Chapter 178 TORN BY RAGE
Edeline
He recoiled, his eyes clouded with a mix of hurt and anger. My words had struck a nerve, especially when I spoke of his unborn pup. Deep down, I knew I was wrong—hating an innocent life for something it had no control over—but I couldn’t stop myself. My wolf's instincts were growing dangerously intense, and the thought scared me. I never wanted to harm a pup, but the dark force inside me seemed to have a mind of its own.
He could sense my internal struggle, the turmoil that was consuming me.
A low growl rumbled from his chest as his eyes narrowed with fierce intensity. "Don’t you dare threaten my pup, Edeline," he warned, his voice laced with a dangerous edge.
The distress in our connection was palpable, and his eyes briefly flickered back to their original blue as if the pain had momentarily softened him. If it weren’t for the bond we shared as mates, I feared he might have lashed out at me. Instead, he held back, struggling to control the primal rage that threatened to spill over.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t hold them back any longer.
It was strange how, despite being surrounded by others, I still felt so completely alone. My dysfunctional family was barely holding together, and while Mirabelle and the rest of the pack were there, it wasn’t the same. Nixx, who used to be a source of comfort, had only added to my troubles. And then there was Percival.
Percival, who was supposed to be my anchor, my support. I needed him to understand my emotions, to be there when I was falling apart, to catch me when I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. But he kept letting me down, over and over again.
"Why, Percival?" I cried out, my voice breaking. "Why do you always do this to me? My wolf is going crazy! I feel like I'm losing my mind!" The weight of my pain was too much to bear, and I collapsed to the ground, clutching the grass beneath me as my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. The emptiness inside me grew, swallowing me whole as tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t stop the sobs that wracked my body, a mix of panic, anger, betrayal, and jealousy tearing me apart.
Feeling unappreciated by something that should be yours—it was an agony like no other.
Percival quickly kneeled beside me, the anger in his eyes replaced by worry and regret. He reached out, trying to pull me into his arms, but I pushed him away, my voice rising to a frantic pitch. "Stop!" I screamed, the sound reverberating painfully in my ears.
When our eyes met, something inside me snapped. The shock on his face was unmistakable, and I could see the guilt in his eyes, the desperate need to comfort me. It tore at him to see me like this, to know that I was hurting and that he was the cause.
But I couldn’t let him in—not this time.
I was a complete wreck, sitting on the floor, tears streaming down my face. My hands gripped my hair, yanking out strands in frustration as I sobbed uncontrollably. "Why do you always put me through this?" I cried out, my voice choked with emotion. "Why am I always the last one you choose? Why am I always left on the back burner? Do you really love me?" The questions tumbled out of me in a cascade of pain and bewilderment.
Percival leaned in, his hesitation palpable as he reached out, only to pull back slightly, wary of my volatile reaction. His voice trembled, thick with raw emotion, as he tried to bridge the chasm between us. "I do love you, you know!" he pleaded, tears evident in his eyes. "I'm absolutely certain! You’re my buddy, Edeline. These marks we share make it clear that I don’t regret giving you my mark. I just wish it were under different circumstances." His voice rose, a mixture of incredulity and deep sorrow, as his blue eyes, blurred with tears, seemed to grasp the depth of my anguish.
"You don’t love me," I countered, my hysteria beginning to wane into a more subdued, painful cry. I sniffled, wiping my nose on my sleeve as I struggled to hold back the tears. "If you did... if you really did, you would’ve been there for me!" My voice broke as the tears flowed freely. It was a relief that we were hidden away in this secluded corner of the clinic. At this point, I had reached my breaking point, my emotions spilling over uncontrollably.
"Hey, Edeline!" he cried out, his voice cracking with desperation. "I really do love you with everything I have!" He knelt in front of me, his eyes brimming with tears. "I apologize for leaving you alone. I’m sorry! But the thought of losing my wolf... What if something happened while I wasn’t around? I can’t even begin to describe how that feels! I don’t expect you to understand completely, but... I need to be here. I’m sorry! I really need my wolf to be here, too!" He was on his knees, his hands trembling as he reached out to offer me comfort, his voice filled with pleading desperation.
It was almost pitiful—Percival was a weak wolf in this moment. Most guys wouldn’t have cared if a girl told them not to touch her, but I genuinely didn’t want him laying a hand on me right now. I was relieved, in a way, that he seemed to lack the strength to push through my rejection.
We both cried—him for me, and me for him and his pup. It was an intense, shared grief that seemed to consume us both.
"Do you even want the pup to be born?" I shouted, my grip on the grass tightening as I struggled to contain my rage. "Why would we want to ruin our mate bond over this? I can’t handle this! My wolf refuses to cooperate!"
Percival closed his eyes, looking torn as his tears fell onto the grass beside us. "I really want my pup," he admitted, his voice breaking. "I’ve said it before—I don’t love Tatiana, and I truly don’t. But if you really cared about me... could you at least try to make this work for us?" His expression was one of surprise and vulnerability, as if he was reaching out for a lifeline.