“Santiago—”
He must have heard the rejection in her voice, because he cut her off. “I’ll try to give you space, if that’s what you want, but you can’t ask me not to fight for you, not now that you’re mine.”
She felt like she’d always been his. Even before she knew it. But that didn’t change anything. “I have to go.”
He rose then, all lithe feline grace as he stood and strode toward her, stopping before he was close enough to touch. “Don’t make me wait forever, Lila. I won’t watch you marry him.”
She couldn’t respond to that. Didn’t even have the words to try. “Goodbye, Santiago Flores.”
She didn’t look back. Not when she felt the air-pressure pop of him taking his jaguar form behind her. She didn’t want to see the beautiful black-on-black rosettes or the way his eyes went yellow, glowing bright against the midnight fur. She ran down the stairs and didn’t stop when she heard the first coughing roar.
She fled, refusing to look back, as more roars chased her down the road.
It felt wrong, driving away from him, but she couldn’t think with him there, and she needed to sift through all the layers of confusion that had invaded her neatly ordered life. She’d never felt so lost before—but then she’d never had to choose between what she should do and what she wanted to do, because she’d never let herself want anything the way she wanted to go back to Santiago.
Could she trust that he was right? That the pride would survive without her? Or was he just another person trying to get her to be what he wanted her to be?
She was scared. Just as he’d accused her of being. Scared that she would turn against her pride, hurt her family, destroy so many lives and he might not even really love her the way he thought he did. What if he was only in love with the idea of her? What if he stopped wanting her the second she stopped being his perfect fantasy?
How could she risk it? Not just her heart but all the lives she would disrupt by chasing the dream of him.
But when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t imagine a future without him, couldn’t see herself marrying Roman any more. Not knowing what she did now, being the woman she now was.
Lila opened her eyes—the better to not drive into a ditch—and focused on the road taking her farther and farther away from where she wanted to be.
Santiago may only be in love with the idea of her, but wasn’t that what everyone did? All they had was ideas of each other. And Santiago knew her, knew things about her only Patch had ever discovered, and his affections were unconditional—or conditional only on her being bold enough to take the life she wanted. All she had to do was love him back.
Which she was already doing.
She was in love with Santiago Flores.
She’d dreamt of this—loving and being loved in return. It had always been there, in the back corner of her heart, a longing she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. It had taken Santiago to make her see. She was more than the perfect daughter and perfect future Alpha’s mate. She could be more with him.
The pride gates came into view ahead and Lila tapped the code into Patch’s remote. She didn’t feel her usual surge of homecoming as she drove onto pride land. Her home was behind her now, in a spiral tree house in the woods.
She would speak to Roman. Speak to her parents. They would work something out. No one wanted her to be miserable. There wasn’t a wicked witch standing between her and Prince Charming. Together they would find an answer that wouldn’t weaken the pride and she would be free to be with Santiago.
Lila slowed as the second perimeter line rose up in front of her headlights. The same guards who had stood aside when she pulled rank on them hours earlier now blocked her way. She hadn’t expected her absence to go unnoted, but she hadn’t expected to be barred entry. Lila threw Patch’s Subaru into park, waiting for one of the men to break away from the others
He must have heard the rejection in her voice, because he cut her off. “I’ll try to give you space, if that’s what you want, but you can’t ask me not to fight for you, not now that you’re mine.”
She felt like she’d always been his. Even before she knew it. But that didn’t change anything. “I have to go.”
He rose then, all lithe feline grace as he stood and strode toward her, stopping before he was close enough to touch. “Don’t make me wait forever, Lila. I won’t watch you marry him.”
She couldn’t respond to that. Didn’t even have the words to try. “Goodbye, Santiago Flores.”
She didn’t look back. Not when she felt the air-pressure pop of him taking his jaguar form behind her. She didn’t want to see the beautiful black-on-black rosettes or the way his eyes went yellow, glowing bright against the midnight fur. She ran down the stairs and didn’t stop when she heard the first coughing roar.
She fled, refusing to look back, as more roars chased her down the road.
It felt wrong, driving away from him, but she couldn’t think with him there, and she needed to sift through all the layers of confusion that had invaded her neatly ordered life. She’d never felt so lost before—but then she’d never had to choose between what she should do and what she wanted to do, because she’d never let herself want anything the way she wanted to go back to Santiago.
Could she trust that he was right? That the pride would survive without her? Or was he just another person trying to get her to be what he wanted her to be?
She was scared. Just as he’d accused her of being. Scared that she would turn against her pride, hurt her family, destroy so many lives and he might not even really love her the way he thought he did. What if he was only in love with the idea of her? What if he stopped wanting her the second she stopped being his perfect fantasy?
How could she risk it? Not just her heart but all the lives she would disrupt by chasing the dream of him.
But when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t imagine a future without him, couldn’t see herself marrying Roman any more. Not knowing what she did now, being the woman she now was.
Lila opened her eyes—the better to not drive into a ditch—and focused on the road taking her farther and farther away from where she wanted to be.
Santiago may only be in love with the idea of her, but wasn’t that what everyone did? All they had was ideas of each other. And Santiago knew her, knew things about her only Patch had ever discovered, and his affections were unconditional—or conditional only on her being bold enough to take the life she wanted. All she had to do was love him back.
Which she was already doing.
She was in love with Santiago Flores.
She’d dreamt of this—loving and being loved in return. It had always been there, in the back corner of her heart, a longing she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. It had taken Santiago to make her see. She was more than the perfect daughter and perfect future Alpha’s mate. She could be more with him.
The pride gates came into view ahead and Lila tapped the code into Patch’s remote. She didn’t feel her usual surge of homecoming as she drove onto pride land. Her home was behind her now, in a spiral tree house in the woods.
She would speak to Roman. Speak to her parents. They would work something out. No one wanted her to be miserable. There wasn’t a wicked witch standing between her and Prince Charming. Together they would find an answer that wouldn’t weaken the pride and she would be free to be with Santiago.
Lila slowed as the second perimeter line rose up in front of her headlights. The same guards who had stood aside when she pulled rank on them hours earlier now blocked her way. She hadn’t expected her absence to go unnoted, but she hadn’t expected to be barred entry. Lila threw Patch’s Subaru into park, waiting for one of the men to break away from the others
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