Anderson," everyone said as they raised their glasses and then took a drink of their drinks.

Haze's POV
Kails' funeral was extremely hard. I loved hearing the memories. Everyone shared. Skylar breaking down crushed me. I know she holds a lot of regrets when it comes to Kail. I will always be eternally grateful to him for taking care of Skylar when I was too stupid, too.

"It was a beautiful funeral," Skylar said as we climbed into bed. Skylar has officially moved in with me. She moved into our room yesterday. I loved falling asleep next to her and waking up next to her. I love that I get to do this every day and night for the rest of my life. "Yes, it was," I replied as I pulled her to my chest.

"Baby, I've got to get something off my chest," I say as I squeeze her. She turns and looks at me. "What's wrong?" she asks with worry. "Don't worry, baby, it's nothing bad, just an explanation that I owe you," I replied. She just looked at me. "Since Reid told you about Cindy, I can finally tell you the truth behind my rejecting you."

"Cindy's death hit me hard. It changed me. When I was in training, I was an asshole. I was sleeping around. I started having sex at 15, and I was just going through girls. When Cindy died and I saw the pain Reid was in, I decided then that I didn't want a mate. I closed myself off. I was numb. When I came home, I started dating Amber. I decided that I would have a chosen mate, so if anything happened to her, it wouldn't affect me like a fated mate would.

I remember the first time I saw you after I returned. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I liked you, and that scared me. So I had to make you hate me, and I convinced myself I hated you. When I figured out you were my mate, I had a lot of mixed emotions about it. At first, I was happy because my crush ended up being my mate. I was scared because I didn't want to suffer if I ever lost you. I was mad that the moon goddess gave me the perfect mate. I was sad because I knew I had to reject you. I was still on the fence about rejecting you until Amber told me she was pregnant.

I really thought it was my baby. I thought she loved me. Hell, I thought I loved her, and she was carrying my baby, so I rejected you.  It wasn't until I rejected you that I realized what I felt for Amber wasn't love; it was lust. What I have with you is love, real, true love. When I rejected you, I realized I fucked up. I tried to move on and forget about you, but I couldn't. You're all I thought about and it pissed me off because I couldn't understand how you still affected me the way you did after our bond was broken. Now I know why. It's because we are destined to be together. I have always been yours, and you have always been mine," he said as he hugged me tight. I looked at Haze and kissed him., "I love you, and your right. We have always belonged to each other."