Page 107 of Crystal Luna

Closing her eyes, she soaked in his words,internalising them like a mantra. “I will.”

“You and I both know you’re the stronger one of us, so I’ll just be honest,” he admitted, his hands shaking. “I can’t watch you leave, but only because you taught me to pick my battles. Seeing you leave will make me lose my shit and I prefer not to have my ass handed to me by you or Alpha Heath.”

A laugh escaped her and she quickly nodded. “I think that’s best, because you’ll get me in trouble too.”

With a quick kiss on her forehead, Rayan left. His whole body shook with rage. He wasn’t lying when he said he was losing it.

Wayne stepped up and pulled her into a quick hug. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Be safe and let us know when you’ve settled in, okay?”

“I will.”

He chuckled, his eyes on something behind the SUV. She turned and saw through the windows that Curtis was running towards them with Mia close behind.

“Wait!” he called out, making his way around the hood. “I want to say goodbye too.”

Wayne quickly made room to let Curtis pull her into a hug as he went after Rayan.

“We’ll miss you.”

“I will miss you too, my little bookworm.”

“I’m not that little anymore, you know?”

“I know,” she said, ruffling his hair.

“Will you call us and tell us how it is in your new home?”

“Of course.”

Mia timidly approached Isaiah and handed him a folded sheet of paper. “Here. Dad said perfectionists love lists so I made you one of all the things Velora likes.”

Isaiah’s face lit up in surprise as he took the letter. “That is very sweet of you, Mia. Thank you. I’ll keep it in a safe place.”

She then turned to Asher, who gave her an ear-to-ear smile. “I wasn’t sure what to get you, but maybe by next time I’ll come up with something.”

“Ah, I guess that’s what I get for being a troublemaker.”

Velora turned when she heard someone approach from behind. Heath walked up, holding a pink princess lunch bag in his hands, a smile on his lips that didn’t extend to his sad, dark eyes.

“Mia insisted.”

She nodded, kindly returning his smile—though hers was just as sad. “Thank you.”

He sighed and pulled her into a one-armed hug, squeezing her shoulder. She tried to soak it in, but it was over before she could think.

Not wanting this to escalate into a fight, she turned to Mia and gave her one last hug and a kiss on her forehead.

Isaiah took her gym bag and placed it in the trunk while Asher added her backpack to the passenger’s seat. She took the hint, climbing into the SUV and placing the pink princess lunch bag on her lap. Asher decided to drive while Isaiah took the back seat. As Asher started the engine, the small crowd that she’d called her family for three years stepped back and made room for them. Tears shooting into her eyes, she watched as they all waved her goodbye.

Her heart bled as Asher drove out of the village and onto the path that would lead them to the highway. Her breathing felt heavy, and her soul torn apart. It was wrong and she felt helpless that she couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Asher reached for her hand but she pulled away before he could touch her. He froze for a moment before returning his hand to the wheel.

With her gaze out the window, she watched as the dirt road turned into a highway and they sped far away from her safe haven. Frustrated and needing to do something, she opened the pink lunch bag. She smiled as her hand closed around one of her favourite chocolate bars. Ripping the package open, she began to eat up her frustration and heartbreak.

The twins stayed silent, not pushing her to say anything though she was sure they were talking through their bond. She had a feeling they were always connected, their minds often working as one. It wasn’t anything they shared with anyone—they’d always been very private about how close they truly were.

“We’re stopping soon to stretch a little and get some food. Anywhere you would prefer going?” Asher asked closer to midday.