Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 148

Lani can hear the hurried footsteps coming towards the door. She is slightly in shock as she can't usually hear such things, especially over the sound of the pouring rain, which has an even icier chill now the heat from that man's body has left her. Lani looks sideways at the large muscular back that is disappearing around the corner of the alley. She sees dark hair and stunning figure just as the emergency exit door burst open with a large bang.

Aubrey looks at Leilani, who is standing in the pouring rain just looking down the deserted alley with a strange look on her face. Aubrey pauses for a moment to work out the situation. She had visions running through her head of Lani in mortal danger. All sorts of scenarios where Lani was hurt or at least something was happening because it is not like Lani to be so irresponsible that she would just disappear like that and leave them guessing. But it comes as a relief that Lani is fine, that feeling is only the first second. As Lani looks at the leaving figure that somehow looks so familiar. Her wolf lurches forward at such a rate that with Lani's still compromised body and with the large motion from her wolf. Her wolf lurches forward but disappears in the same moment, a silent scream of anguished rips from Leilani causing her to black out straight away. Sierra is fast enough to get down the stairs and catch Leilani before she hits the ground. The others only a step behind her.

They look at each other in a panic. All three of them gently picking up Leilani and carrying her straight towards the car without a second thought, not caring about the rain pouring down on them. Not caring about anything else, all they want to do is get back to the fusion pack.

Connor is walking down the sodden streets his shoes making a squelching sound as the saturated material rubs against his feet, the soles of his shoes splash in the puddles but he feels none of it.

He realizes what he has done. Why did he leave? He's not embarrassed or ashamed. Why did he listen to her? He should be talking to her. That strange encounter cannot be the way they leave things. This cannot be the end. Connor turns around, walking straight back to where he left Lani standing only to find an empty alleyway. A pair of panties sitting discarded in a puddle is the only sign of what happened in this place only moments earlier.

Connor runs his hands roughly down his face, dragging off the thick layer of water that is soaking his skin. He growls in frustration and punches the thick brick wall.

What the hell is wrong with him? Why can't he just do what he needs to do? Why can't he say what he needs to say?

Connor just stands in the same spot where they were, were they shared that intense moment, his hands wrapped around the metal tube. Trying to feel Lani's residual heat but there's nothing left. All it is is just cold metal under his large palms. There's little to no scent to start with and the rain is washed any slight remnant away.

In the SUV, Kelsey is driving at full speed while the other two tend to the unconscious woman in the back. Lani's eyes flicker open as she looks at the others in shock at their fussing over her.

"Don't worry, we will be back to the pack soon"

"No, it is fine. It was just my wolf"

Lani cries tears of joy while she clutches her chest, there is such an empty feeling without her wolf, knowing that Lani was the one that killed her cuts her up inside.

"My wolf surged I felt her"

Relief floods her system and she can't stop the tears. Many times she has thought that Gabriel was talking nonsense, that her wolf is permanently gone, but she felt her again for the first time in two and half years.

The three girls are just as excited as Lani. They can understand how painful it must be living with werewolves when she used to have one and she used to be able to do so many more things than she can now. The Lani they have known, the Lani they first met has been nothing short of extraordinary, so they can't even imagine that she would be like at full capacity with her wolf.

"Really? What made her surge?"

Lani thinks back to the random encounter in the alleyway, seeing the man's figure, feeling his presence, feeling his hand and the way he knew every nook and cranny to touch her in. It was like he knew her, it was like it was a practiced motion. There was such a strange sense of familiarity, the fact that she was never scared for a moment.

Then looking at his leaving figure, seeing his height, seeing his mass, seeing his hair colour. If she didn't know any better. She would think that it was Connor that she saw.

The whole idea is impossible.

The whole encounter was impossible. She would if it even ever happened if her body wasn't still feeling the effects. She would think it was in her drunken mind.

Why didn't she look in his face? What was she thinking? Lani shakes her head once more no matter how much she wants to believe it was Connor. She knows that it would never happen, even if he somehow found her and they both ended up in the same place, he would be never cheat on Evie. He is a loyal man.

He is a perfect man.

It was just a coincidence.

"You haven't told the boys yet, have you?"

Aubrey shakes her head to tell the truth. She was so worried about Lani and getting her back to the fusion pack. She didn't even think about telling the boys.

Lani sighs in relief with her messed-up drunken brain. The last thing she needs is to have to explain to the boys what happened and what she did.

While there is nothing wrong with what she did, she's not ashamed and they will never hold anything against her for what she did. They would hold something against her for her complete lack of security and putting herself in such a dangerous situation. "That is good. All I need right now is thirty questions from them"

Followed by a full night of lecturing that she is sure would follow.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"It was nothing really. I'm not sure why she surged"

Lani sits in the seat, wringing her hands together anxiously. That back looked so much like him. Everything about the whole experience felt like him. She appreciated the similarity at the time, but now she is starting to second guess herself. She just can't work it out. She sits in silence after making the girls promise not to tell the boys about it.

They oblige only because they will get in trouble for the whole thing as well. They know the rules they have not meant to let Lani out of their sight. It isn't just about them getting out of trouble with their mates. They are embarrassed about the situation as well. How could they just let her walk off like that?

Lani silently slips from the car and walks straight inside after saying a quick good night to the girls. The twins have separate rooms but each room has two beds within the room, so that when they decide to stay over it is easy. They usually end up spending the night together. It's just the room that they change up. This night they are both in Elena's room. Lani walks in and kisses them both on the forehead before disappearing into her own room.

She avoids everyone along the way, not because she wants to be rude and not because she doesn't want to talk to him. There is just no way she is in the right frame of mind to be discussing anything with anyone.

She sits at her desk and types 'Connor Storm' into the search engine. Her finger lingers above the enter key, in her head that it was him. It can't logically be him, but she is way too scared to look him up. She doesn't want to see his happy photos while she wants him to have a good life. She doesn't need it rubbed in her face at all and that is why, in all these years since she left the stormy pack that night, she decided to completely separate from him, she decided to never look him up or find out anything about him or his situation.

She is torn up about it now. Her finger lingers over the enter button until it actually starts to ache, even just staring at his name is enough to start the fresh tears flowing.

After an hour, Lani finally snaps the laptop shut with a groan in frustration at herself, annoyed at her own heart and insecurities.

She is too scared, it is better to live with the illusion than to be crushed.

If it was Connor he would have spoken to her than a few words, he would have said something.

She should have looked at his face, but he should have let himself be known.