79 Aira’s Turmoil
CHAPTER 78
-Aira’s POV~
The wind felt colder today, harsher somehow, biting at my skin as I stood near the window, staring out at the vast expanse of the woods–the same woods where Tempest had stormed off not long ago.
I could still feel her frustration and pain in the air. My heart clenched, knowing that I was partly to blame for what she was going through.
It always came back to Koda,
I turned away from the window, my chest tightening at the mere thought of him. He had loved me once–or at least, he thought he had.
And for years, his devotion had been a source of strength for me, a lifeline I clung to when everything else in my life felt like it was slipping away with my mate. But now that lifeline had become a chain, binding me to something I couldn’t fix.
79 Aira’s Turmoil
I had to let him go.
My fingers absently traced the scars on my wrist from past problems I had with my mate–physical reminders of the pain I’d endured, but nothing compared to the emotional scars.
Koda, my son Storm, and the rejection from my mate- it all weighed on me, heavier than any battle I’d fought. And now, knowing that Koda had been fated to
Tempest, it was too much.
I bit down hard on my lip, forcing myself to keep it together.
‘Don’t cry, Aira. Not now.‘ I repeated the mantra over and over in my head, hoping it would work this time.
But nothing had been working lately.
Storm slept in the room down the hall. He was the only thing holding me together–the one pure, untouchable light in my life.
But how long could I keep going like this? How long could I protect him from the truth? That his father didn’t want him, that I was struggling to hold on to any semblance of strength I had left?
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79 Aira’s Turmoil
I should have ensured Koda knew I wouldn’t love him
and pushed him away ut instead I kept him close until I
was to escape.
That had been the day I was caught by my mate and beaten up. Luckily, I escaped with Autumn’s help and collapsed in an unknown zone.
That was how those Snow put in charge of finding me, saw me, and took me to the hospital.
For a long time, I had hidden from my family because I was too ashamed of myself and I was angry–angry at the fact that my ties to them made my mate reject me.
But the truth was, I was angry at how low my self–esteem was.
Koda must have been worried sick when he couldn’t
find him. Even though I knew we couldn’t work, I could have rang the bell in his head and let him go before it
came to this.
I
But now, Tempest was tangled up in this mess, and knew she’d never forgive me for standing in the way of her mate bond, even if I hadn’t meant for it to happen.
It wasn’t my fault, but that didn’t change how guilty I
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felt.
79 Aira’s Turmoil
Koda’s words earlier echoed in my mind–the raw emotion in his voice when he said he loved me. But
what did love mean when fate had decided otherwise??
The door to my room creaked open softly, and I turned to see Snow standing in the doorway. His expression was unreadable, as usual, but there was something in his eyes—concern, maybe, or frustration.
“You shouldn’t be alone right now,” he said quietly, stepping inside.
I forced a weak smile. “I’m always alone, Snow. It’s kind of my thing.”
He sighed, closing the door behind him before walking over to me. His presence was always grounding and steady.
I envied that about him sometimes–how he always seemed so sure of himself, so in control. Meanwhile, I was constantly battling the storm inside me.
“You’re not as alone as you think,” he reminded me gently. “You have me. You have Tempest. You have Storm. You have mum and dad.”
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79 Aira’s Turmoil
“Tempest hates me,” I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself as if I could shield myself from the weight of it all. “She’s out there, struggling because of something I didn’t ask for. I never asked to be the reason her mate is conflicted. I never wanted this.”
My voice cracked before I could stop it and the emotion I had been suppressing all morning finally
bubbled to the surface.
Snow’s jaw tightened. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s angry, yes. Conflicted. But she loves you, Aira. She’s just hurting right now.”
.I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “And what
about Koda? He’s hurting too. All because of me. You see, everyone who comes close ends up hurting because of me.”
Snow didn’t say anything for a moment, his gaze drifting to the window. The silence between us was heavy, filled with all the things we couldn’t say aloud.
“That’s not true. I just wish you saw the positive side of reality.” I didn’t respond and that got him talking
again.
“You did the right thing by letting him go,” Snow said
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79 Aira’s Turmoil
finally. “It’s not your fault that fate had other plans for him. But Tempest… Tempest will figure things out. She’s strong.”
I clenched my fists hard as the frustration rose in my chest again. “Strong? Do you think strength is enough to fix this? Snow, I’m not just dealing with a broken heart here. I have a son. A son who will one day realize that his father never wanted him. How do I explain that to him? How do I look into his eyes and tell him that I wasn’t enough to make his father stay?”
Snow’s eyes softened, and for the first time in a long while, I saw the brother who had always been there for me, even when I didn’t deserve it. He reached out, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.
yourself 0 ?
“You are enough, Aira,” he said quietly. “For Storm, for
and for this pack. You’re more than enough. Don’t let anyone–especially not your mate–make you
anyone—especially not your think otherwise.”
His words were like a balm to my soul, but they didn’t erase the doubt I felt, and I guess that had to do with me and what I believed.
They couldn’t fix what had already been shattered. But
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79 Aira’s Turmoil
maybe they were enough to help me hold on for just a
little while longer.
I nodded, swallowing hard. “I hope you’re right.”
Snow stepped back, giving me space. “We’ll get through this, Aira. All of us.”
As he turned to leave, I looked back out the window. I knew that things wouldn’t magically get better. Tempest was still out there, struggling with her own demons.
Koda was caught in the middle, torn between what he wanted and what fate had thrown at him. 3
And me? I was still standing in the ruins of what could have been, trying to find a way to build something
new.
Just then I heard the loud sounds of little footsteps heading in t=my direction through the open door.
Storm rushed in, diving at me as I leaned down and hands. scooped him into my
How I had ever had the heart to leave this pure
soul
behind baffled me but I never wanted to do so again.
“Mum!”
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79 Aira’s Turmoil
“Hello, darling.”
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