Lunar Eclipse

{22} Into the Wolf's Den

* Rylie *

"I don't understand why you can't just let me do this!" I shouted, pacing back and forth across Alek's bedroom, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "It's not like I'm asking for your permission!"

Alek was leaning against the dresser, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression hard. "Because it's not safe, Rylie. You know what your pack did to you, what your family did. What makes you think walking back there is anything less than walking into a death trap?"

I stopped, turning to face him, anger flaring in my chest. "I'm not going there for them! I'm going there for me, Alek! I just need... I need closure. I need to say goodbye to that part of my life."

His jaw tightened, and I could see the tension in his shoulders. "Closure? From the people who treated you like shit? From the pack that nearly killed you?" His voice rose, sharper now. "What closure do you think you're going to get, Rylie? All you're doing is giving them another chance to hurt you."

"It's not about them hurting me anymore!" I shouted back. "It's about letting go of the past. It's about me moving forward. Don't you get it?"

Alek let out a bitter laugh, pushing off the dresser. "No, I don't get it, Rylie. What I do get is that you're risking your life for people who don't care about you. People who wouldn't shed a tear if they found out you were dead."

"Alek..." I said, my voice softer now, though still filled with frustration. "I've carried their rejection around with me for years. I just want to see them one last time—to remind myself that I don't need them. To remind myself that I can, and have, survived without them."

Alek shook his head, his hands running through his hair in exasperation. "You survived because of me. Because of us. And now you're willing to throw all of that away for a 'goodbye'? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? You're not just a wolf anymore, Rylie. You're a vampire, too. They'll figure out something is different about you, and you'll be dead before you can say a word."

I stepped closer to him, meeting his furious gaze. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't know how much they hate me? That I'm nothing in their eyes? I know all of that, Alek! But I need this for me. Not for them or anybody else. For me."

For a moment, the room was silent except for our heavy breathing. His dark eyes searched mine, anger fading into something deeper—fear.

"Rylie," he said, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. "Do you have any idea what it would do to me if I lost you? After everything we've been through, after everything you've been through, you'd risk it all just to see the people who broke you?"

My throat tightened, and I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "It's not about them," I said again, barely above a whisper. "It's about me. I just want to say goodbye, Alek. That's all."

He reached out, grabbing my wrist and pulling me closer, resting my arms on his shoulders as he hedp onto my waist. "And what happens if they don't let you leave, Rylie? What happens if they decide to finish what they started last time?"

I swallowed hard, tears stinging my eyes. "I don't know," I admitted. "But I can't keep running from them forever. I can't keep carrying their ghosts with me. I just... I need to do this, Alek. Please."

He stared at me for a long moment, his grip on my waist firm but not painful. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he looked down. "If you're going, then I'm going with you."

I blinked, caught off guard by his sudden shift. "Alek—"

"No," he said firmly, cutting me off. "This isn't up for discussion. If you're going all the way out there, to their territory, you're not doing it alone. I won't let you."