\[William’s POV\]
I stare at Lydia, my gaze narrowing as I take in what it is that she is saying. I wasn’t sure if she thought that I was so easy to fool or if she really went crazy, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her shit.
“You know there is no way that is impossible.” I say, ignoring my anger over her even suggesting such a ridiculous thing. “If you’re worried about not having anywhere to go once you leave here, you don’t have to worry about that. I will continue to support you as I promised, but you will no longer be able to stay beside me as you have until this point.”
“You can’t be serious.” Lydia says, her eyes widening. “You’re going to send me away even though you know that I’m pregnant?”
“You’re not pregnant.” I snap. “I took all precautions to ensure that didn’t happen.”
“Nothing is a hundred percent.” She points out. “If you don’t believe me, then shall I have an examination?”
“Have it,” I shrug. “Even if you are pregnant, I wasn’t the one who did it. Now, if you’re done with you’re done wasting my time, you should begin to make preparations. Pick a place, and I’ll take care of everything else.”
As I speak, I begin to move, heading toward my office so that I can finish with the work I left unattended. Once I finished with it, I would head back to New Moon to join in the battle to end Ezekial.
“Where are you going?” Lydia wails, beginning to follow me. “Are you really just going to leave me like that after what you caused? You’re the reason I don’t have any family!”
“Lydia,” I growl, whirling around and letting my aura press against her so she cowers. “Don’t you think it’s about time you stopped trying to use that against me? Do you think that I don’t already live with the guilt of what happened? I don’t need you to constantly remind me! I also already told you that I wasn’t going to leave you with nothing. You will still be able to live in luxury by my dime, so why the hell are you still bothering me?”
“Because I love you!” She sobs, attempting to throw herself on me only to be stopped. “I love you, and I’m carrying your child! How can you not believe me? Are you really going to abandon me and make me raise this child all alone?”
Biting back on my initial response, I take a few calming breaths. It was pointless to sit here and argue with this woman since I knew that it wasn’t going to get me anywhere. She was going to say what she wanted to say and that was partly my fault.
Since Lydia found me a few years back, I humored her and even spoiled her. If anyone was to blame for what was happening now, it was me.
“If the child is in fact mine, then I will help support it, but I won’t remain with you. It isn’t fair to you, and it isn’t fair to me when our happiness is somewhere out there waiting for us.”
“Don’t tell me that you’ve actually fallen for that child.” She hisses, narrowing her gaze. “Do you know how you will be looked at if you were to attempt to be with her? It would never be accepted by the pack or by your family. Are you really willing to lose everything for...?”
“I have no intention of being with her.” I point out. “Even I know it is impossible, but I’m not going to deny my feelings.”
There was no way that I wouldn’t care for Eleanor since she was Elise. She was Elise, the woman that I dreamt about almost every night. The woman who haunted my every moment. The one who brought my heart back to life after losing Marigold.
The goddess was cruel to pull such a thing, but I could live happily knowing that she was alive and well.
‘But is she?’ Rue asks, daring to voice the single thought that was haunting me. ‘What about the other soul that is in her body? Will it just disappear completely?’
Shivering, I try not to think about such things when I am in the process of dealing with something else completely. Once the rest of the mess around me was figured out, I would do whatever it took to figure out what would happen and how to save Elise, but I was only one man.
“William!” Lydia calls, snapping me out of my head while throwing her arms around me. “Please, please don’t abandon me. Don’t make me leave when I don’t have anyone else. I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever it is that you want of me. But please don't...”
“No,” I say, gently grabbing her arms and pulling them off of me. “This is what is best for you. As long as you remain beside me, you aren’t going to let go of me.”
“I will,” she cries, unwilling to give up. “I’ll stop caring. I promise I’ll stop caring, and I won’t bother you!”
“Lydia,” I sigh, knowing damn well that was impossible given her nature. “I’ve made my decision, and I won’t change it just because you ask me. Our time together ends after today.”
Pulling free of her hold completely, I turn and begin to make my way upstairs while hearing the sound of her feet hitting the stairs as she continues to chase me, and by the time she reaches me, her hand grabs my shirt.
“William!” She screeches, stopping me in my tracks. “I won’t be a single mother!”
“That’s too bad.” I sigh, peeking over my shoulder at her. “As long as you try to pretend that child is mine, then you’re going to be just that.”
“I won’t,” she repeats, a slow, manic smile beginning to form on her lips. “If you won’t stay beside me then, I'll...”
She doesn’t finish her words before she is releasing my shirt so that her body begins to fall backwards while she opens up her arms wide, that damned smile remaining on her face.
“I’ll just end it all here.” She announces while I reach out and grab her while the urge to beat the shit out of her hits me.
“You’ve lost your fucking mind.” I growl, pulling her toward me. “Who the fuck do you think you are to try to set me up like this? You should know better than anyone that I don’t have the patience for these games.”
“B-but,” she gasps, her eyes growing wide. “You don’t want the child or me. So, what’s the point of me continuing to live?”
“Everything,” I snap, beginning to drag her down the stairs after me. “Think of your family and the lives they didn’t get to lead while you sit in the dungeon for threatening to kill the supposed heir of Crystal Fang.”
“Does that mean you believe me?” She asks, hopefulness dripping from her words. “Do you…”
“I don’t,” I confirm, reaching my destination. “But until you have that child, you’ll be a prisoner instead of living peacefully. While you spend your days behind bars, try to remember that you were given a different fate, but you made the choice to be here.”