~~~
“I’ll get it,” Maeve called out. She hurried toward the front door, bending a little as she peeked out of the windows on her way to the door. “You know anybody that drives a black Jeep?” she called out.
“No, I don’t,” Alison answered.
Maeve got to the door and looked through the peephole, smiling to herself as she unlocked and opened the door. “Hey.”
“Hi. Is Alison home?” Feral asked.
“She is.”
“Can I speak to her?” Feral asked.
“Here’s the thing. I’ve become a little protective over her because she’s taken us in and made us not only friends, but family. So, I’m not sure.”
“Why would that matter?”
“She was very, very disappointed when you left. I don’t want to see her hurt again. Are you going to be leaving again anytime soon?” Maeve asked.
Feral smiled softly at Maeve, realizing she was protecting Alison. “As of about twenty minutes ago, I’m an actual approved member of the Laighin Pride. I live here now.”
“You do?” Maeve asked.
“I do. Can I talk to her? Please?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Maeve said. “Hang on just a second.” She closed the door and Feral could hear footsteps leading away from it.
A minute or so later, the door swung open and Alison stood there, a furrow between her brows that disappeared the moment she saw him. “Oh…”
“Hi,” Feral said.
Alison looked over her shoulder at Maeve.
Maeve stood just a few feet behind her with her chin tucked in, watching, but not directly so. “I knew if I said it was him that you might not come, and if you did you’d make yourself nervous. So, that’s why I said I didn’t know who the male was that was standing at your door.”
“Mmhmm,” Alison said, giving her a bit of side-eye.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t come back when Frenzy did. But I had to see my mission through to the end. Before it was even done and we had the males we’d taken into custody back in Alliance, I was already planning ways to get back here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“I did. I told you I’d be back, but you’d already closed the door on me. While I was here, I tried every way I knew to show you and tell you what you mean to me. I really did, but you seemed to doubt what I was telling you. So, I stopped trying to convince you because sometimes coming on so strong to someone who already isn’t sure of you, can have the opposite result. And then the day I left when I realized you and Maeve were going into town alone, I panicked and just made the whole situation worse. I’m sorry for that. Me, and others like me, wesurvived by controlling every aspect we could — every breath, every heartbeat, every step and thought of every moment. We couldn’t control our own lives, we had no freedom, but we could control how we reacted to every situation we were placed in. And that was with control of all the unexpected factors. You going off alone was an unexpected factor. Everything we showed any affinity for, even pillows or blankets, were taken from us so that we had nothing to cling to but survival. You are my mate, regardless of the fact that you hadn’t accepted me, and you were leaving the mountain without me. All I could see was you being taken from me and me not being here to protect you. That tendency to control erupted. The need to hold tightly to you because for so long we had nothing, erupted. And I reacted poorly. I am sorry if I offended you. I’m sorry that I seemed to doubt you. I don’t doubt you. You clearly can take care of yourself, and have been for a long time. You are a very capable, very strong female. You contribute to Pride functions, take care of anybody who needs an extra hand, prepare and donate food and your time. You’ve even learned to take care of your own home,” he said gesturing toward the outside of her house. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do. I know you don’t need anyone to be at your side, but maybe you’d consider wanting someone at your side. Maybe you’d consider that someone being me?”
“Thank you for saying all that. I understand now some of why you react the way you do. But I won’t try to tell you that I wasn’t disappointed when Frenzy came back and you didn’t. It was hard. I felt like a fool for believing everything you’d said to me.”
“You are certainly not a fool. I’m sorry you felt that way, and I can see how you would. I would have, too. But here’s the God’s honest truth, Alison.”
She put her hand on her hip and relaxed a little, giving him the indication that this might be his one chance, so he better make it good.
“It’s been a very, very long time since I cared about anyone more than vengeance. And since I cared about anyone more than myself. I carried that focus like a weapon. I was accused of betraying my team and my people. Falsely so, but still accusations that brought everyone else’s opinions and suppositions loudly to the forefront. Once I was cleared, I made it a point to continue helping my team, and any other that needed help in an effort to prove that I was not anything like they assumed I was. This last mission was a part of that, until I realized halfway through it that their opinions didn’t matter to me anymore. If they don’t believe in me, I don’t care. The only thing that matters to me is what you think. What you believe. I never thought I had a chance at a happy life, a good future without battle, and killing, and revenge. But then I came face to face with you. And my entire focus changed. You’re all I want. Five minutes with you heals my soul more than any amount of freedom has. All I see is you. All I feel is wanting you, needing you. All I know is that you and I belong together. We belong to each other.”
Alison stood her ground, just watching him quietly.
“My past, my life is a very long story, and it’s not a happy one. Unlike some of the Variant, I do remember it. I’ll tell you anything you want to know, including about my ex-wife. I have no secrets from you. I will never keep secrets from you. And I hope one day that you’ll feel the same way. Jack has welcomed me into the Pride. I’m one of you now. I’ll be here from this point forward, and I’m not walking away. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you of my intentions and my sincerity. We don’t have to make everything official immediately. We’ll take things slow and let them develop as they should, naturally, as long as weboth know where we’re going. Just tell me what you need from me and that’s what you’ll have. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You mean that. All of that,” she finally said.
“Absolutely. All I need is a chance to prove myself. For you to get to know me, accept me, have faith in me.”
