Kiara found herself standing in front of the grotto pool in her refuge and staring into the water without any sense of how she’d gotten there. She sighed like she was throwing a boulder off her chest.
She was doing the right thing. There could be no question about that. According to what Tonya had seen in the future, if Kiara stayed anywhere near Warren, her presence would somehow draw Glissane to her and Warren would be killed.
She could ensure Warren’s safety while ending a relationship that had spiraled out of control. She loved him, she always would, but he couldn’t bring a witch into his pack.
She leaned over the edge of the pool and watched as her tears fell into the dark water and created ripple after ripple. The small waves distorted her face but reflected perfectly the state of her heart.
A sob caught in her chest. She swore it got stuck over her heart and created so much pressure she was sure something inside her would physically break.
Her knees gave way and she dropped to the floor beside the edge of the pool. She bent her arms over the stone seat and began to cry. She felt as she had the night she’d entered Five Bridges, her first night as an alter witch. She’d had to say good-bye to her human life and it was a pain like nothing she could have ever predicted.
She’d savored her time with Warren. But right now, as her soul turned inside out from the loss of his companionship, she wished she’d never met him, or worked beside him or shared his bed.
She’d known her future with him was a non-starter in the first place. She’d also stupidly thought that having sex with him would be a lovely memory she could cherish. Instead, she’d given her heart to him in the process and the thought she could never be with him again made her weep harder still.
Chapter Twelve
Three days had passed since Kiara’s departure. Warren sat on a stool beside the map table in his war room, staring at nothing.
His life had become a fog, a thick pea soup of not hearing what was said to him and of not seeing anyone distinctly. He felt veiled by a profound grief that was an echo of what he’d known when he’d learned of his wife’s disorder and had placed her in the Revel asylum.
He’d been putting off going to see Tonya, but the time had come. He needed to talk to her about what she’d said to Kiara. But he’d been dreading the moment. Even after eight years it was still hard to be with her in her current condition.
“Alpha Warren.”
The sharp tone had Warren lifting his head off the palm of his hand. He squinted, and the face finally took focus. “Fergus? What are you doing here?” He rubbed his fingers over the last remnants of the scars above his newly opened eye. He looked different now, more normal, though some scarring remained. He could see perfectly well from both eyes and he was grateful. But even his restored vision reminded him of what he’d lost.
“Your people have been calling me all evening.”
“Why would they do that? Is everything all right over at Julio’s compound?”
“Everything’s in order. We have three candidates for alpha and there will be a dominance battle tomorrow night at the Sand Pit. Representatives from each of the twelve packs will be there.”
“Good. That’s good.” He rose from his stool. He didn’t want to talk to Fergus right now. The man was happily bonded to his alpha-mate. “I have to go see my wife.”
“What are you talking about? Your wife?”
Right. He’d forgotten. No one knew about Tonya. Only Kiara. He waved a hand. “Got things on my mind.”
Fergus glanced around. “So, where’s Kiara?”
He shifted to look at Fergus, frowning. “I don’t know. She had to leave, so she left.”
He was going to move past Fergus, but Fergus caught his arm. “Warren, look at me.”
Warren was an inch taller than Fergus, enough to look down at him. He met his gaze, but he wasn’t really seeing him.
In a low voice, Fergus said, “Tell me about your wife.”
“I don’t know why I said that. I don’t have a wife.” In some respects, he didn’t.
“You said you did and something tells me you weren’t lying. Talk to me.”
Warren couldn’t think of a reason not to tell him. He returned to his stool and slumped back down on it. “She’s in an asylum in Revel Territory.” He told Fergus the rest as well as the fact Kiara knew about her.
Fergus kept saying ‘Christ’. Sometimes he said ‘Jesus’. More than once he whispered a string of invective. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“What was the point? She’s dying. Or she has been for the past year. Her nurses have no idea why she’s still alive. It’s been a nightmare.”