CHAPTER 13

The Rising Tension

The phone on the table buzzed, lighting up with a name she never thought she would see again.

Adrian.

Her heart had skipped a beat, but she made herself not look at it-not yet, not when the anger was still fresh. She stared at the phone, trying to steady the shaking in her hands. It was a simple message, just a few words, but those words brought it all rushing back. She wasn't ready. Not now. Maybe never.

You gonna read it?" asked Leo, her training buddy, who had been eyeing the phone from across the room. A few years older than her, and despite the hard exterior, he had a soft spot for Flora.

She huffed, tossing the phone onto the couch. "I don't need to," she muttered, standing up to pace. "I already know what it's gonna say. Some half-assed apology. A 'I'm sorry I hurt you' or an 'I didn't mean to'." She gritted her teeth, biting back the emotion that threatened to spill over.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "You think that's what he's going to say?" His voice was even, almost amused, but underlying, a sharp edge betrayed something more. He was quick on the uptake with people.

Flora felt herself boil over. "I don't care what he says. He made his choice. And now he's trying to fix it." She was shaking all over, her voice betraying her.

Leo didn't press her anymore, instead stood and walked over to the phone. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands, his eyes going back to Beth. "You know, you could let him explain himself. Maybe you'd understand where he's coming from."

She threw him a black look. "I already do. He has his pack, and I mean nothing. What's the use?

Leo said nothing for a moment. He only looked at her, an expression of knowing in his eyes as they softened. "You're better than this, Flora. Don't let him tear you down."

But she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear anything about Adrian. Not now. Not when everything in her screamed to walk away.

But as she turned away, the voice in her chest wouldn't quiet, telling her she lied to herself. She did want to hear it-to know why he'd done what he did. But she couldn't allow herself to want that.

A few hours later, Flora was right in the middle of her workout when an unexpected knock on the door made her freeze. She wiped the sweat from her brow, already dreading who it might be. She wasn't in the mood for any more sympathy or advice.

The knock came again, this time louder, more insistent.

"Flora," came a voice from the other side of the door. "Flora, open up. Please."

Her heart sank because she knew that voice.

Adrian.

She stood there for a moment, frozen, as her mind deliberated what to do next. The initial instinct was to bar him-to shut him out. But something inside of her twisted, and she found her feet moving before she was able to stop herself. She flung the door open, her eyes meeting his, and for one second, the world around her blurred.

Adrian stood in the doorway, looking exactly as she remembered him-conflicted but determined. He hadn't changed at all. But she had.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice cold and cutting.

Adrian's expression softened then, his eyes filling with regret. "I needed to see you. I-I know I hurt you, Flora. And I'm sorry. I've been trying to fix things, but I .I don't know where to start." The words came in a rush, almost too fast, as if he was afraid she would shut him out before he could finish.

She crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze steady, unwavering. "You don't just show up like this, Adrian. After everything you said, everything you did. You don't get to apologize and expect me to just-" She stopped, the lump in her throat welling up. "You don't get to come back.

Adrian flinched, as if she had physically hurt him. He didn't back down. He moved closer to her, his voice quieter. "I know I messed up. And I've been a coward. But I just can't just keep pretending like everything's fine any longer. I. I need you to know how sorry I am.".

Flora felt something inside her crack, just a little. He sounded so sincere. But that didn't change the fact that he had hurt her trust. "You hurt me, Adrian," she whispered, shaking her voice. "I thought. I thought you loved me.

I do love you," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "But I was too scared to admit it. My family, the pack. I was torn between what they wanted and what I wanted. And I made the wrong choice."

"Yeah," Flora replied bitter, "you did.

There was a long, painful silence. Adrian opened his mouth to say more, but Flora raised a hand to stop him. "You don't get to fix this. You don't get to come back into my life just because it's easier for you now." Her voice finally cracked. "I was just a choice you put on the shelf, Adrian. And now you're realizing you can't take that back.

Adrian's eyes clouded with pain. "I'm not asking you to forgive me right away. I just. I wanted you to know that I regret what I did. I've never regretted anything more in my life."

Flora wanted to scream, to shove him away. She wanted to hurt him the way he had hurt her. But instead, she closed her eyes and stepped back, her arms falling to her sides.

“You’ve already hurt me, Adrian. That’s enough.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of it hung in the air, pressing down on them both.

The rest of the day was a blur. Flora couldn't shake off this feeling of Adrian hanging in her head. Every time she felt that she had pushed him out, another memory came flooding in. So sure she'd been when she'd shut him out. Now, her armor was cracked.

She walked mechanically toward her usual training grounds, feeling like a cauldron of jumbled emotions. She needed to clear her head, focus on something other than the ache in her chest. So lost in thought, she hadn't even noticed Leo until he was right in front of her, blocking her path.

"You good?" he asked, his expression unreadable.

Flora exhaled, rubbing her temples. "I don't know anymore. It's like I'm stuck between two worlds. One where I can't stand him, and one where I still want him back. It's. exhausting."

Leo looked at her for a long moment, his eyes contemplative. "You know, you don't need him to be happy. You've got this. You've got your future. Don't let him be the reason you fall apart.

Flora felt her chest tighten. She nodded, but she wasn't convinced. Not yet. She didn't know whether she would ever be.

He sat alone in his office back at the pack house, staring down at the letter he'd written to Flora. Words had never come easily to him, and they came even less so when it involved her. Still, he needed to try, needed to make this right. He couldn't lose her this way.

He sealed the envelope, his gut telling him it was already too late.

And that realization—above everything else—cut him to the core.