Chapter 007

Declan said in a low, frustrated voice, "I can't do this anymore, Lola." "You are preventing me from avoiding you."

His words hardly registered with me. My thoughts were still racing from the discussion I had just had with Adeoye. I could feel the two men's intense tension bending my thoughts and eating away at me. Declan's gaze pierced me as I stood motionless. However, I was more interested in Adeoye's lingering touch, his piercing gaze, and his presence in the back of my mind than in him.

I finally managed to utter, in a whisper, "I'm not asking you to stay away." Declan, I just need room. It's time to reflect.

"You don't understand, do you?" I stepped back as his annoyance erupted. "You believe that you are the lone victim. I've been working on this for years, and you—

"You?" I raised my voice and let out a sour laugh. "You believe you can resolve this? Declan, you are the one who broke it. It was you who destroyed everything.

I could feel the weight of the words settling between us like an impenetrable gap, and they came out sharper than I had intended. I didn't care that he flinched, his jaw clenched. No amount of excuses or apologies could make up for what he had done; the old scars were still there, festering.

"Lola..." He lowered his voice, but I didn't hear it. I pushed passed him and shook my head, not paying attention. The man who had once been everything to me and the one who was now intruding into the void Declan had left behind were at odds with one other, and my heart was raw.

Adeoye's presence was too strong for me to resist. Even when he wasn't there, it seemed like he was constantly present. Everything about him ignited something within of me, including the way he spoke and moved. It was there, without a doubt, even if I hadn't asked for it. Although I made an effort to ignore it, the more time I spent with him, the harder it was to pretend I wasn't aware of it.

Declan was not like him. He didn't share our history or our level of passion. It was easy with Adeoye since I was a stranger. Or it ought to have, anyway. However, every peaceful time we spent together and every chat we had eroded my defenses. My captor, who had previously been my enemy, was suddenly the one making me feel things I didn't want to.

I tried to decompress by walking across the pack's territory, but the tension persisted. My mind was divided between the two men who plagued me, and every step seemed heavy. Declan's fire, his intense need to mend what he had damaged, and Adeoye's calm strength, the way he kept his secrets close. The weight of it made it impossible for me to breathe.

Then, as though destiny had predetermined that time, Adeoye emerged from the darkness and met my gaze with his dark eyes. At first, he just stood there and watched me without saying anything. And I experienced a slight heartbeat. Just enough to make me question whether I had gone too far already.

"You've been avoiding me," he observed quietly, in a knowing rather than accusatory tone.

I was unable to look him in the eye and instead looked down at my hands. Even though I knew I was lying, I answered, "I'm not avoiding you." "I simply need space."

He didn't exert pressure. Rather, he moved in closer until we were only a foot apart. My breath caught as I sensed the intensity of his presence and the heat of his body. He reached out and took a light hold of my arm as I attempted to back away. Even if his touch wasn't strong, it was sufficient to halt me.

He continued, "I don't want you to run from me, Lola," in a hushed, low voice that somehow had a hint of a threat. "Remain with me."

I forced myself to swallow, resisting the need to recoil. His honesty and words pierced me so deeply that I could not deny the reality of our relationship. I felt like pushing him away. I wanted to yell at him that this was too much and that I couldn't harm Declan, myself, or anybody else. However, I was unable to. Instead, my body betrayed me by pulling me in closer.

"Adeoye, what do you want from me?" With a trembling voice, I whispered. "I no longer know what is real."

His gaze softened, but his hold tightened a little. His voice was gruff as he said, "Lola, I want you to trust me." "I am aware of your fear. I see it. I won't harm you, though.

When I looked up at him, I noticed something unexpected in his eyes for the first time. There was a need, a vulnerability. He wasn't merely speaking out of obligation or authority. He possessed something more. Something that reflected my inner feelings.

I said in a scarcely audible voice, "I don't know if I can."

His thumb brushed my skin as his hand moved down to my wrist. With a tone that was now almost imploring, he said, "Then let me show you." "I'll demonstrate to you that you don't have to be scared."

My will began to waver, but before I could speak, footsteps broke the silence. Declan.

His eyes darted between us as he came out of the trees, his face tight. The pull between Adeoye and myself was immediately disrupted by his presence, which changed the atmosphere around us. Unsure of what to do or where to go, I withdrew my arm from Adeoye's hold.

Declan's voice strained as he said, "Lola." "We must speak."

I wanted to decline his request. The words stopped in my throat even though I wanted to tell him that I was done and that I couldn't do this any longer. Rather, I found myself sandwiched between them, with each of them dragging me in a different direction.

Finally, with hardly a breath in my voice, I murmured, "I can't keep doing this." "I can't continue to be caught between you."

Despite his steely eyes, Adeoye remained silent. Declan's eyes grew gloomy, but he took a stride toward me and his face softened—almost as though he had changed for me.

He broke the tension with a voice that stated, "I'm sorry." But Lola, I won't let you leave again. Not in this manner.

I wasn't prepared for how hard the words hit me. Before, I thought Declan's love for me could make everything better, but now I wasn't so sure. I was unsure of which side I was fighting for on the battleground that was my heart.

I took a step back, my head spinning as I tried to make sense of it all. However, the ground shook just as the weight of my uncertainty started to descend. From the trees came a deep growl—something savage, something threatening.

My heart was pounding as I turned. There was a problem. There was an impending event.

Something that had followed us into the pack's area wasn't only a threat to me, I realized with a sickening certainty.

We were all in danger.