Tish POV
I run from the bathroom. I have seen all that I need to see. Kieran can offer Mae something that I cannot.
For as long as I have known Mae, she has been plagued by anxiety and panic attacks. As much as I try, I have never been able to help her without the aid of her medicine. Her anxiety pills were her lifeline to living a normal life, but now that she has Kieran, she doesn't need them anymore, and she doesn't need me.
I try not to let the tears pooling in my eyes stream down my cheeks. The heartache of losing Mae is excruciating, but I won't stand in her way of happiness. This is her chance to have a real life.
I push past the Omegas that are in the bustling halls. No one spares me a second glance. It is like I am invisible.
I quickly make my way to the room I was given and grab the small bag I packed.
I dig through the pockets, looking for the envelope of tips I stashed inside for a rainy day.
My hand wraps around the envelope, and I let out a sigh of relief, knowing it is still there. It is enough for me to get far away from the North Pack. I can start a new life where there won't be any werewolves or Mae.
A notepad and a pen catch my eye on the nightstand. I know I can't just leave. I will have to let Mae know why I have left and that I will be okay. I scribble a quick note to Mae and leave it on my pillow.
I turn to leave my room and see one of Kieran's fathers standing in the doorway. I think it is the one from this morning, but I cannot be sure.
"Going somewhere?" He says with a serious look on his face.
"I am leaving," I say with my head held high. "I don't belong here. I am no one's pet."
"Where will you go?" He asks.
"I don't know," I answer honestly.
"What is stopping me from telling my son that his familiar is leaving?" He cocks his head to the side curiously.
"Because this is for the best. For all of us," I respond.
Kieran's father watches me carefully but moves out of my way. "It will be dangerous for you," he warns.
"I can handle myself," I respond.
I don't give him a chance to answer. I quickly duck out of the room.
Looking down the hallway, I make sure Mae is nowhere to be seen. When I am sure the coast is clear, I rush down the stairs and out the front door of the pack house.
Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I head toward the main road.
The sun beats down on me, and I find myself regretting my decision to leave. I am panting heavily as I reach the main road.
Setting down my bag, I check the GPS on my phone. I need to make a plan before I start blowing my money.
My face is buried in my phone when a car pulls up beside me. I make a point of not looking up from my phone, hoping that they will leave, but I am not that lucky.
The car horn blows loudly, causing me to drop my phone. I curse loudly as I pick up my phone and examine the broken screen.
"Tish," a familiar voice yells out.
Looking up from my broken phone, I see a battered Jameson leaning out of the car's passenger window. He is barely recognizable. His eyes are black and blue, and one is swollen shut. There are random cuts all over his face and neck. He looks like he has been tortured.
I walk up to the car with my mouth gaping open. "What happened to you?"
"Alpha Kieran," Jameson smirks.
A rush of fear washes over me. I left Mae alone with someone who is capable of doing this kind of damage to another human. I need to get back to the North Pack.
"Where are you heading?" Jameson asks as he gets out of the car.
There is a menacing look on his face, and I back away from him. I peer over his shoulder to see who is driving. It is a beautiful woman with jet-black hair and stunning brown eyes. I have never seen her before, but I am sure she is a werewolf too.
The woman gives me a friendly wave, but there is something disingenuous in her eyes.
"Hi!" She yells from behind the wheel. "I am Francesca."
That name sounds familiar, but I can't place where I have heard it before.
Raising my hand awkwardly in the air, I wave back before turning my attention back to Jameson. He is slowly inching his way toward me.
"Where are you heading?" Jameson asks again. "You are a long way from your apartment."
"I was just heading home," I lie to Jameson.
Jameson smirks as he runs his hand down my cheek. "You are heading in the wrong direction."
I swallow hard. I am not fooling him. "I must have gotten turned around."
"Where are you coming from?" Francesca yells out.
"Nowhere important," I say.
Jameson is circling me with his nose lifted in the air. "I can smell your fear," Jameson says as he runs his fingers through my hair.
"I am not afraid," I say with my head held high.
"Good," Jameson smiles. "Because I think you and I want the same thing."
"What is that?" I say through gritted teeth.
"Mae," Jameson responds as he pushes me in the direction of the car.
"Mae is happy with her mate," I say quietly.
"Bullshit," Jameson laughs as he opens the back door of the car. "We both know she could never be happy without you. That is why I was willing to let you be part of her life when Mae and I were together."
Jameson gestures for me to get into the back of the car, but I hesitate.
"You will never be happy without her," Jameson tells me, and I know he is right.
I will never be happy without Mae. After seeing Jameson, I understand what kind of person I have left her with. Alpha Kieran is a monster and this might be my only chance to get Mae back.