Letting him go

Chapter 4

*Matthew*

“Since you’re the one that’s keeping us apart, you have to promise me something.”

“Anything!” I said, meeting her gaze.

 “Promise me you will never come after me. You will never try to get in between the life Nick and I are going to make together.”

My heart stopped, and it was hard for me to breathe. Could I let Alli live in peace? I knew that it was the right thing to do even though my heart was breaking, and my wolf wanted me to keep her here with us. I loved her, and I wanted her to be happy I just had to try not to think that she would be happy with someone else.

“I promise!” I whispered.

“Thank you.” She said, tears in her eyes. “I won’t forget this sacrifice,” she said sadly.

 I drove her home in silence, and the closer we got to her house, the faster my heart was beating. I knew this would be the last time I saw her for a while. As she climbed out of the car, I grabbed her hand, and she turned and looked at me.

“Alli, always remember that I love you, and if you ever need me day or night, call me, and I’ll be there,” I said, meaning every word.

She just nodded her head. “Goodbye, Matthew,” she said with tears in her eyes.

“Goodbye, Alli,” I said, watching her walk away, my heart breaking with each step she took.

*Alli*

I walked inside, not turning back. It was killing me to walk away from Matthew, knowing that I would not be seeing him for a while. I needed Nick. I pulled out my phone and text the boy who had always been there for me.

“I need you. Can you come?” I text.

“Already on my way.” He responded.

He was a great guy, and I would put Matthew in the past and start my life with Nick. I didn’t want to hurt him; he didn’t deserve it. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Nick walk into my room.

“What are you thinking about so hard, love?” he inquired.

“Just how messed up my life is right now,” I said, half smiling.

“Nick, are you sure you want to stay with me? I don’t want to hurt you.” I asked, needing him to be sure.

“Alli, I love you, and nothing you do is ever going to change that. I’m willing to take what I can get. I know you love me, maybe not how you love him, but you love me,” he said, meeting my eyes.

 I  did love him. He made me happy.

“I don’t plan on going anywhere ever. I will fight for your love forever if you need me to.”

He was so gallant, and He had always been that way. Even as children.

Nick leaned down and captured my lips with his making my stomach flutter.

“Get changed and get into bed. We have a long day of traveling tomorrow.” He said, starting to move away from me.

“Will you stay with me”? I said, biting my lip.

“How can I say no to that face?” He said, pulling me to him.

“I love you, Alli.” He said, kissing me. When we broke apart, I grabbed his face and looked him in the eyes.

“I love you too, Nick,” I replied fiercely.

He held me tightly to his body, his steady heartbeat luring me to sleep.

“Get up, sleepyhead,” Nick said, trying to wake me up.

“Uhhh, five more minutes,” I whined.

“No can-do, Love, we have a plane to catch,” Nick said, pulling the blanket off of me.

“It’s so early! Is Macy here already?” I asked.

“Yup, she got here ten minutes ago,” he replied.

I was running late if Macy was already here.

“Fine, give me a minute,” I said, getting out of my warm, comfortable bed.

I grabbed the clothes that I was going to travel in and headed to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and got dressed.

 I guess this was it. I looked around my room, thinking that it may be a while till I was able to be in it again. I headed downstairs to see everyone already ready to go. My mom handed me a pop tart and a small jug of milk.

“For the road.” She said, hugging me, “I’m going to miss you, Alli.”

“I’m going to miss you too, mom, but look on the bright side; there’s always Skype!” I said, trying to make her feel better.

“Alright, kids, you better get going.” My dad said, hugging me tightly.

“Dad, I can’t breathe.” I choked out.

“Oh, sorry, honey.” He said, letting me go.

“Nick, you’re in charge of making sure that Alli and Macy are well taken care of.”

“Of course, Alpha. I would never let any harm come to them.” He said, grabbing his bag.

“All your things will be waiting for you when you get there. You have the keys to your house, and I enrolled you guys in school yesterday.” He said reassuringly.

"Here is a credit card for all your expenses." He said, handing me a black card.

"What's my limit?” I asked curiously.

"No limit," He said with a massive grin on his face. 

"If you're forced to be away from home, you might as well have fun.” He said, looking suspicious.

“Thanks for making sure everything was ready for us. You’re the best dad." I said, hugging him one last time.

"Alright, guys, we better be going,” I said, taking one last look around the house.

*Matthew*

By this time, Alli would be on a flight away from me. My wolf was angry that I let her go. He wanted his mate. I did, too, if I was honest with myself.

“Are you okay, Matthew?” Mandy asked, sitting next to me on the couch.

“I'm fine,” I said, hoping that she believed me.

“Listen, I’ve wanted to talk to you about something for a few days. But with everything that’s been going on, there hasn’t been a good time,” Mandy said.

“What is it?” I asked worriedly.

“Well, um mm, the thing is that I’m pregnant,” she informed me, leaving me shocked.

My world shattered, and I knew then that any hope I had of ever being with Alli had just gone out the window. My wolf was angry that our mate was not the one carrying our baby. No matter what, this was my child, and I would love him no matter who his mother was.

“That’s great news, Mandy,” I said, pulling her into my arms.

“Really? You’re okay with it?” she questioned.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I replied.

“Well, with the whole mate thing and all, I wasn’t sure how you were going to take it.” She said uncertainly.

I knew that I was hurting Mandy, but I was going to try my best to reassure her of how much I loved her.

“Mandy, I know that things have been crazy these last few days, and I want to apologize if I have made you feel unimportant. Regardless of what you thought, I’m happy that I’m about to be a father,” I assured her.

She was my wife, and I would act like the loving husband that I had always been. Not the jerk that I had been to her the past few days. I made my choice now I had to live with it. No matter how much it hurt.

*Alli*

The house was beautiful. Each room had its bathroom. The view was breathtaking, you could see the lake from home, and I was excited to have our private access to the water. I couldn't help but think that it was perfect. True to his word, all our things were already here waiting for us. He even had several sea doos and a boat stored in the giant garage. I had to say my dad outdid himself. I'm sure me being forced to be here had a lot to do with it.

"Omg, Alli, this is great," Macy exclaimed, running through the house.

If you think that my dad let us come with no adults, that was a big negative. We brought two bodyguards/babysitters and one of our housekeepers from home.

"Have you seen the pool outback? I love it; I love it!" Macy squealed.

She was nuts, and that's why I loved her. There was never a dull moment with Macy around. I was so glad that I was going to have her with me. We decided to put the adults on the bottom floor, and we took the upstairs. That way, we had the whole top floor to ourselves.

While I unpacked my clothes, my mind wandered to Matthew and how he felt now that I was gone.

Was he going to miss me?

"What you thinking about so hard, Love? Wait, let me guess." He said sadly, "I know right now it hurts baby but believe me when I say that it will get better."

"How can you know that, Nick? What if it never gets better?" I ask desperately.

"It will, I promise. Alli, I'm going to tell you something that I should have told you a long time ago." Nick declared, sitting me down on the bed.

*Nick*

The time had finally come to tell her the truth. I was finally going to tell her about my mate. I just hoped that she understood my reasons for not telling her before now. I needed to show her that you could truly love someone who was not your mate. That what she was feeling now would not last forever. I loved her, and being honest, I loved her more than I ever loved my mate.

Not all mates ended up together, and that's why they say that every wolf has two mates. Alli was that to me. She just met us in the wrong order. She met me before she got the chance to meet Matthew. I grabbed her hands and let out the breath that I was holding.

"I've already met my mate," I confessed.

"What?! When? Where?" Alli rapidly shot out.

"One question at a time, Love. I met her when I was away at school. It was six months before I came back home," I proceeded to explain.

"What happened?" she asked, looking sad.

"She was human, and she didn't understand what I was. I scared her. To her, I was unnatural. She said that I should not exist. I was an abomination to her, and she wanted nothing to with an animal like me. It took me a while to get over the hurt. I felt I didn't know how I would keep on living because it hurt so badly. I was in the worst way when I got home. But there you were, my childhood friend. You were a light in all my darkness. Alli, have you heard anyone ever say that every wolf has two mates? That is supposed to ensure that we all have a second chance at having a mate. Sometimes mates die before they can find each other. I'm your second mate Alli." I revealed to her.

She looked shocked. "That's why I've always loved you. Even after everything with Matthew, I felt that I still really loved you," she whispered.

*Alli*

I knew that what he was saying was true. I felt it. I loved Nick, and I would do my best to put Matthew and everything that happened with him behind me. I was going to put a lot of effort into enjoying all the time we were going to have together. I planned to make tons of memories with Nick and Macy, the two people who had always been there for me.

2 Months late

*Nick*

Tonight was the night that I was going to ask Alli to marry me. I knew from previous talks that she had always dreamed of a human wedding. I had slipped away last week and bought her a ring that I knew she was going to love.

"Let me see the ring," Macy pleaded, jumping up and down.

I took the box out of my pocket and opened it for her to see.

"It's beautiful, Nick, this is so her. I can't believe you're going to propose; I don't know who's more excited. I'm glad she has you, Nick; without you, she would have fallen apart months ago. You guys are perfect together," She gushed.

"I have to admit; I'm nervous. What is Alli says no." I frowned, knowing it was a possibility.

"Why would she say no?" She shot back reassuringly.

"Maybe she's not ready to make such a huge commitment, and maybe she is still hoping to be with Matthew one day." I blurted out, feeling unsure.

"Your worrying for nothing Nick, she would be crazy to say no to such a great guy." She said, handing me back the ring.

"I hope your right, Macy," I replied, praying to the powers that be to make it so.

"I am; you will see." She said, reassuring me.

"Where are we going," Alli whined impatiently.

"I'm taking you out on the boat for a romantic diner," I said, leading her to the docked boat. I helped her on and led her to the beautifully set table. Macy had outdone herself; everything looked perfect.

"Nick, how did you plan this without me finding out? Did Macy know about this?" She asked, looking up at me.

"Of course, she knew. Do you think I could have pulled all this off by myself, "I said, pulling her chair out for her?

I had to admit Macy had been instrumental in helping me set this night up.

*Alli*

He was amazing! I loved how he always went out of his way to do things like this for me. His mate was an i***t for ever letting him go.

"Doesn't everything look great," Macy said, bringing out our plates of food.

"I can't believe you were able to keep this from me, your horrible at secrets." I sated playfully.

 "I almost told you a billion times, but I managed to keep my trap shut." She said, placing our drinks on the table with a grin.

"Dinner was delicious, and it's just not fair that you can cook better than I can. I burn water. It's horrible." I said, frowning.

"Don't worry, Love, if you want to know how I'll teach you. It's not so hard once you know what you're doing." He said, smiling at me with his beautiful smile.

"Thank you, Nick; everything was perfect," I said, looking across the table at him. "Thank you for always being here for me," I said, my eyes filling with tears.

"I would do anything for you, Alli. I love you more than words could ever describe." He said, getting up from his chair.

"So I brought you here tonight because I have been thinking about our future together," he said, taking something out of his pocket. He came to stand next to me and got on one knee.

I knew what was about to happen. My heart was about to beat out of my chest with anticipation.

"There is no one in this life or the next that I would ever want to spend forever with but you. Alli, will you marry me?" He asked, opening the tiny blue box.

The ring was beautiful; I stared at it for what seemed like forever. I looked up, and like always, he was waiting patiently for me to answer.

"Yes, omg, yes!" I shouted happily, tears falling from my face. Before I could stand up, Nick was pulling me out of my chair and into his arms.

"I was worried you might not be ready." He confessed, holding me tight.

"I can see why you were worried; our road has not been a normal one. After all, we have been through. I love you more than ever. I would be honored to be the wife of an incredibly sexy man like you," I whispered, touching my lips to his.

He pulled the ring out of the box and placed it on my finger. I held my hand up in the air and admired it. Nick knew me so well. I loved the three-stone princess cut. If I had to guess, I would say it was a two-carat. Anything over that would have been too much for my taste. I smiled, loving that he knew that. Even my ring size had been correct. I was officially engaged, I thought, smiling, admiring the gorgeous man in front of me.