Chapter 9
Five Years Waiting, I Was Just a Lie Chapter 09
The days went by.
Harlan was still there every morning, outside my office. Rain or shine.
He wasn’t pushing anymore. He’d stopped trying to argue his way back in. He just showed up.
When I worked late, hot food appeared at my door. Medicine showed up the one time I got sick, before I’d told anyone. On cold mornings, my phone would buzz, just Harlan telling me to stay warm.
One night after work, the streetlights in my apartment complex were out. The whole walkway was pitch-black.
I froze.
A beam from a flashlight cut through the dark.
I looked over. Harlan. Standing a few steps away, flashlight in hand, watching me without a word.
“Maeve. Let me walk you up.”
I didn’t refuse.
I followed him into the stairwell. No lights there either. He kept the beam on the steps ahead of me, all the way to my door.
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
He looked at me, his eyes gentle.
“If you ever work late, text me. I’ll come get you.”
I didn’t answer. I turned, opened my door, and went inside.
I didn’t invite him in.
I closed the door and leaned against it. A tangled weight sat heavy in my chest.
I knew everything he was doing was real. But the past wasn’t something I could just let go of.
One day, an unknown number called me at work.
The voice on the other end was familiar. Serena.
“Maeve.”
Her voice carried a trace of exhaustion.
“I know Harlan’s been looking for you.”
“I’ve severed the alliance bond. The Ashfords pulled my Luna title from the Blackwood pack.”
“I’m raising the pup on my own. The Ashfords keep the inheritance rights, and the Blackwoods share custody.”
“But my bond with Harlan is over.”
“I won’t bother you.”
She paused.
“I just wanted you to know. Harlan is serious this time.”
“He gave up a lot for you.”
“Can’t you give him one more chance?”
“Serena.”
“What happens between me and Harlan isn’t your business.”
My voice was calm.
“I’m not going to forgive him. And I’m not going back to him.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t interfere with your pup’s life.”
After I hung up, I felt nothing.
Serena’s words didn’t change a thing.
What Harlan gave up was his choice. It had nothing to do with me.
I never wanted him to burn his life down to make it up to me. All I ever wanted was honesty.
It wasn’t long after that when I met Elias Reed.
He was a healer at the Eastmere pack hospital. We’d first crossed paths during one of my dad’s follow-up visits. He was the one who adjusted the treatment plan.
He knew my history. He never pushed me to talk about it, and he never asked me to rush through healing.
He was gentle in a way I hadn’t known I needed. He knew everything about where I’d been, and instead of pulling away, he stayed.
On the bad days, he’d sit with me and just listen. When things got hard, he was always the first one there.
When I couldn’t see straight, he’d help me find my footing without choosing for me.
With Elias, I felt steady for the first time in years.
He gave me the respect I’d been starving for. And for the first time, I had a real home.
Months later, Elias proposed.
There was no grand production. Just an ordinary night, the two of us by the shore.
The breeze was warm. His scent was clean and quiet, like cedar after rain.
Elias dropped to one knee, a simple bond ring in his hand. His eyes found mine, steady and sure.
“Maeve.”
“I know you’ve been through a lot.”
“I can’t promise you everything will be perfect.”
“But I can promise you this.”
“I will love you.”
“I will never betray you.”
“You’ll never have to face anything alone.”
“Will you be my mate?”
I looked into his eyes and nodded.
The tears came again. But for the first time in a long time, they were the good kind.
I said yes.
We started planning the mating ceremony.
When Harlan found out, he fell apart.
He showed up outside my office and blocked my path. Pain and desperation were carved into every line of his face.
“Maeve.”
“You’re really doing this? A mating ceremony with someone else?”
“Just one more chance. Please.”
“I can’t do this without you, Maeve.”
“Harlan.”
“I found my happiness.”
My voice was steady.
“I hope you can find yours.”
“Happiness?”
He laughed, a hollow, broken sound.
“How am I supposed to be happy without you?”
“I know I was wrong. I know. Just let me try. Please.”
“It’s too late, Harlan.”
I shook my head.
“Some things don’t come back once they’re gone.”
“What we had ended a long time ago.”
I stepped around him and went inside.
Something heavy hit the ground behind me. I didn’t look back.
My coworkers told me later. Harlan had collapsed to his knees on the pavement, sobbing.
He finally understood. His regret had come too late.
The girl who had once lived and breathed for him was gone, and she was never coming back.
