The One He Left Behind Chapter 08

The One He Left Behind Chapter 08

Back home, I told Rowan everything about my past.

I half expected him to grow angry, bitter or jealous.

Instead, he pulled me into a tight embrace. His arms wrapped fully around me, and his voice grew thick with

held-back tears.

I ran my fingers through his hair and noticed his red-rimmed eyes. “Why are you crying?”

Rowan looked away, too proud to admit his feelings. “I’m not crying. Just dust got in my eyes.”

His poor attempt to hide his emotions made me chuckle softly.

He finally dropped the act. “I just… hate that you had to go through all of this. Hate that you had to deal with

someone like him.”

I fell silent. No one had ever said they felt sorry for me before.

Not Killian. Not my own family.

I had spent my whole life struggling just to survive. Love and comfort had always felt like luxuries I could

never afford.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

Rowan panicked at once, fumbling for a cloth to wipe my cheeks. “Why are you crying all of a sudden? Did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to-”

His clumsy yet sincere fluster made me laugh through my tears.

Rowan blinked, then smiled sheepishly too.

Later that night, I lay curled against his chest in bed.

Rowan usually fell asleep the second he lay down, but rest would not come to him tonight.

His breathing was uneven, and his heartbeat raced loudly beneath my ear, keeping me awake as well.

I opened my eyes and asked what was on his mind.

His eyes shone bright in the dim light. “Sienna. Would you like to meet my parents?”

A faint blush tinted his cheeks, and hope sparkled in his gaze.

I looked at him softly. “Arrange it whenever you’d like.”

Rowan’s family was warm and harmonious. His parents welcomed me without the slightest hesitation.

Our first meeting went smoothly, and we set our mating ceremony to take place before the next full moon.

On the day of the ritual, I was roused long before dawn. After hours of dressing and styling, I barely

recognized the reflection staring back at me in the mirror.

The ceremony was well underway when my phone buzzed with an incoming call.

It was Killian’s Beta, his voice filled with urgency.

“Sienna, where are you? Please come back to the Shadow Pack. Killian… he’s very sick.”

I stayed quiet and prepared to end the call.

His tone softened.

“Do you know what he did for you? Back in academy days, his father cut off all his funds. To pay for your

tuition, he pulled endless all-nighters, took every odd job he could find, and worked tirelessly cracking codes

just to earn money.”

“Everything he did… it was all for you.”

He sensed my hesitation and kept speaking. “Think of all the kindness he once showed you.”

It was true. He had been good to me once.

But people change. And he had changed completely.

Rowan stood in the doorway in his formal ceremony attire, waiting for me.

I refused to be dragged back into that dark chapter ever again.

I spoke gently yet firmly.

“If Killian is unwell, you should contact the healers or the pack guards, not me.”

“There is nothing left between us. Please do not disturb me again.”

I hung up the call and blocked the number.

Then I turned toward the doorway-toward my mate, my future, and the life that was finally mine to keep.