The Luna’s Choice (Theo and Ayla) by Kat Silver
Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Theo I told Ayla what Dad said about her and her father. I told her about the bedtime story and what it meant.I told her that her dad believed she was the one that the moon goddess had promised. I hesitated to tellher about his death. I didn’t want to bring that pain back up for her again. But something told me sheneeded to know, and keeping it from her wouldn’t protect her. Her legs seemed to give way beneath her. I caught her, sinking to the floor as I held her tightly. Sheclung to my shirt as so*s wracked through her body. “But why?” she cried, struggling to breathe against the waves of tears. “Shh,” I soothed, rocking her in my arms. “He found out the Waar P*k were getting close. He drew theirattention away from the rest of you. He couldn’t see any other way of keeping them from discoveringyou. All of you.” “But why did he have to die?” she sobbed. “Why didn’t he run? Why didn’t your dad stop him?” I lifted her from my chest, holding her face to look at me. “He didn’t know. Ayla, your father sacrificedhimself to save you and Kylee. If there was another way, he would have taken it. But all that matteredto him was that you two were safe, okay? He loved you so much.” I kissed her forehead and pulled her back against my chest, letting her cry. I wasn’t going to let go. Sheneeded me. I thought about everything I had learned in the past twenty-four hours. Who Ayla was.Everything that meant. That I wasn’t her only fated mate. That Kingston knew who she was all alongand never told her. 0.00% III 16:28 Chapter 87 Theo I could live with losing her when I believed she was with someone who genuinely cared for her andwould protect her. But I no longer trusted that Kingston was that person. He was using her. Whatever

happened, I had to make sure she didn’t go back to him. Her so*s slowly turned into sniffles and her breathing evened out. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, wiping at the wet spot she had made on my shirt. I chuckled, holding her tighter. “Don’t be. I’m tempted never to wash this shirt again.” “Gross,” she said with a soft laugh. My fingers drifted through her hair as we sat there on the floor. Her tears had subsided, but she didn’tmove to get up. And I sure as hell wasn’t about to.

“Thank you,” she said. “For telling me.” “You deserved to know,” I replied. Ayla pushed up suddenly. She had a distant look in her eyes, not really seeing anything. “Ayla…” ‘Mate spoke,’ Kieran told me. My heart ski**ed a beat. I tipped Ayla’s face up to look at me. “Is it Dasha? She spoke to you?” She nodded. “She asked who did it.” “Who did what?” I asked. 23.88% 16.28 Chapter 87. Theo “Who killed our family,” she clarified. “Did… did your dad ever replace them?” My heart sank a little. “No,” I said. “He tried. He hoped your dad would have left something behind thatwould lead us to them, but he never found anything.” “Will you help me replace them?” she asked. “I just want to try. I know it’s a long shot, but I need to try.” “Absolutely,” I agreed. “Whatever you need.’

“How am I going to tell Mina?” she said, her brow furrowing “I’ll be there if you want me to be,” I insisted. “Briggs will too. No question.” Ayla leaned against my chest again, drawing circles on my hand resting on her knee. Taking in herscent. Feeling her relax against me. Knowing she felt safe and comfortable. Every inch of my bodywanted to respond to my mate. It was the sweetest torture I could ever imagine. “Ayla,” I whispered against her hair, “if you want me to go, you’re going to have to tell me. I can’t do iton my own anymore.” She took a deep breath. “I probably should. I still don’t know how I feel about relationships. I’mprobably not ready for one at all.” “Well, I can’t exactly claim to be an expert in relationships either,” I chided. “Other than casual dates asa teenager, Kylee was my only relationship.” “Really?” “Yeah,” I chuckled at her surprise. “It’s important for Alphas to be with their fated mates. I didn’t want tocommit to anyone or make any 40.41%% III 16:28 Chapter 87: Theo 1 promises I couldn’t keep when I found my mate. Most of the girls I hung out with understood that. Theynever asked for more.” “Except for Kylee, I’m guessing,” Ayla said. “What made her different?” I winced at her question. This wasn’t the direction I meant the conversation to go. I didn’t want to talkabout my time with Kylee. “Theo, it’s okay to say something nice about my sister,” Ayla teased. “She’s not an entirely terribleperson.”

” “I guess it’s hard to remember why things were different with her after everything,” I replied, instinctivelytightening my hold on Ayla. “When I first met her, I didn’t think she would be any different than theothers. But then something changed. The attraction became stronger. Then we got my dad’s diagnosisand she was there for me. Or at least, I thought she was at the time. Honestly, I think I was scared Iwouldn’t replace my mate. Watching my parents, seeing how my mother supported and cared for my fatherthrough everything… I wanted that so badly. You know they were together at my father’s Alphaceremony.” Ayla nodded against my chest. “The picture of them is still in my office,” I continued. “It was the same with my grandparents and great-grandparents. They all found their fated mates before they were twenty. I started to believe I wouldn’treplace mine or didn’t have one in the first place. I didn’t know what that would mean for the pack. Whatthat said about me.” Ayla looked up at me. “Fated mates are never guaranteed.” I reached up and cupped her cheek. “I should have waited. I should have been stronger.” 61.88% III O ୮ 16.28 Chapter 87. Theo She laid her head back on my shoulder, her hand going around my waist. – “Wanting companionship and support – wanting to be loved ― is not weakness, Theo. The world is toounpredictable. There’s wisdom in acknowledging that you need something to thrive and doing what youcan to fulfill that need. You were deceived.”

“Making me the fool for trusting her. Ayla sat up and looked me in the eye. “You are never in the wrong for giving someone the benefit of thedoubt. They broke that confidence. More often than not, the consequences of trusting the wrong personare far less than not trusting the right one. When trust is broken, you can’t withhold it from everyone.You just have to learn how to better measure the risks.” “Like trusting a loanshark to keep his end of a bargain?” I joked, getting a smile from Ayla. “I weighed the risks,” she replied. “And I got lucky.” 86.35% III