Between the Dimensions✔️

Chapter 8

~One year ago, Blood Lake

Right on time, Gwen knocks on my door.

"Come in," I call out casually, like I haven't been pacing around the room for the last hour, wondering how I'm going to talk to her without crying.

Gwen walks into the Blood Lake guest room, holding a pan in her hands, an apologetic look on her face.

"Oh, wow, a cake," I say weakly, feigning surprise. "You shouldn't have."

Really. She shouldn't have.

Gwen puts the pan on the bed. "Katrina, I just want to start off by saying how sorry I am. I swear, I had no idea that Leo was your mate."

Again, hearing his name, especially from her, feels like someone is twisting a serrated knife in my chest.

I force a smile. "It's fine, Gwen." A lie.

Tears well up in her eyes. "No, it's not Katrina. I swear, I'll never talk to him again. I can raise the child alone, I can-"

"Stop, Gwen," I tell her, grabbing her by the shoulders as tears spill down her face. "I already rejected him. It can't be undone. I don't want him. Keep him. Seriously."

Every word twists the knife more, and it feels like I can hardly breathe.

"Katrina," Gwen chokes out. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," I fake a smile. "I didn't really want a mate anyways. It's better this way."

A lie, to some extent, but also the truth. For reasons she doesn't know, for reasons nobody knows, it really is better that I stay alone.

At least she still has the chance to be happy with someone else.

Even if it was with my other half.

"He's going to ask you to move to Blue Moon with him and Mark you," I tell her quietly, and focus on making sure my voice doesn't crack. "Say yes."

"What?" Gwen asks in confusion.

"Don't let the child grow up without a father," I say lowly.

"Katrina..." Gwen's voice sounds strangled, and I can feel her pain, but can also feel her happiness at my words.

She really loves him.

And he loves her, too.

"Just... Give me time," I tell her. "Leave me alone for awhile. Both of you."

Gwen's face falls, but she nods. She's about to apologize once again, but if I hear her say one more word, I will kill her. Pregnant or not.

"Get out," I tell her, jerking my head towards the door. "Leo is waiting for you at your house."

I practically shove her out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I check the time, and see that I have two hours before I have to meet Alpha Killian and the Blood Luna at Blood Lake to discuss plans to kill the Moon Bitch.

Perfect.

I cry for two hours straight.

***

Current day

For the next few days, I get into a comfortable schedule of waking up, getting harassed by Killian, training with the circulus, getting harassed by Killian, having dinners with the circulus, and finally, getting harassed by Killian.

I stare at the package on my bed once I return from training. A white box, with a red bow wrapped around it.

It looks sinister.