The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger by Ejiofor Dorcas

197 A second reunion...

Lyla

She trailed off sniffing back tears. “That was why | was willing to let you call another woman, mother. Because |

am nothing, Lyla. | had nothing to me. No parents, no inheritance, | wasn't affiliated to any pack and oh, your

father...” she broke down in tears. “He loved you, Lyla. Everything he did, all the times be mistreated you he did

it because he had to appease his mate, but your dad, never hated you!”

“No!” | shook my head as tears filled my eyes again. “Don’t try to defend him because you loved him. | don’t

want to hear. | don’t want to hear anything again.

| turned and started walking away.

“Lyla!” she ran after me. “Please you cannot leave like this.”

| turned to face her, my heart breaking over and over. “I never want to see you again, Nanny. Do you hear away

from me.”

22 Stay

Her hands clasped tightly around mine. “Lyla, please. Don’t do this. Don’t shutout.”

But | had already turned away and continued towards the temple gates, my heart was heavy anger and filled

with pain.

with

As | left the courtyard, | heard her crying and it broke my heart. But | didn’t look back. | couldn't.

After | left the Moon Temple, | turned off my phone, refusing to take calls from Nanny or Nathan. | wanted to be

alone. | wandered through Golden Gates Pack, trying to distract my thoughts.

| was still trying to figure out how to leave, perhaps, when | am calm, | could ask Nanny to helpsecure

passage from here back to the human world. And this tit would be final. | had nothing left here.

| found myself at a quiet café overlooking a mountain and took a space on the tables outside. The wing was

tugging at my hair and clothes. The sun was setting, and everything was the sexcept me.

For the first tsince confronting Nanny, | allowed myself to breathe. | sank into the chair and stared out at the

horizon.

The tears cagain, but this time, they were quiet. | didn’t sob or scream, and | didn’t bother about the

strange looks of people passing. | just let them fall.

“Why?” | whispered to the wind. “Why did it have to be like this?”

| thought about Nathan, about Nanny, about everything | had lost and everything | had learned. It felt like i my

entire world was crumbling around me, and | didn’t know how to stop it.

| sat still, watching the sun dip below the towering mountains, as dusk began to set. | made a silent vow to

myself.

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197 A second reunion...

I would find a way to move forward. | didn’t know how or where, but | would. Because no matter how broke I felt

now, | refused to let this be the end of my story.

An hour later, | was back to my hotel room at Blue Ridge. | was sprawled across the bed, staring blankly at the

ceiling as my mind replayed the events of the day. | couldn’t even cry anymore. The tears had dried up leaving

behind an emptiness that seemed to echo through my entire being.

Just yesterday, I'd been preparing for my wedding, dreaming of a future that now felt like | had. dreamt it. |

thought | had finally found a place where | could set my roots. Now everything was in ruins. My engagement is

broken - Nathan should be preparing for his wedding night with Clarissa now. My identity was in shreds and |

couldn’t even begin to process the fact that the woman I'd trusted my whole life - Nanny was my mother. How

had everything fallen apart?

After what felt like hours of staring into nothingness, | pushed myself up. | couldn't stay here, drowning in my

thoughts. Maybe a run would help. Usually, | am supposed to shift and let Nymeris run wild through the forest,

but that wasn’t an option anymore.

Not only had I not felt Nymeris since the chaos at the Harvest Moon, our bond had gone silent and | wasn’t sure

if | wanted her especially as she was being hunted.

And | hadn't dared to reach out, afraid of what | might or might not - find.

I rolled off the bed and moved to my suitcase, rummaging through it for my running clothes. Finally, | located it.

As | wanted to pull out a pair of leggings, an envelope fluttered to the floor. | froze staring at it.

It was the letter from my father - the one Ramsey had handedduring our meeting after his death. | stared at

it for a few more seconds, before picking it up, turning it over and over in my hand. For a moment, | considered

opening it.

I and my dad weren't close, so | couldn't imagine what he would want to say toin a letter. What if there was

something that could giveclarity in this chaos? But as my fingers hovered over the seal, | hesitated.

After everything that had happened today, did | really want to add another potential bombshell

to the mix?

“Not today,” | whispered and placed the envelope on the small table by the window, shoving it aside for later. |

quickly changed into a pair of joggers and a loose sweatshirt, grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses to hide my

identity the last thing | needed was to be recognized by pack members who'd attended what should have been

my wedding - and headed out into the night.

The evening air was cool against my skin as | jogged through the pack’s park. It was surprisingly quiet with a few

people jogging or walking around too. | maintained a steady pace, careful not to maintain eye contact with

anyone.

With each step | took, I felt lighter. By the t| was done, | had my emotions in one place. When | returned to

the hotel room, my legs were sore but my head was clearer. | ordered room service since I'd had nothing to eat

all day before stepping into the shower.

When | was done bathing, | cout, wrapped only in a towel. | felt a bit refreshed, but the

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197 A second reunion...

ache in my chest was still there. I'd just finished drying off and was reaching for my comb and the hair dryer

when the doorbell rang.

| grabbed one of the hotel robes, discarding the towel as | rushed to the door. My stomach was already

grumbling with the anticipation of the food I'd ordered. | ran my finger through my damp

hair.

| swung the door open. “Just leave it outside the...” The words died in my throat as | saw the person at my door.

It was the last person I'd expected or wanted to see. My grip tightened on the doorframe, my knuckles turning

white. | tried to remember what the clock had said when | cout of the bathroom. I couldn’t remember but it

was well past midnight.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. The silence was as thick as tension and he looked as though he

hadn't slept in days. His usual blank expression was replaced with vulnerability | haven't or never associated

with him.

“Lyla,” he finally said.

“Ramsey!” | said quietly, tightening my grip on the edge of the door. “What are you doing here?”

“I cto see you,” he said, taking a step towards me. “Your phone was switched off, | was worried.

| poked my index finger on his chest, indicating that he moved back. “How did you even know | was here? No one

else does,”

“| followed your trail from the park. Please can | cin?”

| stepped back instinctively, keeping the door partially closed between us. “You shouldn't be here, Ramsey. Your

wedding is tomorrow. | don’t want troubles and if you're going to insist on wanting to talk to me, you can do it

from there.

“I heard you didn’t marry Nathan again, his amber eyes rested on mine. “Is it true? Is this sploy to get back

together in the future?”

Tears welled in my eyes but I lifted my jaw, sniffing them back. “It is true. We've decided that my sister, Clarissa

would be a better Luna.”

| didn’t think | owed him any explanation.

He closed his eyes, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. When he opened them, he seemed excited. “I

love you, Lyla... I've made mistakes and I've hurt you but please... everything I did was for a reason.”

| scoffed. “That's what I've been hearing all day, Ramsey. People protectingbecause they think | cannot

protect myself. Say something else, Ramsey and...”

| looked back inside the room at the clock. “It's almost 2 am, you should get back hand rest

up. You don’t want to look like this for your wedding tomorrow.”

“I'm going to tell you something now because you deserve to know the truth and I've been keeping it for the

longest time.”

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197 A second reunion...

| stared at him, trying to mask my interest.

“But first,” he beamed at me, coming to place his hand on the door of my room, with a light. shove, he pushed it

open. | stumbled back from the shove but he caughton time. “I am not getting married tomorrow.”