Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 120

room.

Connor grabs his bag, throwing it on the bed before sifting through his closet. One side is still half bare, the other half hanging with the few things that Leilani left behind. No other woman's clothes will ever grace this space, that is while he has ownership of the The only other women to enter this room at all are the maids for cleaning. Connor still lives in the pack house. The alpha house has been extended and is ready to go. The group never made the choice, so Connor decided to just use the house as the main port so that they could all be closer, just as a tight-knit family should be.

The alpha house is ready but he has only ever walked through for the final inspection before signing off with the builders. He has never set foot in the place again since then. It has been sealed off, cleaners don't even enter the place, the only time that the house will ever be used will be if Connor gets to carry Leilani over the threshold and finally make that abandoned house a home.

Connor's hands finally wrap around an old shoe box. In it are all that remains of his memories with Leilani. The small size of the box always depresses him, by now he should be able to fill an entire shipping container.

At first he thought that the moon goddess hated him and never wanted him to be happy. He was sure, but the more he learned, the more he realized that everything happens for a reason, all of it is just a test and he can only hope that it was a test of Leilani's and his love and that that love has been strong enough to endure it.

Connor's large hand wraps around the can of masking spray as he places it into the bag. He also stuffs a large wad of cash inside the front. He won't use his card but he puts it in in case of an emergency, grabbing a burner phone and also placing it in the bag. Harvey will be the only one who has the number to this phone. He cannot risk his own being traced, so he will make Harvey carry it around, making it look like he is doing all the normal daily things. He has seen Hudson's skills first hand. Connor would hate to be caught for something so trivial.

Connor walks into the bathroom with an extra spring in his step. He feels good about this, he feels like for the first time in a long time, Lani is close, he cannot wait to lay eyes on her again, to smell that wondrous apricot scent once again, the scent that no mate scent can ever live up to, the scent that has lingered on the tip of his nose all these years.

**Day of Separation**

Connor's body finally kicks into action when Lani is five meters away. His wolf is conflicted but his human is not. Lani is his mate, Lani will be his Luna. Connor wants to say words of rejection to the broken girl but he can't bring himself to do it. He will be there for her but she won't get his love, that is already all reserved for one person.

Connor looks at Evie. He knows that it must be hard for her. She has already been through so much. He doesn't even know her name yet he doesn't want her, he doesn't want to be that person. This is the most impossible situation that he has ever encountered in his entire life. He is too nice of a guy to be able to deal with it. He has never hurt anyone who is undeserving and neither of these women are deserving. Connor just feels like he is messing this up so badly, trying not to hurt anyone. He is hurting both of them and himself in the process.

Connor expects to see hurt in Evie's eyes at his less than welcoming meeting, but he is surprised when he sees nothing but relief.

"I am Alpha Connor Storm and I will be everything you need. I will be your support emotionally and financially. I won't abandon you, but I cannot give you love. I am already in love with someone else. I can't be your mate"

Evie looks at the man in front of her with tears of relief pouring down her face. She knows that having a mate has certain responsibilities, she is not ready to be touched in any way and she is not sure if she will ever be ready. As for becoming a luna of a pack, once upon a time she was ready for it, she waited patiently for it, but that was a whole life-time ago, before she was scared of the slightest bump in the night. She is a different person to the naive person she was back then.

The thought of trying to lead anyone now makes Evie want to curl up into a ball and rock herself to sleep. How is she meant to help anyone when she can't even help herself?

"I understand, thank you"

There are actually no more perfect words that could be said to Evie at that moment. To have that support without having the physical aspect is everything she could hope for. Connor seems like a nice man, but a man can only wait so long and she is not sure how long it would be possible to wait, a year? Two? A lifetime? It is unfair on him and it would put too much pressure on her.

How long could she make an alpha wolf wait to claim his mate?

A slight smile graces her timid face as she thinks through the facts. The thing she still can't understand is how she even has a second chance without even being with her first? Where is Damon? Is that why her family isn't coming?

She looks at the other girls around, all the others are surrounded by her loved ones and suddenly she is standing with no support, with a mate that doesn't want her. Evie turns to look at the heartbroken Leilani, who is walking away. Lani didn't speak much about herself, allowing Evie to do most of the talking, but the man that Lani loves and is planning on taking as her chosen mate after her fated mate treated her like that is the man that the goddess blessed her with?

She is stealing a man from her savior, from the woman that just gave her back a life? How is it possible to add an extra layer of horrible on top of the sordid mess of emotions that she is feeling?

As Connor sees Evie's acceptance, he is eternally grateful as it allows his wolf to finally let go and he can regain control of his body.

Everything has gone from slow motion into fast forward and suddenly Leilani is a lot further away.

"Thank you, I will get her and then we are going to look after you together. We will sort this mess out together"

Evie nods, she would feel so much better if Lani was back by her side right now. She feels devastated by the loss of her friend, but she doesn't blame Lani for walking away. She knows that is exactly what type of person Lani is, she would think that she is doing the right thing, but the right thing for her now is to be surrounded by the unwavering support that the two lovers can give. She is just not sure how she fits in the middle of that mess. Evie shudders from the cold and Connor quickly removes his jacket and places it around her before calling Harvey to look after her.

As soon as Harvey is protecting Evie, Connor starts moving quickly toward Leilani.

Leilani has backed up significantly, her brothers feel her grief surrounding her, it fills the air overtaking the grief that has already filled the area, they fall into formation around her, forming that protective shell that she needs as they lead her toward the car. Terrance looks back at Connor reluctantly. He doesn't understand why they are leaving, but he is too scared to tell Connor the truth without Leilani beside him. He silently moves to the car with the rest of them.

No one knows why Leilani is this way. All they know is that she needs to leave and that is good enough for them.

Connor moves faster, being careful not to bump into anyone. Everyone seems to be moving into the way, obstructing his path, they just want to see the saviors leaving, whereas he just wants to reach Leilani. He wants to clear up this misunderstanding.