SEVENTY-ONE

I saw Ailana the following day after my training with Draven. She was sitting on a bench by the waterside, looking lost and deep in thought. She didn’t look up when I approached her, she just kept staring into space. Her skin was pale, her eyes didn’t hold the shine it used to have. She looked different.

“What do you want?” Ailana asked without looking at me.

I flopped on the bench next to her “To say I’m sorry,” I sighed.

“Sorry for what?” she finally turned to look at me, but I couldn’t tell what it was I saw in her eyes.

“For everything,” I sighed “I’m sorry Draven held you in his dungeons. Believe me, I had no idea…”

She laughed sadly “I wish I believed you, Ray,” she shook her head “I understand all of it now. You left the shitty pack, found your mate and fell in love. You got famous, became strong and important, and then you forgot all about your little old friend,”

“Aila-“ She held up a hand to stop me.

“Every fucking day since you left, I prayed to the moon goddess to keep you