CHAPTER 127 : THIS IS IT

Stepping outside, Bryan leaned against the outer wall. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself and steady his breathing, but that was impossible. The ache in his heart refused to let up. 

He took deep breaths and exhaled shakily, his knuckles already white because of how tightly he balled his fists. 

After some minutes of inhaling and exhaling, he tightened and relaxed his fists, before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Bryan didn't need to check when he felt the hand on his shoulder; he just prepared himself, knowing what was coming, and he knew that whatever was coming was going to be for the best.

"You know what we have to do." Aiden's voice was low, controlled, and filled with the pain he didn't try to hide. He stepped closer, his hand still on Bryan's shoulder. "It will be for the best."

"I know, Aiden," Bryan nodded, his throat tightening as his voice broke slightly. "I know. I just—" He stopped, closed his eyes and sucked in another breath. "Let's go."

They both walked back inside, the pain in the room heavy, felt, and the sight before them only made it worse.

Kira was still seated on the couch, same position, not moving, just there. It was clear she had not moved an inch since Bryan left.

Hearing their footsteps and sensing their intentions, she stood immediately before she even saw them. Her watery eyes darted to both men as she gulped hard and approached them.

Her movements were urgent as she approached and said, "No," firmly, her voice trembling. "We can't," she said as she looked at Aiden and Bryan while shaking her head. "You know that we can't."

"Kira, love," Aiden began softly, trying to find a way to reason with her, but she shook her head, cutting him off.

"No! We can't!" Her voice cracked as she spoke, tears welling in her eyes. "After everything we have been through, after everything that has happened, you can't do this. It is not fair to any of us. So, no. I don't want to hear it."

"But it is right," Bryan said gently, his voice barely above a whisper. His tone was calm, but inside, he was falling apart. It broke his heart that this was how things had to be, but he knew... he knew it was the best decision to make.

"We were selfish before, and we won't be selfish anymore," he continued, his voice faltering slightly. "You can't stay here. We have to let you go. Morane was right. We feel the hunger from this darkness for your blood; we feel it, and if you stay here, we might end up killing you. You might end up being scared of us; we might not even be able to sleep at night, afraid of hurting you. And you... you might always be vigilant. Do you see?" His voice cracked again, but he pushed on. "This is not the life we want for you. We will fall apart. Either way, we cannot let you live in pain or fear. You deserve better. What if we finally kill you? Huh?" He asked, swallowing hard. "Do you think we would survive that? We won't! We will never be able to survive that."

But with everything Bryan said, Kira shook her head slowly, her lips trembling as she looked between her mates. "Bryan, please," she let out, her tears finally spilling over. "Aiden, there has to be another way. This cannot be the end. I cannot leave you both."

"Then we will leave you," Aiden spoke after he had inhaled deeply. "If you can't, it's okay. We will leave you."

"Staying with us will only bring you pain," Aiden continued, as he could also feel himself falling apart on the inside but knew he had to stay strong. "We do not regret ever loving you or finding a way to your heart, and we never will. You have shown us love—real, romantic love. And despite everything, you gave us a chance. We are the lucky ones, Kira." He paused and looked away for a second before he turned back to look at her, his voice softening. "But we love you enough to let you go. We love you too much to see you hurt. You deserve better. You deserve someone who can give you a life without fear or pain. It's too dangerous with us."

"I know, I understand everything," Kira said, her voice breaking as her sobs grew louder at his words. "But I don't want to accept it," she choked out between breaths. "It hurts. It hurts so much, and I know you are both hurting too. We can find a way. I know it."

Neither Aiden nor Bryan could take it anymore. Together, they pulled her into their arms, hugging her tightly. 

Aiden's hand found its place on her hair. Gently, he stroked it, while Bryan's hand rubbed her back soothingly. 

They were trying to stay strong for her, but it was not easy. Aiden bit down on his lip, his heart aching with every sob that came out of her. His eyes burned, and he could feel the tears gathering in his eyes, but he blinked them away quickly. 

Bryan, too, was barely holding on. He looked away, but a single tear rolled down his cheek before he brushed it away with the back of his free hand. 

"So, Alpha's do cry," he thought and smiled sadly as he continued to rub Kira's back softly before he heard her speak.

"I have wanted to leave before when I hated you both," Kira cried into their chests, her words muffled, but they could still hear her. "I don't want to anymore. I want to stay. And what do you even mean by love someone else? You want me to find someone else? Do you both even love me?" She asked and suddenly pulled away, her eyes red.

She slammed her hands against their chests, her fists hitting them, but it didn't have any real force. "Do you?" she demanded, hitting them again. "Why would you even say that? Why would I love someone else? I—I can't!"

As she spoke, cried and kept hitting them, they let her. They stood there and took her hits without a word, fully understanding her pain. Meanwhile, Aiden titled his head up, biting the inside of his cheek and blinked rapidly to stop his tears from spilling.

"That's enough," Bryan said gently when he felt her getting too weak, her hits slowing after a while. He grasped her shoulder with his left hand, his touch gentle and soft as he brushed a strand of wet hair from her tear-streaked face with his right thumb. 

"Look at me," he said softly and leaned in closer. When she did, he continued. "This is killing us. But you don't deserve to be in pain because of us. Morane was right, Kira, and you know that." He paused, let out a breath, his eyes searching hers before he continued. "You can hate us for this, but this time it is worth it because we love you. We love you so much that we are letting you go. We can't ask you to wait for us. It might take years, maybe five, ten? Or even never. We can't do that to you, we won't let you suffer."

Then he cupped her cheeks with his hands, making sure her eyes and his met. "If you stay, and we harm you or kill you, then what? Do you think we will survive that? We will never forgive ourselves."

"You are good for me," Kira whispered through her tears. "Aiden is good for me. You are both good for me."

"We know," Bryan smiled sadly and pulled her into her arms again as she sobbed. "And we will never forget that. Why would we? Our strong, beautiful mate said so and whatever she says, stands." He said and laughed softly with a hint of sadness while stroking her hair.

Aiden, watching this, pressed a hand to his eyes as he tried to stay composed. 

Eventually, Kira stopped sobbing and Bryan gently guided her back to the couch, sitting down with her. She leaned against his shoulder, exhausted and drained.