Caught Between Three Billionaire Tycoons - Willa Hart Page 0,40

was a rhythmic action that you could get lost in, something repetitive and comforting as the action created the same result repeatedly.

Judy was married now.

I didn’t resent her for it, but it still hurt that I tried the very best I could, and she just dropped me as if I hadn’t tried at all. I couldn’t blame her, I knew that, but it still hurt. I wanted her to be happy. Selfishly, it hurt to know that I would never find a mate.

There had been girl shifters… Lots of them. Over the years, children who could shift had dwindled. Shifters kept having babies, but the gift wasn’t always passed on. From that point, it became almost impossible to imprint.

So, we sought matches that we used to fill the hole inside. Just like myself and Aleksy did. We were a perfect example of why that didn’t work.

I was too forlorn to even concentrate on the wood. It was a good thing, too—there wouldn’t be a forest left if I kept taking my frustration out on the wood pile.

When I heard footsteps on the damp grass, I hoped it was Whitney, but I knew it wasn’t. It was Aleksy. I waited for him to come near, getting comfy on a log while I looked out into the forest.

He sat down near me and my bear bristled within me from my head all the way to my toes. A little growl erupted from my throat.

“Can we talk?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” It really was the best answer I had. I couldn’t pretend to be friendly.

“Look, I’m not here to be your best friend.” Aleksy echoed the thought in my mind. “I just wanted to know if you felt it.”

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to say that it didn’t matter what I felt, that everything was fucked. I just sat there instead.

“You felt it,” he prompted again. “When you came between the wolves and my children.”

Of course, I felt it. The tremor had run through the earth like a quake. It was a cleansing fire, something that occurred on a deep, ancient tribal line.

In my act to save the cubs, I had dissolved the blood feud. Our blood was now one. We had fought together for the same cause. Kin bonds had been forged because I had acted in defense of my enemy’s children.

The earth had released us from the feud of the land we stood on. There was no fight any longer.

“I felt it,” I said simply.

“Then you know we don’t have to fight anymore.”

“I don’t know that.”

Aleksy frowned. “But the feud has been dissolved. We only fight now if we want to.”

“Maybe I want to.”

The silence lay heavy, becoming full of menace.

Aleksy sighs deeply, bone weary. It was definitely a sound of surrender.

“I just came to say thank you. You saved my babies. I can’t thank you enough.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Those were some impressive moves out there.” Aleksy grinned at me.

I couldn’t hold back my own smile.

“Yeah. I really let myself go.”

Aleksy stood up, reaching for my shoulder. He squeezed it gently as he caught my eye.

“I mean it, Daire. Thank you.”

I looked away quickly, shrugging him off.

“I’ll be inside in a few minutes.” I turned my head away, dismissing him. Aleksy nodded and hurried away.

When I walked in there, I would have to face the fact that Whitney was not mine. If I wanted to end the war, finish the conflict, then I would have to give her up. Otherwise, fresh blood would stain this ground as we fought for the right to her.

Little Egan and Adara would end up fighting in this war. If I took up against Aleksy now because I wanted Whitney for myself, this battle would truly never end.

I realized I could do a great thing and bring peace to this land. All I had to do was be brave enough to do it.

It was like cutting out my own heart. But that didn’t feel so bad. If I could take on those years of pain and heal everyone else, I considered that to be a worthy trade.

I got ready to head back in, excited by the idea that I could finish the blood feud. Even letting go of Whitney made me feel lighter.

It was easier to accept the inevitable now and give her up before I could get shot down.

This was best for everyone. Now that I knew that, all I had to do was tell the others. I was almost whistling as I headed back