Chapter 160 NUMB TO THE HEART
Edeline
He shook his head slightly, a hint of sadness in his smile. "But hey, you should totally go for it. You have that natural leadership quality, always taking charge and grabbing everyone’s attention. When I look at you and my mom, it’s clear she was never cut out to be a Luna. And let’s be real, Tatiana? She’s definitely not Luna material. I have to admit, as much as I dislike Tatiana, I’ve been drawn to her because of our pup. I won’t lie, it made me a little jealous knowing that Nixx is her mate..."
The admission hit me hard, the sting sharp and unwelcome.
"But not in the way you might expect. My wolf isn’t too keen on having another male around our pup. I don't have any affection for that female anymore. Not after all the trouble she caused us. I never truly did. I was simply too focused on doing what I believed was right." Percival reached for my hand, but I pulled it away swiftly, brushing my hair behind my ear as I watched him intently. I could feel my skin vibrating, as if it was connected to some invisible force.
My wolf felt a bit of pride from the compliment he had given us earlier, but that pride quickly faded when I remembered the kiss he shared with Tatiana. Even though he mentioned feeling compelled, he had never experienced the same fate as Darius, who was poisoned.
"Percival…" I sighed, feeling increasingly uncomfortable in my clothes, which suddenly felt too warm against my skin. "I understand how you've been feeling. You've talked about it a lot, and I've had my share of emotional ups and downs too. But after reading your last letter, I felt completely numb and—"
"Edeline, listen up!" He interrupted, his voice urgent. "I need to clear something up with you. Those letters I mentioned earlier? Total fakes. Well, at least the last two were. Turns out Darius got his hands on them and had Anita write them. Sneaky, right? He was the one tailing us all along. Somehow, he managed to find our secret hiding spot and intercepted our letters. So whatever that letter said, it definitely wasn't me. I would never say anything to make you want to give up on us. It took me a while to realize that the letter you left me wasn’t even from you. I blame it on my crazy hormones clouding my brain."
The anger and hurt from the letter had been consuming my thoughts lately. But when I stumbled upon Darius’s journal, everything changed. I finally understood that the letter wasn’t from him. It was Percival’s brother who made me realize how foolish I was to believe that Percival would ever encourage me to be with Tatiana or that there was no chance for us.
"Yeah, I know, Percival. I’m aware of the whole letters situation," I confessed, looking down at my lap.
"You knew?" He looked astonished. "I can’t believe it."
I nodded quietly.
"So why have you been acting like this if you know I would never say those things? If you know I don’t love Tatiana!? I finally realized that I don’t have to do what my dad wants, especially after everything we’ve uncovered... after everything she’s done... Why would I ever want to be with her?" His voice rose, desperate and filled with emotion. "Please, help me out here."
I looked up at him, feeling a mix of frustration and sadness. My eyebrows were knitted together in annoyance. “Because, Percival, it took you way too long to figure that out! You told me one thing—that you wouldn’t mark her, even if the pup was born. You said you would prove to me that you were worthy of me, even if it took forever. But you always protected her. You gave her affection and kissed her. Even if that kiss came after the fake letter, and even if your wolf wanted to protect the pup, those things still matter. They made me feel so alone—angry and alone! I was hurting, Percival. I was hurting the entire time, and that letter made me numb. I was finally numb to you. I cannot be that female who is obsessed with a mate who kept her on the back burner. If you wanted me, you should have stayed in that driveway with me the night you came home with Tatiana for the first time. You should have told me that she meant nothing to you, that she was just carrying your pup. You should have worked to prove that you truly wanted me. Granted, I would have fought with my wolf about it because, if the pup lived, we would have resented both you and the pup. But at least you should have tried!”
Tears were welling up in my eyes. I had kept everything bottled up for so long, feeling numb for a while. But now, I needed him to hear the honest truth. My emotions were in turmoil. The numbness was slowly fading, replaced by a deep, settling pain, soon overtaken by a strong, almost unbearable desire for his presence.
“You should have chosen me from the beginning, but you didn’t, Percival. You left me all alone in that driveway, crying my eyes out for weeks. You never even bothered to check on me. I saw you, you know? I watched from my room as you fed her with your own hands, right in front of everyone in the pack!” I shouted, my tears streaming down my face as I knelt in front of him. The sadness overwhelmed me, causing my face to twist with pain.
It was clear to me now—he never made it clear that he cared about me. Or maybe they didn’t want me at all. Love can be incredibly tough. It can bring immense joy and then shatter your world in an instant. I had become distant and emotionally detached. I had come to accept the harsh truth.
Percival’s eyes seemed to light up with a hint of excitement. A tear traced down his sharp cheekbone, giving him an almost model-like appearance.