Reunion – 1

Thea’s POV

The afternoon sun filtered through the curtains into my room as I opened my sore eyes. For a moment, I thought everything that happened yesterday was just a nightmare, but the cruel memories quickly flooded back. This wasn’t some bad dream—Kane had really betrayed me.

I’d cried enough tears these past few months to fill the entire Moon Bay Lake. I was sick of feeling so fucking weak. But when reality hits you hard, letting you know that everything you believed in was a lie, there’s no way to stay strong.

I forced myself out of bed. Even though I had zero energy, I knew I couldn’t just lie around feeling sorry for myself all day. I took a long shower, hoping it would make things a little better, but it didn’t help. I doubted anything could make this shit better.

Throwing on a loose t-shirt and yoga pants, I headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. Just as I was pulling out a few eggs, the doorbell rang. I sighed deeply, not wanting to see anyone right now—I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts.

“Hey,” Iris said with a forced smile when I opened the door. She looked as exhausted as I felt. Her exhaustion was probably more physical, while mine was both physical and emotional.

“Hey, Iris,” I stood awkwardly at the door. I didn’t want to be rude, but I also didn’t want anyone near me. Like I said, I just wanted to be alone, to try to process everything I’d learned yesterday.

“I know you probably don’t want to see anyone right now, but can I come in?” she pleaded.

It still surprised me how well we understood each other in such a short time. It felt like we’d known each other for years, not just a few months.

I exhaled. “Fine, come in.”

As she walked in, I noticed she was carrying several boxes.

“Food,” she said, and I nodded. I was grateful. I really didn’t have the energy to cook, even though I was starving.

We went to the living room, and I sat on the large sofa while Iris settled down, placing the boxes of food on the coffee table.

I immediately started eating. We didn’t talk while eating, both seemingly lost in our own thoughts.

“Are you okay? I’ve been worried about you, Thea. This must be so hard to process,” she said after we finished.

For a moment, I considered lying to her, saying I was fine just to stop her from worrying. After all, pretending everything was normal was always easier than facing reality. But as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I dismissed it. I needed to talk because I felt like I was drowning.

“It is hard,” I began, “I’m still struggling to accept that Kane isn’t who I thought he was, and that the people I thought were my family aren’t actually my blood relatives.”

I didn’t know which was harder to accept. I kept asking myself if things would have been better if I’d been raised by my real parents. If life would have been more beautiful. Then I wouldn’t have met Sebastian, but I also wouldn’t have had Leo. Whenever I thought about what life would be like without ever meeting Sebastian, I immediately pushed the thought away. I would go through it all again just to have Leo in my life.

God, I missed him. I wanted Leo with me now more than ever. He had always been my rock.

“I can’t imagine how you feel right now. I don’t even know how to comfort you,” Iris’s words pulled me back to reality.

I looked at her and smiled slightly. She really wasn’t good at comforting people or making them feel better. But I didn’t mind. Her honesty was better than those who pretended to understand what I was going through.

2/3

Keman 1

4 know, Trix. I’m just sad. Not to mention hurt. I was finally starting to move on, you know? I thought I’d finally found someone who would love me, and then—boom—that relationship, that could even blossom, it was completely destroyed. I blinked rapidly, not wanting to cry anymore over a man who played me.

Reunion – 2

Honestly, I didn’t know who was worse. Sebastian, who used me to get his rocks off while thinking about Aurora, or Kane, who played me and fucked me while planning to kill me.

“I don’t want to be rude, but I’m going to tell you the truth. If I’d known this was how you were thinking all along, I would have stopped you,” she said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You can’t keep expecting men to love you,” she sighed, “how do I say this without hurting you more…your relationship with Kane was built from the start on your need to be loved. You can’t put all your expectations on someone else. You can’t think that a man’s love will fill the hole that Sebastian and your family dug in your heart.”

Before I could say anything, she continued:

“You built this fantasy, and I’m only seeing it now. You think that when you find a man who will love you, everything will be okay. But the only one who can fill that hole in your heart is you. Only you can love yourself the way you want to be loved. You need to love yourself first, and from what I can see, you’ve never really loved yourself,” she leaned back against the sofa.

“You’re wrong,” I glared at her, feeling offended and becoming defensive.

“Am I?”

I wanted to argue with her. Of course I loved myself.

Are you sure about that? That female voice in my head that had been quiet for so long spoke up again.

Yes. I answered firmly in my mind.

Then why are you so desperate for Sebastian to love you? Why did you immediately search for love after separating from him? Why does every word you say about starting over include finding someone who will love you? You can’t expect others to give you love that you can’t even give yourself, Thea.

I shook my head, banishing these thoughts. They couldn’t be right. Both Iris and the voice in my head were saying I was dependent on others’ love, which wasn’t true at all.

“Thea?” Iris called me.

“What?” I snapped at her, irritated that she’d made me start doubting myself.

She stared at me for a moment before answering: “Someone’s at the door.”

That’s when I heard the doorbell. I’d been so lost in thought that I hadn’t heard anything. I immediately felt guilty for snapping at her.

Already feeling emotionally drained, I got up to answer the door.

To my shock, Kane was standing at my doorstep. My first reaction was to close the door, which is exactly what I tried to do.

“Thea, wait,” he caught the door before I could close it.

“What do you want, Kane?” I asked through gritted teeth, not sure if I wanted to slap him or burst into tears.

“I know you don’t want to see me, but there are two people I’d like you to meet,” he said, stepping aside.

That’s when I noticed the beautiful couple standing behind him. The woman had long black hair, soft amber eyes, and the most beautiful face I’d ever seen. The man was tall and muscular, with wavy honey-brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

I stared at them, completely captivated by their beauty. They looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen them before.

“Thea, I’d like you to meet my adoptive parents, Seraphina and Maximus Kincaid. Mom, Dad,” he took a deep breath, “This is Thea Sterling. Your long- lost daughter.”

When he said their names, my eyes widened. These two people weren’t just my biological parents, standing before me were the leaders of the werewolf Pack that ruled the entire Northwestern region. The powerful family that could rival even the Ashworth Pack and perhaps even surpass it slightly.