The Name I Should Have Called Chapter 06
“You’re awake?” Sloan turned around, her cheeks flushed.
“Go wash up. I’ll make breakfast.”
“Sloan.” Kieran’s voice was hoarse. “Last night…”
“Nothing happened,” she cut in, her smile stiffening.
“You were drunk. I brought you here so you could rest. Go find Elena. I’m leaving tomorrow.”
His chest tightened. It felt like a hand was squeezing his ribs.
“I’ll explain everything to her,” he muttered, pressing his hands to his eyes. “She waited fifteen years for me. I can’t betray her. I’m sorry, Sloan. I’ll make this up to you somehow.”
Sloan stood silently by the window. Morning light cut across half her face, leaving the other half in shadow.
Finally, she said softly, “Fine. Go find her.”
The morning Kieran prepared to leave for the capital, Sloan was waiting by the boundary stone at the edge of the territory.
She wore a plain coat, her hair pulled back carelessly. A small suitcase sat at her feet.
“Sloan, I thought you were heading south.” Kieran reined in his horse.
“I changed my mind.” She looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. “Kieran, come home with me. Meet
my family. Just stay a few days.”
He frowned. “I have to find Elena.”
“I know you’ll bond with her.” Sloan lowered her gaze, twisting her fingers together nervously.
“But ask yourself. Are you really right for each other? Elena has never stepped outside your pack. She won’t
r understand the outside world. You’re on completely different paths now.”
Kieran was silent, his hands tightening on the reins.
“Just because I have money doesn’t mean I can abandon her. Her parents died young. No one ever showed her that world. That’s not her fault.”
“When I bond with her, I’ll take her anywhere she wants to go.”
The light in Sloan’s eyes dimmed.
Then she smiled, and the smile had a cold edge.
“Then stay two days. I help ye pick out a nice gift for Elena. A peace offering. Once she sees it, she’ll -forgive you
He hesitated. He had never given Elena anything, decent before.
“Two days. Then I’m gone.”
They drove six hours to reach the capitals
Sloan led him through the markets, picking out a well–fitting coat for him and a fine wool cloak, scarf, and gloves for Elena.
Kieran carried the bags, thinking that maybe he had misjudged her.
The next day, she took him to the old district on the outskirts of the capital.
The square was packed with tourists. She looped her arm through his and took pictures, while his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
“Kieran, look.” She pointed to the enormous screen above the square.
An ad ended, and the screen switched to a video.
Darian, wearing a sharply tailored black coat, was crouched down, tying a woman’s boot laces.
It was Elena. Her hair was shorter, her features softer, a serene smile playing on her lips.
The screen cut to a still photo. The two of them standing outside the iron gates of a grand pack house, surrounded by moonflowers and roses.
The screen displayed a title: [Celebrating the Union of Alpha Darian Lunarix and Luna Elena.]
Kieran stood rooted in the middle of the crowd. The noise of the square seemed to fade away.
“Kieran?” Sloan touched his arm hesitantly. “That’s fake. She’s getting back at you. Darian is just playing along…
“Shut up.” His voice was calm, but she flinched anyway.
He picked up the shopping bags, folded the mud–stained cloak, and placed it back inside. Then he turned and
walked
e was going. The streets of the capital stretched in every direction, unfamiliar and
o call Elena, his finger hovering. Then he realized he had never saved her number.
and she had always been right there. He had never needed to.
