Ivy couldn't hold it in any longer.
Everything she had buried—every scream, every tear, every ache she forced herself to ignore—came rushing to the surface like a tidal wave. The classroom walls suddenly felt too tight, too suffocating. Her chest heaved, her hands trembled, and before anyone could ask what was wrong, she bolted.
The hall blurred around her as she ran—ran from the voices, the guilt, the rejection, and the unbearable silence Jayden had left behind.
Why did he look so broken? Why was he bleeding? Why won't he just talk to me?
The questions tore at her like thorns. She didn't stop when the cold air hit her face. She didn't slow down when the trees loomed ahead. She crashed through the forest like a wounded animal, branches slashing at her skin, mud soaking her shoes, leaves catching in her hair. Her body screamed in protest, but she didn't care.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, hot and relentless.
I tried. I tried so hard.
But she was tired. So damn tired.
Tired of being strong. Tired of pretending she didn't care. Tired of carrying a heart that kept breaking.
The voice returned, soft and steady inside her mind.
"You need to forgive him. He's hurting too."
"Who are you?!" she screamed into the dark woods. "Why are you doing this to me?! Just leave me alone!"
The air felt heavy, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
And then—
A shadow moved.
Something dark and unnatural shifted among the trees. Yellow eyes glinted in the dim light. Her breath hitched. For a moment, fear replaced every other emotion. She took a shaky step back.
And screamed.
---
Jayden's Point of View
Jayden sat in the darkness of his room, the scent of old blood and wood polish heavy in the air.
His hands were wrapped in bandages, still stained from the wreckage of everything he'd broken—his office, his room, his pride. Shards of glass littered the floor. A photo of his sister lay cracked beside the door.
He hadn't gone to school.
He couldn't.
Not after what he'd done.
The guilt gnawed at him with vicious persistence. His mind was haunted by Ivy's smile, her laugh, the way she looked at him like he was worth something. And worst of all—Xander. The boy's face wouldn't leave his thoughts.
His wolf was restless, growling in his head.
"You should have let her explain. You didn't just abandon your mate. You abandoned your pup."
Jayden squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face in his palms. A sob escaped before he could stop it. His shoulders shook, his throat burned, and he finally broke.
I messed everything up.
He thought rejecting Ivy would protect his heart. He thought pushing her away would honor his sister's memory.
But all he had done was destroy himself.
"She's not the one who killed her," Brady had told him just hours before. "And you know it. You're just scared."
Jayden hadn't answered.
Because Brady was right.
The bond was too strong now. Mating her, marking her… it was already done. There was no going back.
His heart ached, not just for Ivy—but for the family he'd already claimed as his.
"I need to fix this," he whispered to the empty room.
With trembling hands, he stood and walked out. Brady stood in the hallway, arms crossed, watching him with quiet understanding.
"She ran into the forest," Brady said softly. "She looked like she was falling apart."
Jayden didn't think. He ran.
---
Back to Ivy
Ivy's knees hit the earth.
She couldn't run anymore.
She curled into herself, shaking, sobbing into the soil. All the pain she had locked away finally spilled out of her. The memory of Jayden's cold eyes. The echo of Xander's voice asking when his daddy was coming back. The guilt of neglecting them both.
Am I really that easy to walk away from?
She wanted to scream until her voice was gone. She wanted to punch the trees, to tear herself open and let the pain spill out for good.
"I hate this," she sobbed. "I hate feeling like this…"
A twig snapped behind her.
Her head jerked up, eyes wide. The shadow was gone—but someone else had come.
Jayden stood at the edge of the clearing, chest heaving, face pale. Their eyes locked.
"Ivy…" he whispered, voice cracking.
She scrambled to her feet, rage and heartbreak crashing into her at once. "Why are you here?! Haven't you done enough?!"
He stepped closer. "I came to fix what I broke."
Her lip trembled. "You left. You didn't even let me explain."
"I know. And I regret it every second." He paused, pain flickering in his gaze. "I didn't just walk away from you. I walked away from Xander too. And I swear—he's my pup. I feel it in my soul."
Silence.
Raw, sharp silence.
Then Ivy whispered, brokenly, "He asked for you."
Jayden closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek. "I'll never forgive myself for hurting you both."
And as they stood there, broken and bleeding under the forest canopy, the wind whispered through the trees like a lullaby. The pain wasn't gone. The scars weren't healed.
But for the first time, they weren't alone in their grief.
---
And we have a rap you guys aren't doing well in motivating me please comment if you can and who knows if you do I might update sooner