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I look up.
His eyes shine with vulnerability as he nods. “It’s something we both carry,” he says. “I wish I could take yours away. Because if it’s anything like mine, it eats me from the inside out.” His words are clipped and harsh.
I breathe out a sigh. “I feel like it will never stop,” I say shakily. “Not until…” My throat closes up.
“Not until you find April,” he finishes for me, his voice low.
Tears form in my eyes at the mention of her name. “Yeah,” I whisper. I clench my hands into fists, willing them to stop shaking.
He notices. “Your guilt hasn’t made you give up on your life,” he says. “You haven’t hidden yourself away from everyone else or quit your job. You’ve continued to live, to go on despite it. Which is a rare and admirable quality.”
A tear rolls down my cheek, and I see him stop himself from moving out of his chair.
I can smell how desperately he wants to move closer to me. How much he’s holding back for my sake, even though his scent is so thick it’s all I can sense.
“Thank you,” I whisper, as I wipe away the tear.
He shakes his head. “It’s the truth,” he says solemnly. “I see the strength I wish I had, the courage I didn’t possess, all in the stunning woman sitting across from me.”
His words are a balm to my soul, and my cheeks flush at the praise.
“Do you think one day you’ll ever be able to forgive yourself?” I choke out. I don’t dare ask for the details of what consumes him, but I hope if he can forgive himself, maybe there’s hope for me, too.
He understands what I’m asking. “Maybe,” he says softly. “I’m starting to think it’s possible.”
I sob. So many emotions flood out of me, and he just watches as I weep into my hands. I cry until there are no more tears and my sobs turn to sniffles.
Having Vincent there while I cry is more intimate than I anticipated.
He’s seeing me at my weakest, yet he still stays and listens.
He’s grounding. Safe.
Just like River and Landon, but this is…different.
Vincent is more powerful than the others. It’s as if he’s the missing piece to all three of us.
It hits me then.
He’s the leader.
He’s the head of my pack.
It clicks into place in my heart, and my inner Omega screams in triumph.
That’s why I felt the pull to him, and why his scent calls to me.
He balances us out. Landon is kindness, River is chaos, and Vincent is power.
I must be looking at him like a lunatic, because his pained expression turns confused. “Are you alright?” he asks.
I nod, emboldened by my realization. “How soon can I give my statement?” I ask, and his concern turns to a flicker of pride.
“Tomorrow, if you want,” he says. “I can have it set up with Ben.”
I nod. I can do this.
I will do this for April, for Tammy.
