AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She was about ready to capsize each time you got hit. I think that’s all the evidence you need, pal.”
That helped soothe any remaining apprehension I felt, and I nodded.
Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed that the bleachers started to clear out, and the sea of people started moving through the fairgrounds again. I hoped for a glance at her, but I couldn’t quite catch her.
“You won fair and square, Griffin. I hope you celebrate that win,” Rowan said, offering me his support.
“I will once I make things right with Sara,” I mumbled, trying to spot her from afar. “I’ll catch up with you later, alright?”
With a snicker and a slight shake of his head, Rowan gave in. He knew it was important. “Alright, go get her.”
Without needing to be told twice, I split away from him and hurried around the sparring ring. The place was packed as people went on their way, either heading home or hoping to get some last-minute food from the vendors.
I moved around them as best as I could, continuing despite how some tried to offer me congratulations. While I appreciated the gesture, my mind was somewhere completely different.
My heart squeezed at the thought of not getting to see her, and no matter what was going on around me, nothing else seemed to matter. I just needed to find her and free myself of the thoughts that had been plaguing me.
I needed her to see me as the man who cared for her more than anything, and the one who could admit he was wrong. That I had gone too far, and I didn’t mean to make her feel used.
She was the light I needed in my life, and I could only hope she wanted to be a part of it.
Excusing myself as I pushed through the crowd of people, I finally spotted her on the way to the woods. She was following a path that would eventually lead to our neighborhood, and I knew that was my chance.
Another wave of people got in the way of my path, but I went around them and hurried into a run when I had the chance.
While I was somewhat sore from the spar still, I was in perfectly fine shape. What wounds I managed to get had healed already, and any blood left behind was dry.
Regardless of how rugged I probably looked, I needed her attention.
“Sara!” I called, approaching her as quickly as I could. “Wait!”
Immediately, she whirled around, attention captured. A look of recognition moved across her face as she spotted me, and she turned around completely.
“Griffin—”
“I know we didn’t leave things in the best place, but I need you to know everything. I can’t let you go without knowing how I feel,” I interrupted, unable to hold it back anymore. “We obviously didn’t start on the right foot, but my attraction to you had always been there. The more time we spent together, the more I began feeling for you, and before I knew it, I was in too deep to back out. Even if we were supposed to be pretending, there was nothing fake about our arrangement. Every touch, kiss, and feeling were real, even if I didn’t want to believe it at first. I don’t know when it happened, but I couldn’t tell the difference between real and fake anymore, and I know that blurry situation didn’t help you either. I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand, but at the same time, I’m glad it happened.
“After our first night together, I felt so angry all of a sudden. Like I was mad about every second I had to be away from you. It just kept swelling more and more, and I couldn’t understand why. I wasn’t sure at first if it was true, but I have no doubt now that you’re my mate. That was why I had been acting so strangely, and why I couldn’t stand to see you with Noah. It doesn’t excuse me for how I treated the situation, but it was the cause.”
Sara looked up at me attentively while I spoke with a glimmer in her eyes. She was neither upset nor angry, just pensive. She listened closely while I spilled my feelings.
I pulled in a deep breath and continued, “Regardless of how things seemed to go wrong, I cared for you, and I continue to. I was overbearing and acted entitled to you, but it killed me to see you with anyone else. When I found out Noah’s true intentions, I was blinded by rage. I fought for you because that was all I could think about. I wanted to prove myself to you, and I just hope you can look past all my previous doubts and stubbornness.
“I wanted you then, and I want you now. I need you. If you’re open to the idea, I’d like to give our relationship a genuine shot. To start again, but for real this time.”
That glimmer in Sara’s eye deepened as tears filled her waterline.
I expected her to want to think about it and to maul over everything that happened. But instead, her expression softened, and she looked just as enamored. The smile on her face was enough to put my heart at complete ease.
“I want the same thing. I have for a while now,” Sara admitted, looking at me like I couldn’t do anything wrong. “Even if you were completely out of line for not accepting my kindness when you first moved in, I realized there was more to you than that grumpy façade. You’re a good guy, Griffin, and I’m grateful I had the chance to see it for myself. Everything with Noah was a bit much, but I understand why it happened. I can’t blame you for having instincts.”
Her acceptance was all I needed. Everything else was a bonus.
My chest deflated with relief. “The whole mate thing doesn’t freak you out?”
Her grin made me feel lighter than air itself. “Of course not. I’ll admit, I didn’t realize it was a thing until today, during the scrying competition. While you were feeling the brunt of it, I guess I subconsciously repressed the bond from my end out of fear. But you helped me see I don’t need to be afraid of that potential. I don’t need to worry about what’s right, or if you’re the one for me. You’ve already proved it.”
Despite myself, I felt the prickle of emotion in my face, happier than I had felt in a long time.
