Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Kent followed Lana down the hallway into a small exam room. Once the door was shut, she leaned against it, looking him up and down. "How have you been feeling, Alpha?" she finally asked. Kent raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "Have you been feeling sick like Riley?" "No." Kent leaned against the wall. "Why are you asking this?" Lana rubbed her hands on her face. "It's strange, isn't it? If it is tied to the mate bond, why is she sick and you're not? If this is somehow related to second chances or physical distance or something like that, you should both be sick." Kent chewed on the corner of his mouth. He hadn't stopped to think about it like that. "I've been more... anxious than normal, I guess," Kent admitted. "That's to be expected," Lana said with a shrug. "You're last mate died. Your current mate has some unexplained health problems and isn't forthcoming about them, so of course you're anxious." She tapped her chin for a moment. "Do you know anything about Riley's rejection?" He frowned, looking at the brown and gray tiles on the floor. "I know bits and pieces, but not the whole story. She is insistent that she doesn't want to talk about it." 1 "Maybe there is something I'm missing." Lana sighed. "I don't know. I don't even know where to look for answers. Second chance mates are so rare that they've never been studied from a medical viewpoint." "Is she going to be ok?" Kent voiced the question that had been plaguing him. Lana looked up at him, her eyebrows knitting together. "I don't know. I hope so." He pushed his fists against his eyes and took a shuddering breath. All the fear, the worry and stress of the last week suddenly washed over him. "I need her to be ok," he whispered, his voice breaking on the last word. Lana crossed the room quickly, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "Kent," she said, using his first name for the first time in his memory, "I wish I could fix this for you. I really do. "I don't know what to do," he admitted, his voice shaking as he finally moved his hands to look at Lana. "Right now, what she needs is you. Even if she isn't willing to admit that to herself." ** It was dinner time when they finally arrived back at the pack house, so Kent had someone bring up food to the sitting room. There was a tray of meatball subs with side salads. It was much better than the dry toast and applesauce she had been choking down for two days. Riley listened while Kent went over the details of the alliance with New Dawn. As Leo had said, it was pretty standard as far as alliances go but it did lend < Chapter 41 +8 Points X When Riley was done eating, Kent took her dishes and placed them back on the tray. He leaned back on the couch, turning to face her. "What did Leo say at the hospital that upset you so much?" he asked. "It doesn't matter." She leaned back, looking out the window for a minute. "Yeah, it does." He reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "You were really upset. I felt it." She didn't look at him. "He was trying to convince me to accept our bond." There was a long pause before he softly asked, "And you got that upset?" She signed, closing her eyes for a second. "No, it wasn't exactly like that. It's just..." She trailed off, opening her eyes to look at him. "I'd have to tell the council I have a mate. With you being an alpha, being your mate means I'd probably have to give up my position. The council would probably decide I can't maintain my job as well as the responsibilities of being the luna of a pack." She twisted her fingers, looking into his blue eyes. "You have to understand. I've worked so hard to be where I am. I was the unbacked candidate at the academy that everyone expected to fail. No one thought I could stick it out. I was so weak during that first year too, still recovering from my rejection. It took so much work to get where I am, to be called the best at what I do. I've worked too hard to lose it all now." He looked down between them for a moment before looking up, his expression pained. "I don't want to take that away from you." "I love what I do," she continued. "I had to rebuild myself from zero and I'm proud of who I am now. I almost gave up my dreams for a man once. That would have been the biggest regret of my life." He turned to look out the window, his face pinched. She could feel his sadness through the bond and she was mad at herself for it. She didn't want to hurt him, but she also needed him to understand. "What happened with your previous mate?" he asked quietly after a moment. "I already told you that." She closed her eyes, leaning her head back into the couch cushion. "He rejected me. The alpha banished me. I went to the academy." "There's more to that story," he challenged her gently, touching her arm. She sighed, turning her head to look at him. "He made promises," she whispered. "Promises he never intended to keep. He took advantage of the situation and my naivete." "How long did you know he was your mate before he rejected you?" She bit her lip, looking back at the window. The sun was almost down now. She could feel the tears stinging behind her eyes. "It wasn't right away," Kent said quietly. "He didn't reject you outright, did he?" "Why does it matter?" "I just want to understand." He took her hand gently in both of his. "Something happened to you. Something you don't talk about." "It's over. It happened. There's no point in dwelling on things that can't be changed. I'm not the girl I was back then." "But those feelings don't disappear, Riley." He squeezed her hand in his. "Sometimes talking helps." 2/3 Chapter 41 Points She jerked her hand from his. "Nothing will change what happened," she snapped, her face feeling hot. "No amount of talking will change anything." She stood up. "I'm going to bed." "Please don't go." He jumped to his feet. "I'll stop asking questions. I'm not trying to upset you." "I'm tired. I want to lay down." Really she just wanted to get away from this man who brought up feelings and memories that were better left in the past. "You're supposed to stay close to me?" he pointed out. "I'm just sleeping." She started walking towards the door. "I'll be fine." "Do me a favor?" She stopped in the doorway, looking back at him. "Leave your door unlocked. I'd feel better knowing I can get to you if you start to get sick in the night." She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to tell him to stay away from her. Instead she nodded. "Good night, Riley." Comments Get Bonus (Ad) > Vote 569