The Luna’s Choice by Kat Silver

Chapter 83: Ayla
I stored any ingredients for the oil that would keep and put the remainder in jars. I would write down the recipe for Luna to have when I was gone. I’d have to take her to where I found the plants growing wild so she could accurately identify them when she needed
more.
I tried to keep my mind on rearranging my schedule, but it was a struggle. Intrusive thoughts of Theo kept pushing through. Dasha even stirred in the back of my mind as she sensed my frustration. With Alpha in his current condition, we wouldn’t be sitting for any interview sessions for several days at least. I didn’t need to ask to know that Theo would want to stay close to his father right now.
I was considering returning to Sablemane until Alpha Torin was feeling better when Theo came back!
“Hey,” he said, “I know it’s getting a little crowded here, and that won’t make work any easier for you. So, I wondered if you wanted to stay at the packhouse for a few days?”
“Huh? What?” I was taken aback by his question. It took me a moment to accept it was because it hurt. He didn’t want me here. I shouldn’t have cared, but I did.
“Not because you’re not welcome here,” he rushed, moving toward me but stopping before reaching out for me. “Ayla, I want you here more than anything. But I know that’s hard on you, and that’s not fair. I need to be here right now…”
”
“I know that, Theo,” I interjected. “I don’t want you to leave your parents. They need you.”
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“I know. I’ve asked Briggs to prepare an apartment for you at the packhouse in case you want it. Mina would be ecstatic to have you so close. You’ll have all the privacy you need to work. Unless you want to go home, of course. Mom will keep in touch and let you know when Dad’s well enough for you to come back. Whatever you decide. We’re not holding you captive here, Ayla.”
His last words were teasing, but I knew this was painful for him. He kept saying this was hard on me, but if I was being fair, this was harder on him.
“You’re right,” I said, forcing my tone to be light-hearted. “I was just thinking about what I would do the next few days, so I think I’ll take you up on that. Thank you.’
I didn’t have anything else to say, so I turned back to the dishes. Theo
went to sit with Alpha in the living room. When I was done, I went back up to my room. I had decided to go back to Sablemane for the week. I needed to see Kingston. He was right about us being apart for so long.

I grabbed my phone and clicked his contact.
“Hey, babe,” he said brightly when he answered.
“Hi,” I replied, focusing on how nice his voice was. “What are you doing?”
“Just going over some intel,” he said. “What about
you?”
“Well, I’m about to start packing,” I said. “I’m coming back for a few days.”
“What? You are? When? Today?”
“Well, it’s a little late to drive all the way back today,” I said. “I figured.
다
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I’d stay at the packhouse with Mina tonight, then head to you tomorrow morning.”
“That’s great, babe. So you got what you need already?”
“No, Alpha Torin needs some time off,” I said. “I’ll come back when he’ s feeling better next week.”
“Oh, okay,” Kingston replied, disappointed. “Hey, at least I’ll get you back for a couple days. Let me know when you get home, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Wait, are you not home?” I asked, confused by what he meant.
“No,” he said hesitantly. “I was called out to a border town to look into something.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything will be fine,” he assured me, but I got a weird feeling.
“Then can Pierce take over for you? I really want to see you,” I said.
“I want to see you too, babe. You have no idea. I’ve been going crazy without you,” he insisted. “But this is something I need to take care of. Just come home and I’ll be there before you know it. You can spend time with Emma.”
“Emma’s working out of town this week,” I said, “I just need to see you, Kingston. I’ve had some things going on that I really want to talk to you about in person. If what your dealing with isn’t a big deal, why can’t you have someone else take care of it?”
“I just can’t,” he insisted.”
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“Okay,” I conceded, feeling a little unwanted again. “I’ll just stay with Mina for a couple days. Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll head straight back.”
“You can come home, Ayla,” Kingston said, getting frustrated. “I’m sure Erica would appreciate you actually coming into the office for once.”
“Excuse me?” What the hell? “Erica and I are working just fine with me here. What’s the matter with you, Kingston? I’m coming back to see you. If you’re not there, I can wait until you are. What difference does it make if I’m in Greytooth or Sablemane if we won’t even be together?”