Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 123

Terrance stares at Connor reluctantly. There are so many things he wants to say but he can't do it even if he wants to he can't physically do it.

Connor is trying to act normal, but to Levi and Terrance it looks like he would rather be anywhere else in the world than in this meeting. Which isn't far off the truth. Usually he is trying to drag out the whole meeting. Hoping that something slips and it gives him some idea of her location.

This time all he wants is for them to leave. By the time they depart the cafe, Connor is six coffees down and he is jittery. He's just about to jump out of his skin. Terrance and Levi walk toward a grey sports car. Levi gets in the driver's seat, the black leather bucket seat wraps tightly around his large body.

Levi is silent but Terrance is buzzing. As soon as they are alone again, it is like the floodgates open.

"Do you think Connor has really given up on Lani?"

Terrance feels disappointment right down to the tips of his toes. Levi frowns as he stares into the window of the cafe that they had just left. He was trying to read Connor the whole time.

Of course, the group knows that Connor is being forced into a pairing. Levi thought that Connor's questioning would be more desperate but it seems that he really has resigned himself to his fate. "I guess so"

Terrance frowns as he watches Connor get into his own vehicle without a single care in the world.

"That is so damn disappointing"

Levi nods as he drives away from the place. Connor looks at Harvey as he grabs his bag. The effects of the caffeine have already disappeared due to his metabolism, but it was fun while it lasted. "I can do this"

Harvey sits up from the back seat as Connor grabs his bag.

"You can do this"

"Remember to call Evie first if you need anything"

"Evie will be hanging around our pack more than her own anyway. I think she is more excited than you to see Lani"

Connor laughs.

"No one is more excited than me"

Harvey watches as Connor grabs his bag and disappears into the alley beside them, out of sight. He gets in the driver's seat and takes off, making sure not to allow himself to be seen.

When he first met Evie and understood her situation, she thought that Evie would hold resentment against Lani, hold some sort of animosity toward her, but there was nothing like that. Evie never considered Lani her competition or her rival, only ever considering her Evie's saviour.

Evie is genuinely excited for Lani to see her again, Harvey is sure that half the work that Evie put in and what she sculpted herself into was inspired by her idol, Lani.

**Two weeks after separation**

Connor and Evie camped out outside of the elite training grounds for three days. Titan and Andrea talked to them numerous times but the group had fallen off the grid. Even if they wanted to betray the groups trust they couldn't.

Connor and Evie returned to the stormy pack. Evie was shown to a room and Harvey was put in charge of making sure she had everything that she needed and then Connor locked himself in his room to wallow in a swamp of self-pity. It was the only room that still smelled like her, but after a few weeks of him rotting away in the room, the smell of his own filth took over all that remained of her.

Connor just lays in bed squeezing his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep. At least if he sleeps he has a chance to dream of her. There is a knock at the door.

"Go away"

Harvey pushes open the door anyway and walks to the side of the bed, placing a photo in a photo frame on his bedside table. The photo is of a beautiful dancing couple.

"I was undecided whether to give this to you or not. At this point, I am not sure it could hurt"

Harvey looks at Connor, he has never seen Connor in such a state, even when his family died, Connor knew he had to push through for the good of the pack. The fourteen-year-old wolfless alpha had to work six times as hard as all the other alphas. But now he is just a mess.

Harvey points to the girl in the photo, the girl clad in a shimmery silver dress.

"If Lani walked in right now, what would she think of you and your state?"

Connor looks at the girl in the photo with tired eyes, he is so exhausted that it hurts to even blink. She is perfection. He looks down at himself, he can't remember the last time he actually showered, his stomach rumbles with hunger, his caffeine headache threatens to tear his brain apart.

Connor sighs as he stares at the photo once more.

"I will get you some breakfast"

Harvey walks toward the door and Connor calls out behind him.

"And coffee"

Harvey shoots Connor a smile.

"Harvey, how is Evie doing?"

Harvey shakes his head.

"Much the same as you, she has been holed up in her room. We deliver food but she is scared of everyone. Sometimes I hear her screaming at night"

Harvey closes the door behind him as he leaves. Connor stares at the photo.

"I am sorry Lani, I have failed. You wouldn't allow others to suffer while you worry about yourself. I will make you proud of me"

Connor drags himself out of bed and stretches his aching muscles, moving forward to shower and letting the hot water pour over his tired body. His wolf has not even resurfaced since that fateful day, he is still just holed up in the back of Connor's mind. Connor stands under the scorching water making a plan for himself, mainly focused around Evie. Helping Evie would be exactly what Lani would want, exactly what she would do.

By the time Connor gets out of the shower, he is feeling like a new man. Harvey has delivered a large meal to the room and a large french-press filled with coffee. Connor thankfully finishes the whole lot before getting dressed and heading straight out to the room Evie is placed in.

He raises his hand to knock on the door but stops when he hears whimpering.

Connor opens the door tentatively and only takes a moment to look at the woman on the bed who is curled up protectively, a cold sweat leaking from her forehead, her small beautiful face is scrunched in worry. Connor walks forward, patting Evie softly on the shoulder.

"Evie, wake up, you're having a nightmare, you are safe"

Evie continues to toss in her sleep. The mate scent doing little to calm the woman in the depths of a nightmare in the midst of her memories which haunt her every time she closes her eyes.

Connor shakes Evie a little harder.

"Evie wake up"

This time it does a trick but it does not have the desired effect as Evie's honey-coloured eyes pop open in fright as she screams in fear.

"No, don't touch me"

She scoots back in the bed so far and so fast leaving Connor in shock. He doesn't even have a chance to catch her as she falls off the bed in terror, her whole body shaking. The impact finally chasing away the last traces of sleep as Evie stares wide-eyed at the man in front of her.

Not Simon. Not a man in a black mask with evil intentions. Just a set of steel gray eyes looking at her in concern.

She hasn't seen him in weeks and she didn't realize how much she has grown to rely on him in such a short time, so this time apart from one of the only two people she trusts in this world is hard. Evie bursts straight into tears.

Connor moves forward tentatively and embraces her.

"I am sorry Evie. I failed you. I promise I will do better from now on. I promise to be your friend and then I allowed my own problems to get in the way of that"

"It isn't your fault"

"Yes it is. You have lots bigger problems than me. It is time that we tackle both of our issues head on. What do you think?"

Evie rests her face against Connor's shoulder, feeling that reliance again, her tears soak his clean shirt.

"I don't know if I can"

All the resolve she had before has disappeared in this two weeks. She is scared of everyone else within the pack. Too nervous to leave the room, she's scared to fall asleep because of the dreams.

"You can. I'm here to help you now. Harvey reminded me that Lani wouldn't want to see me like this"

Evie's mind drifts back to Lani and how she knew what to do in every situation, her strength, her aura, everything about her so admirable.

Lani believed in her. She now has Connor's backing.

She can do this.

"What is the plan?"

"First we need to list out what needs to happen with you, what you want to find out and where you want to go from there"

Connor pulls back from the embrace, putting his hands on Evie's shoulders and looking her straight in her eyes.

"I'm not the best at the emotional support type of things. I have no idea what I am doing. I'm not sure exactly what you need, so you need to tell me if I am pushing you too far or doing anything that makes you uncomfortable. You need to pull me back cause I don't know"

"I don't know either"

"Well, at the moment it is a blind leading the blind. We will work this out together"

"Do you want to do the rejection now?"

"No, you are not strong enough yet. At the moment you can use it to your advantage, but if..."

Hope of Leilani just walking back into his life are far-fetched, but he still needs her to know if Leilani turns up, she will be getting a mark on her shoulder before she gets a chance to say a word.

"I know"