Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 162

Connor and Leilani leave the brothers to get acquainted. Lalani smiles at Connor.

"Is there anyone else I should know about who else is coming?"

Connor scratches his chin trying to work out who Leilani would be interested in seeing.

"Alpha Baxter and Rosalie will be coming"

Leilani hits herself on the forehead. She totally forgot about asking about those two. She has been so caught up in her own joy of having Connor back. She's forgotten to keep up to date on the goings on.

Way too focused on Evie and not on the outcome of the other girls. As if Connor is reading her mind, he says.

"I will send out notice that Simon is within our pack grounds, I want to give a free run to anyone that wants to have some vengeance on the man, because everyone deserves it"

"They do. I can't believe that Evie didn't just beat him up. I think she did so much better job than I would have done myself. How is Rosalie going by the way?" Connor frowns slightly.

"I'm not exactly sure. I don't think she is still traumatised by the whole thing. My uncle and aunt have helped her through a lot of things, but it is just like she lacks direction. I don't know. It is almost like she is just waiting for something to happen" Leilani squeezes his hand.

"Don't worry, she will replace herself. It all happens in time. She has been through a lot, so there's no need to pressure her"

"I'm not. I just want her to be happy"

***

Adrian has a massive smile on his face. He always dreamt of having a good relationship with Lance, but it was completely impossible, to see that Gabriel has actually changed to the point where something like that can be possible between the two half brothers of the next generation. It is amazing. Adrian would never hold a father's sins against a man. It's not like his own father was exactly the best type of person. Lance followed exactly in their father's footsteps, whereas Adrian took a different path and tried to teach Ryan that way. So to see that Gabriel has changed and to see that they won't be any competition for the pack is a massive relief to him.

Jameson is the most shocked of all as he watched Gabriel, since the day he returned to the half-moon pack back then and the man standing in front of him, he barely recognizes as the Gabriel he once knew, reminding him more of the young man that he played within the sand pit before Jameson was sent away.

It doesn't take long between Ryan and Gabriel to strike up quite a relationship and it doesn't take long for Ryan to understand that Gabriel is being genuine, while Ryan has been raised with two brothers. He is not about to turn down the opportunity if his blood brother wants to have a relationship. His bio father is a lost cause, so if his half brother is a value, then he is all for it.

Adrian walks off, leaving the young ones to talk. He will strike up a relationship with his nephew in his own way. For now, it is between the brothers.

Adrian walks towards the pack house when he sees a young girl running towards him. The closer the young girl gets the more astounded he is in her beauty. She is like a little angel.

She is giggling as she is running as fast as her little legs will carry her. Adrian stops dead in place and just watches large steel-grey eyes on her small face look at him like she sees the saviour running straight up to him. He automatically bends down, scooping the little girl into his arms.

"Hide me, grandma is trying to make me eat broccoli ewww"

Adrian's heart melts straight away from one sentence from the little girl seeing the look on her face here in her sweet little voice and hearing her cheeky words. He chuckles deeply, a chuckle that originates from deep in his heart.

"You know that broccoli is good for you?"

"That's what she says, but it tastes like blahhhh"

Adrian laughs harder. Looking up suddenly as he hears another voice.

"Elena, get back here. It's only one bite and then you can have a banana"

Astrid stops dead as she looks at the man that is holding her precious grandchild. The wind shifts slightly as an aroma of cinnamon sugar comes to her nose. Her eyes moisten as she looks at the man. Whispering so softly that no one else can hear but the man can see her lip movements because he is thinking exactly the same thing.

"Mine"

**1.5 weeks after reunion**

Astrid holds Terrence's hand as they walk towards the dungeons.

"Are you sure you want me to be the one with you while you do this?"

"You are the only one that will be able to help me"

"But should I get Levi to come help us or someone else?"

"No, I feel like this is something that I have to do alone. If I could do it without bringing you into it, I would. I know how much you hate being around him and I'm sorry for this"

"Never think that way. Anything that I can do to help right all his wrongs, I know I don't take him as a father, but I still feel somehow responsible"

Astrid squeezes Terrence's hand even tighter.

"How do you think I feel day in and day out? I kept this bond as a torture for myself. Everyday, when you would give me the serum to stop me from feeling what Simon feels, to break that connection and dull that bond, sometimes when I wasn't required for the day, if Leilani and the twins were out or it was just generally a lazy day, I would not take the serum just so I could feel the torture because I feel like I deserve it. I feel like I am to blame for letting him do what he did. It is my punishment for being so blind for so long. For letting all my grief and all my other emotions cloud my judgement, I feel like I failed so many people, not just my own children. Those other girls, I should have known..."

Astrid shakes her head, she has reprimanded herself so many times.

"....I should have known"

Astrid wipes a few stray tears from under her eyes.

"How do you think I feel? I supplied him with the serum that he fed himself in order for him to do all that nasty stuff without you ever knowing. If I had never developed that serum, then Connor's family would still be here and Simon wouldn't have got away with that"

"It is not your fault if something you created is used for bad things. Terrence never feel that way. Today you will make your mends. Everything ends. I want to clean the slate, I want all of that regret to end for both of us. Seeing Connor and Leilani together. Seeing the other couples happy in their mated relationships. I remember what a bond is meant to be like to start with. I don't want to keep my bond just in order to t*****e myself. That is not what it's meant to be about and maybe I have lost sight of that. A mate bond is meant to be something special, not what Simon turned it into and not what I am using it for now"

Terrance and Astrid walk side by side into the locked room. Simon is on the ground. He isn't even restrained at all at this moment as he still suffering from the injuries that Connor gave him. Terrance's powdered substance still working wonders, not allowing him to heal.

His eyes brighten as he looks at Astrid. She has not come to see him in a while and after Oscar was here last time, Simon assumed that he might not see her for a little while longer. He knew that she couldn't stay away from him. They are still bonded anyway. Astrid scoffs at Simon's expression, even with the bonds tying her to this man. She cannot feel an ounce of pity for the situation he is in. She just wants him to hurt so much all the time. She doesn't want to take the serum just so she knows that he is getting what he deserves.

Even if she was feeling the pain twenty-four hours a day and it is somewhat dull through the bond, unless it is agonizing, it isn't enough. He needs more.

But she did make a decision to move on. She made the decision to focus on what is good in the world. So putting this man behind her is the first thing she has got to do to make that happen, since they will soon be moving to the stormy pack, it is as good time as any.

It is time for them all to move forward.

"Astrid, you finally came back to me. I knew you wouldn't let me down, Terrance I knew it was all a show and you would bring my mate to me"

Astrid wants to kick him right in the face but refrains. She doesn't need to do anything more to him, but hearing him call her his mate is beyond her tolerance. It disgusts her that she wears his mark, that she allowed him to mark so soon after she lost her true mate, thinking it was what fate had in store for her. It sickens her to the core that a serum can actually make her feel that way to feel those sparks. That there is something chemical that actually can replicate that feeling, something so sacred can become so cheap when abused in such a way.

"Don't call me your mate. Associating you with that word makes me want to vomit. The whole thing makes me sick, I can't even put it into words how much I despise you. If you're looking at me to let you out, you are barking up the completely wrong tree. I may have been weak for a lot of years, but now I know my worth"

Simon just laughs through his pain as he looks at the woman that he managed to manipulate so much, not just for one week, not just for one year, for an entire twenty-one years, and now she is going to stand in front of him and act like she's worth more than he

says.

Before Simon even has a chance to open his mouth and say the vile things he wants to say, Astrid speaks once more.

"I will give you one chance to do this the right way. After that we will take drastic measures..."

Astrid stands tall as she runs a hand through her short white blonde hair, she is so ready for this.

"I, Astrid Greyson, reject the bond that has already been formed, the lives already lived and all the lies already told. I reject this mark that was put on me using deceit. I reject you Simon Greyson"

Simon coughs up a mouthful of blood.

"You expect me to actually accept a break in our bond?"

"I don't expect anything. I am giving you a chance for once in your life to do something nice for me. You have done so much bad, you could do one single gesture of good will"

"I will never do that"

Astrid shrugs her shoulders. She never expected him to do the right thing.

"Drastic measures it is then"

Terrance moves forward as Astrid forces open Simon's mouth. Terrance pours a large dose of serum into Simon's mouth. This one was a massive challenge. After Astrid came to him two days before, he has been working hard on this one. Simon looks at the two with a smug smile on his face. There is nothing in this world that they can give him that will allow him to do what she is asking.

Simon's smug smile turns to a frown, which turns to an anguished scream. The serum forces his wolf to come to the surface in a half shift and complete submission.

The walls that are so used to Simon's anguished screams echo once more. Simon writhes and tries hard to fight it.

Simon prostates himself at Astrid's feet. He can't move, just feeling every part of him tearing apart, the pain is so great that his body is close to going into shock.

"I repeat myself, I, Astrid Greyson, reject the bond that has already been formed, the lives already lived and all the lies already told, I reject this mark that was put on me using deceit. I reject you Simon Greyson"

"I, Simon Greyson, accept your rejection..."

Simon can hardly hold on. The words are nearly forced out of his mouth, there is nothing that he can do to contain them.

"...I did what you asked, please take the pain away"

Astrid looks down upon the man and drops a single word.

"No"

Astrid and Terrance walk out of the room, leaving the man to blackout in pain.