Three Fated Hearts

Chapter 7

~Tia~

I swear I cried the entire way back to my apartment. The four-hour drive was filled with sniffling and wailing. I have no idea what went through the minds of anyone who noticed me while I was driving.

I can’t say that I’m surprised at what happened. I could have guessed the outcome would have been something like that. My dad only wants the best for his amazing daughters, and here I am, just getting in the way of that. I’d imagine that I will get a rejection letter or something in the next day or two. Let’s face facts. There is nothing I can offer the Alphas that my sisters couldn’t provide tenfold.

Times like this, with high stress and anxiety, I usually shift into Andricia and let nature bring me back to a more manageable state. There is no way I can do that today because if I shift into Andricia, she will just hightail it right back home to the pack. She has been whining for her mates since I got on the road, and it has taken everything in me to fight the urge to turn back. I will have to figure out a way to prepare her for what will come next.

I finally make it to my apartment and can’t wait to get in a steaming hot shower. Maybe I can wash all of this pain and anger away. I pull my phone out of my purse, remembering that it is dead. I never tried to charge it or turn it on. I set it up on the charger and get what I need to get in the shower.

I stay in the shower until the water turns cold and my fingers start to prune. The shower wasn’t as refreshing as I hoped it would be since I spent a huge portion of it in tears. I’m never one to question the Moon Goddess, but I just don’t understand any of this right now. Why have I been treated this way all my life by my family? Why mate me to the twins who are dating my sisters? I just don’t understand.

I haven’t eaten in more than 24 hours, but I’m not hungry. I’m actually exhausted, whether that be from a lack of proper sleep or just the emotional toll of all of these recent events. I just know that I need to recharge. I throw some pajamas on, fix the blinds, and fall out in the middle of my bed. The sleep comes, but it isn’t a restful one.

~Landon~

I’m furious. The way Adela was talking about my mate……hell, the way she was talking about her sister. I’m just furious. I almost shift and let Goliath take over, but I know that Lincoln and I have things to do, so I just don’t have the time.

When I leave the Colby house, I start to walk slowly toward the packhouse. I’m sure Lincoln will catch up with me soon. I try to use the time to figure out what to do next. Regardless of the response, the twins now know what’s going on and what we plan to do. Tia isn’t here anymore, but no one knows what made her leave. What if she left because she didn’t want us? What do we do if that’s the case? I’d rather walk through fire than beg the twins to take us back. I just saw a side of them that I didn’t like. I won’t lie and say I didn’t know that side was there; I just never really had to see it before. “So, how did you leave it?” I could feel Lincoln strolling up behind me; it’s a twin thing.

“I’m sure you already know. Aida went into her usual hysterics and I never know what to think about Adela.” I sigh and say nothing. I really don’t want to talk about them anymore. I want us to figure out what to do about Tia.

“We need to go to her.” I was going to suggest that, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear Linc say it.

“How will we find out where she is? I doubt she would still be living on campus.”

“Dad has to have the information in his files. He did send her the invite to be at the ceremony.” That’s right. We always have to have a current address on file for all pack members. There are times when they have to come back to pack lands, and we need to be able to reach them when that time comes.

We head into the packhouse and to the second floor. I knock on the office door and hear a muffled ‘Come in.’ Much to my joy, dad is alone in his office. I really didn’t want to have to deal with mom again, especially after dealing with the twins.

“Where are you two coming from?”

“We just went to talk to the Colby twins,” Linc responds as I sit in the chair opposite my father. I spread my legs out and lean my head back.

“I won’t bother to ask how it went. Judging by the looks you two have, I can pretty much guess.” I give a dry chuckle. He isn’t wrong, and I’m sure whatever he could guess would be accurate.

“Dad, we want to go see Ti-” Linc is interrupted when dad hands him a sheet of paper.

“That is her address as well as her phone number. I already had some clothing packed up for you two, and the suitcases are already in the Jeep. Everything will be covered while you are away; just remember that you two have to come back.” I lift my head up to look at my dad. He has a spark in his eye and a faint smile on his lips. He must really be for this matchup, and I truly appreciate having someone on our side. Linc is hugging dad. I stand up and do the same. Lincoln and I walk toward the door. “Sons, bring our Luna home.” We nod and head out to the waiting car.

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The four-hour drive went by pretty quickly. Lincoln and I took the time to come up with a plan, and it was simple: talk and listen. We don’t want to force or trick her. We want Tia to want us as much as we want her. Clearly, something made her run away without so much as a goodbye. We need to figure out what that was, and we need to be mindful of her situation and how she is feeling about things.

It’s true that if she decided to reject us, we would be devastated. We still won’t force anything on her. I want her to welcome us with open arms, and I know Lincoln wants the same. We also need to get to know her and let her know us. She wasn’t someone we really spent time with in the past, and that will all need to be remedied for anything substantial to happen.

The apartment complex Tia lives in is average at best. I would guess that she wasn’t getting any money from her parents to live out here, so she did what she could. She deserves so much more than what she has now, and I hope we are able to give that to her. Lincoln parks the car, and we find her apartment door. We look at each other and take a deep breath. I raise my hand and start to knock.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.