Bastian’s POV:
I woke up the next morning and was not in the mood to deal with anyone. I pack-linked Jasper to go on and do training with the Warriors without me this morning. At first, he was a little skeptical, but I assured him that everything was fine.
I just needed to be by myself to assess the situation I was truly in.
Rufus: You need to talk to Ria.
Me: I am well aware that I need to talk to Ria. I just don’t know how to ask her without causing tension between us.
Rufus: Just go over there and talk to the girl.
Me: Fine!
I made my way over to Ria’s cabin. I stood at the door, taking a deep breath and trying to calm my nerves.
***
Ria’s POV:
I took a deep breath and was able to smell Bastian’s scent.
“The door is unlocked, Bastian. Come on in.”
He slowly opened the door and closed it gently behind him. He still seemed off, and I wondered if it had something to do with what happened last night in his office.
Maybe this wasn’t a good time to tell him that I had information about Katia.
Freya: You need to tell him and not drag it out any further.
Me: Okay! I will tell him.
I looked nervously at him, and he was just standing by the door, lost in thought. I let out a deep sigh before saying, “Bastian, there is something I need to tell you.”
“What?” he said as he was being pulled from his thoughts.
“You might need to sit down for this.” I motioned for him to have a seat on the couch, and I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a beer from the fridge. I walked back over and placed them in front of them. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and put it next to the whiskey.
“This definitely doesn’t look like it’s going to be a good conversation.”
“Honestly, I don’t know how you are going to take the information that I am about to tell you. But I want you to know that I am here for you.”
“Maybe you should just rip the Band-Aid off and tell me.”
“Maybe you should take a shot before I tell you.”
“No, just tell me,” he said in a defensive tone.
“I did some research looking for information about your mate Katia.” I scrunched my eyes and coiled up a little, waiting to hear him yell and lecture me about butting into his personal life. When I did not hear anything, I slowly opened my eyes to find him with a concerned look on his face.
“I was not expecting that to be what came out of your mouth. Continue,” he said, guarded.
I took a deep breath as I pulled out the folder in the chair with me and passed it to him.
“Katia was Tarech’s cousin. They came from the same pack.”
He opened the bottle of whiskey, poured himself a glass, and drank it.
“It looks like I am not the only reason that he is targeting this pack. I think he is out for blood for his cousin, and I am just the cherry on the top.”
He covered his face with his hands as he took long deep breaths. “What made you decide to look into this?” he asked.
“Well, as I told you the other day, this is one of the things we do to help the Alpha process in order to heal. I have been so caught up in my own drama that I have put what my main goal is here aside, and I cannot keep doing that.”
“What happens after you heal me?” he asked as he sat farther back into the couch.
Freya: Oh dear. This is not going to end well.
Me: Shh.
“What do you mean?”
“Will you leave once you have healed me? Will you stay until you have seen I have found my second mate? Will you continue this sexual relationship once I am healed? What? What happens?” He growled.
“I…I don’t know. It all depends on the situation.”
He quickly leaped out of his seat, leaned over me on the chair, and asked, “Did you continue to have sex with those other Alphas after you healed them?”
“No!”
“No? You never slept with any of them after you healed them?”
“No, I had no desire or need to continue having sex with them after healing them.”
“So, once I am healed, is that it? Are we done?”
“I…I don’t know. Why are you asking me all these questions like this?”
He pulled away from me and started to pace, running his hand through his hair.
“Bastian, did anything I say about Katia phase you at all?”
“What? Yes…no…I don’t know.”
He continued to pace before turning back to me.
“So, after you heal me, you will just pack up and leave?”
“Sometimes, I stay just to make sure that the healing process worked, and the Alpha is ready to accept their mate. I wait to see if possibly one of the eligible female wolves in the pack is their mate and see how well they work together.”
“So, you would stay, right?”
“I don’t know if I can, Bastian. I promised Freya that we would take some time off and try to heal ourselves.”
“Then why not stay here and try here?”
I looked down into my lap while twisting my fingers. I hated feeling this way.
Bastian walked over to me and crouched down in front of me, bringing his hand up to my chin to lift my head to look at him.
I whispered, “I don’t think I can stay here and watch you find your second mate.”
He placed his forehead against mine and sat there for a moment. Both of us took in deep breaths, feeling the tension and frustration between us. He wrapped both hands on each side of my face. I closed my eyes so that he couldn’t see the truth in them. Before I knew it, I felt his lips upon mine. I pulled away for just a moment, trying to make sense of what just happened, but I couldn’t. I leaned back in, bringing his head down to mine to kiss him. The kiss was tender and sweet, but as the kiss lingered, it grew to need and want. A burning inside me needed to be extinguished, and only he could cure that burning. He lifted me into his arms and carried me into the bedroom.
He set me down on my feet as we frantically started pulling our clothes off as we continued to kiss. With each kiss, my heart began to swell, feeling something I had never felt before.
He laid me down on the bed and slid himself into me with little resistance. I was already wet and ready to take him in. He was gentle as ever as he rubbed his hands up and down my body, continuing to kiss my lips and neck while thrusting into me. I could feel myself getting closer.
“Bastian,” I moaned.
“I know, baby. Me too.”
He started to quicken the pace as I felt myself lose control and release my orgasm. He let out a growl as he finished, burying his head into my neck while he came down from his release.
Bastian lifted his head, and I looked into his eyes and noticed that they had changed to a silver. I closed my eyes and felt the pain in my heart. I knew what I had to do.
I brought my hand to Bastian’s chest, covered it over his heart, and said, “I say this prayer to heal the Alpha before me. His heart was hurt and was heavy, but the silver in his eyes showed his wolf was ready. Heal him now. Set his pain free. I ask you, moon goddess, please.”
I pulled my hand away as Bastian fell back and put his own hand over his heart.
“What happened? What did you do to me?” he asked.
I pulled myself up, leaned against the pillows and headboard, and said, “I healed you. Your heart was ready to be healed. I took your pain away.”
“It’s like this weight has been taken off of my chest like I am no longer carrying this heavy burden.”
He crawled back over and took me in his arms to hug me. “Thank you, Ria! You did it. You healed me.” We laid there quietly for a while until he fell asleep.
I couldn’t sleep. I was completely torn with the situation. Could I stay and continue this with him?
Freya: Yes!
Me: Freya, we need to think about this seriously.
Freya: I am. I don’t want to leave this man and his wolf. They know how to sat-is-fy us.
I rolled my eyes.
Me: What if his second mate comes? I don’t think I could handle staying around and watching that.
Freya: Why can’t we stay here and try to heal our heart? This pack is a strong pack. We have not felt this comfortable since your mother died.
Me: It is a great pack, and it would be nice to finally place some roots and not be traveling all the time.
Freya: Ria, I don’t know if I have it in me anymore to have sex with a wolf that is not our mate. I think it’s really taking a toll on me.
Me: You are right, Freya. I think it is time for us to quit as sexual healers, and maybe we just go off and try to heal ourselves. But I can’t do it here.
Freya: But what if he is our second mate?
Me: If it’s meant to be, fate will have us meeting again.
Freya: How are you going to tell him?
Me: I’m going to write him a letter, and we are going to leave. I will tell Mak to pack up my stuff for me and bring it to me when she comes to get her things from her cottage at the Council.
Freya: I don’t think this is a good idea. But do what you think you need to do.
I got up from the bed and walked out into the living room. I sat at my desk and started to write Bastian a letter. When finished, I quickly changed, laid the letter on the pillow, kissed Bastian on the forehead, and left.
Going out the back, I quickly stripped and let Freya shift into her wolf form, trying to stay undetected by the warriors on duty.
***
Bastian’s POV:
I woke up with a sudden urgency that something was wrong. I looked over to Ria’s side of the bed and noticed it was empty.
“Ria?”
Nothing but silence. I got up from the bed and checked the entire cabin. When I came out of the bathroom, I noticed the letter sitting on the pillow.
My heart started to pound.
I grabbed the letter, walked out into the living room, and sat on the couch before opening it.
Dear Bastian,
I decided that it was best for me to leave before you woke up so that you couldn’t stop me. Your heart is healed, and now, you have a real chance to find love and your second mate. I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t feel something for you because I do so much. But I refuse to let my feelings for you get in the way of you finding your mate. You will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve decided to leave the Council and no longer be a healer for the Alphas. You have saved me so many times, and this is the only way I see to save you, by stepping aside and giving you a chance. I care for you, Bastian. But I need to let you go, and you need to move on.
Always, Ria
I crumpled up the letter and threw it across the room. Leaning back into the couch, I rubbed my hands up and down my face.
She left me.
Rufus: What are you waiting for? Go after her.
Me: No, she has made her decision, and I need to respect it and do what she asks.
Rufus: You are being stubborn, just like she is.
I got up from the couch go into the bedroom, grabbed my clothes, and put them on. I quickly made my way out of the cottage and didn’t look back once.
I headed to the packhouse. When entering, I ran into Mak.
“Sorry, Alpha,” she said to me while bowing her head to me.
“It’s fine,” I grumbled as I continued to walk past her.
“Is everything okay?” she asked in a quiet voice.
I stopped for a moment and took a deep breath before answering, “Ria was able to heal me and decided to leave in the middle of the night without saying goodbye.”
“What?”
I turned to look at her while trying to hide the anger and pain I was feeling.
“I would appreciate it if we didn’t talk about it, and if you could please pack up her belongings and take them with you when you go back to council to grab your stuff.” I turned back around and slowly started to walk up the stairs.
“Of course, Alpha. Alpha?”
I stopped again but did not turn around.
“Ria must have a good reason to leave like this. This is not like her.”
I shook my head and continued to make my way up the stairs.
Me: Jasper?
Jasper: Yes, Alpha?
Bastian: Ria has completed her mission and will no longer be staying here. She has already left the premises. I would like it to be known that she is no longer here and no one to bring her name up.
Jasper: I will let them all know.
Bastian: Thank you.
***
Ria’s POV:
My phone started to ring, and I looked down to see Mak calling me. I took a deep breath before answering, “Hey, Mak.”
“DON’T YOU HEY MAK ME! WHY IN THE HELL DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE?”
Oh, dear.
“Mak, please, don’t yell at me. I am sorry that I did not leave you a message to let you know. I just needed to leave and get out of there.”
“Look, you know I understand better than anyone how it is when healing a wolf and making sure not to linger around, but, Ria, I have never seen you do something like this.”
“We kissed Mak,” I said as I let out a deep sigh. Mak knew how I felt about kissing.
“Ria and Bastian kissed,” Mak said to someone.
“Oh, okay, please continue,” she said softly.
“Wait, who are you talking to?” I asked.
“Barlow is here with me.”
Barlow jumped on. “I’m just as upset with you as Mak is, but please continue your reason for leaving.”
I rolled my eyes.
“We ended up making love and kissing the whole entire time. It was incredible. But when we finished, his eyes turned silver, and I knew what I had to do.”
“Oh, sweetie, you have feelings for him, don’t you?”
I started to cry. “Yes, Mak. I think I am falling for him.”
“I don’t understand. Why doesn’t she just stay?” Barlow asked Mak.
“Because she does not want to get in the way of Bastian finding his second mate. She doesn’t want him to settle,” she whispered to Barlow.
Mak turned back to me on the phone and said, “Shh, it’s okay. Breathe, just breathe.”
I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself down.
“Mak? Will pack up my stuff for me and bring it to the High Council on your way back.”
“Yes, Alpha Bastian has asked me to do so already.”
“Oh,” I said quietly, “Okay. Thank you.”
“Of course. I will be back up in a couple of days.”
“I’ll be here packing up the cottage, so that works.”
“What do you mean packing up the cottage?”
“I’m leaving the High Council and no longer going to be a sexual healer. I promised Freya that we would go off and try to heal ourselves. Maybe while we are out there, we can start a new chapter in our life.”
“I can’t believe you are leaving.”
“I just can’t do it anymore. Besides, you are starting your new life with your mate.”
“Yeah, you are right. But I am going to miss you so much.”
“Me too, Mak.”
“What about me? I am going to miss you too!” Barlow chimed in.
I chuckled and said, “Yes, Barlow. I am going to miss you too.”
“Well, I have to go. I will see you in a couple of days,” Mak said before hanging up the phone.
When I was finally back at the High Council, I immediately typed up my resignation letter and finished the file on Bastian. I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible, so as soon as I was finished, I immediately walked over to the Council office.
Leslie, the front-desk secretary, greeted me when I came in.
“Hey, Ria. This is a surprise. I did not know that you were back.”
“Hi, Leslie. Yes, I just got back and needed to give this to the Council.”
I handed her the file on Bastian and an envelope.
“What’s in the envelope?” she asked while holding it in her hand and inspecting it.
“If you could please give that to the Council as soon as possible, I would appreciate it,” I said, giving her a half-smile.
At that moment, Alpha Caspian was making his way to the front of the office. When he looked up from his phone, he was surprised to see me.
“Well, Ria. This is a nice surprise. I did not expect to see you here.” He walked over and gave me a light hug.
“Hello, Alpha Caspian. It is good to see you too.”
“Here, let’s head back to my office so that we can talk.” He started to head back before Leslie stopped him.
“Alpha Caspian.”
He turned and looked at Leslie. “Yes?”
“Here is the file that she was working on, and she also wanted me to give the Council this.” She handed him the envelope.
She looked back at me, and I narrowed my eyes at her. She just shrugged. I rolled my eyes and looked over at Alpha Caspian as he examined the envelope.
He let out a loud sigh and said, “Come on, Ria. It looks like we have some talking to do.”
I nodded and followed him.
He opened the door to his office and held the door open for me as he gestured to step in before him. I walked into his office and stood behind the chair.
“Go ahead and have a seat, Ria,” he said as he walked around to his chair on the other side and sat down.
We stayed quiet for a moment as he opened the letter and read my resignation letter. He put the letter down and leaned back in his chair for a moment as he continued to stare at the letter. He finally looked at me and asked, “So, what happened?”
“I was able to heal your son.”
“And?”
“And what, sir?”
He let out a heavy sigh and said, “What else happened between you and Bastian?”
I looked down for a moment and said, “Nothing happened. His heart is healed, and he will be able to find his second mate and move on.”
“Then why are you leaving the High Council?”
“I promised my wolf that after healing your son, we would look to see how to heal our own heart, to possibly find our own second mate.”
“I see. But why didn’t you stay at the pack?” he continued to give me that father-like stare.
I shrugged before finally breaking down and admitting it to him, “Because I have feelings for Bastian, and I do not want my silly human feelings to get in the way of him finding his second mate.” I let out a loud sigh and lowered my head again, afraid to see the look on his face.
“I see.”
I looked up, and he was just sitting there, quietly rocking back and forth in his chair.
“I felt I was doing the right thing.”
“I believe you.”
“But?” I said to him.
“But what?” he said to me.
“You feel that I should have stayed?”
“It does not matter how I feel about what you should do; it’s how you feel about what you should do. And as you said, you feel you did the right thing.”
Freya: Even he thinks we should have stayed.
Ugh!
“Now, Ria, I will accept your resignation letter, and I do hope that you are able to heal your heart. I feel good things are going to happen in your future.”
“Thank you, Alpha Caspian.”
I got from my seat and walked to the door.
“Ria? Make sure you stop by to see me and Athena before you leave. Athena just adores you.”
“Yes, Alpha. I promise.”
He nodded and started looking at some paperwork on his desk as I left.
Walking back to the front, I passed by Leslie.
“Goodbye, troublemaker,” I said with humor in my voice.
“Bye, Ria. I will miss you.”
“Yeah, I’ll miss you too,” I said as I made my way out the door.
Well, time to order some food and wine and then start packing up the cottage.