Chapter 162: Let go.

Ruelle’s POV

I try not to let what Thorne told me about my father get to me. Well technically, it does get to me. It gets to me a little too much, but I try not to let it show that it gets to me because I know Thorne wouldn’t like that. He has told me not to worry. He has a plan. But if only ‘not worrying’ was that simple, half of my life’s problems would be nonexistent.

“I can't stay long”. Thorne draws out even as we lay side by side on the bed, our legs intertwined and my head propped on his shoulders, my face buried in his neck. “I can’t stay till it’s time to hunt I don’t want to drag too much attention. And there might be a mole in my pack for the Council.”

“Really? There is?” I raise my head to stare at him. He smiles, shaking his head.

“Not confirmed. But there might be. I wouldn’t put it past the Council”. He sits up and grabs his cloak from the chair beside the bed. I feel a sharp ache in my heart from watching his cover his chest.

I don’t want this moment to end. I don’t want him to leave and I would do anything to have that.

“Don’t you have another few minutes at least?” The desperation drips from my voice in a way it hasn’t before and I am already having to fight back tears.

Thorne looks back at me, sees the look in my eye and sighs. He scoots up on the bed, grabbing my face in his hands and pulling it to his chest. He places a kiss on the crown of my head, then my forehead, then the tip of my nose before finally covering my lips with his own. He kisses me slowly and sloppily. A kiss that I’m sure would replay in my mind countless times after he is gone. Then he pulls away, his fingers remain in my hair.

“I won’t break my promise to you, princess. I WILL return.” He says.

“In one piece…”. A tear trails down my cheek and he swipes it with his thumb.

“In one piece.”

He lowers himself unto his belly on the bed and pulls my dress up till my stomach is exposed. Then he begins to pepper kisses all over my swollen belly. A few kisses in and my baby begins to kick. We both gasp simultaneously as we notice it, staring awestruck at the side of my belly that keeps popping in and out.

“There’s my baby”. Thorne coos, kissing the spot over and over. “Did you miss me?”

“He hasn’t kicked in days I was beginning to get scared.” I tell him and he smiles, holding my gaze as he threads his fingers between mine and holds my hand in a firm grip.

“I love you, princess.” He says and I see the sheer sincerity in his eyes as the words fall out from his lips. It is almost too much to bear. I am not able to respond to him for the first few seconds because my palm goes up to cover my mouth as an ugly sob wrecks through me.

I feel like I am going to die.

“I love you too”. I finally tell him and he squeezes my hand, fighting his own tears by blinking repeatedly.

Few minutes later, my hand is grasped tightly in Thorne’s as we walk out the house and into the night. He stops me at the door.

“No baby you can’t come out. You’ll stop here.”

I know better than to argue so I simply nod, but I don’t let go of his hand and he doesn’t let go of mine.

“You’re coming back soon.” I tell him, holding his gaze and he nods. “In one piece”. He nods again.

“In one piece.” Thorne closes the distance between us and presses his lips against mine in an earth shattering kiss, although mixed with my tears and snot as well as his. It is when he pulls away that I realize he is crying as well, although his head is bowed and he keeps looking away.

I reach forward and stroke his chin, wiping the tears beneath his eyes and kissing him again. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” He says, and slowly, he begins to step back from my hold. He walks backwards, staring at me till he disappears into the night and I can’t see him anymore.

I shut the door behind me and lean my back against it, lowering myself to the floor as I wail in a way I haven’t before. My hands clutch my chest as if to calm the ache spreading inside of it. And as I cry my eyes out on the floor, a thought dawns on me and keeps replaying in my mind.

Thorne HAS to come back. I don’t know if I would survive otherwise.