It was the exact reason he stayed with me now. After that first night, I couldn’t handle him going back to that apartment with Cassie. She was eager to have her own place, and I was eager to keep him safe.
His sleepwalking was just as bad as ever. My security system had alerted me, and I’d rerouted him back inside at least three times since then, and it had only been a couple weeks.
We’d shared meals and late night talks. Grown closer than either of us expected. Yet, my past still hovered over us, not letting me get any closer than I already was.
“I designated the day before my eighteenth birthday,” I said, opting to finally tell her the truth. “My mom hated omegas, even though she was one. She found herself on the side of life that meant using her designation to make money. The moment she realized what I was, she beat the shit out of me. It was bad.”
My voice was hollow as I recounted the story, starting with the kidnapping, then onto Gideon’s mansion, and finally our escape. It wasn’t a pretty story but it was time for her to know where I stood.
“My alpha was my world, but even he couldn’t stop it. Too much time has passed now. My alpha is long gone. The thought that I was going to live with him was nothing more than a pipe dream. This is my life now.” I gestured around at the gym. “I find purpose here. I feel fulfilled teaching omegas and betas to defend themselves, because everyone should know safety.”
“And that’s admirable,” she promised, meeting my eyes to show how much she meant it.
“But?” I said, rolling my eyes.
“But… that doesn’t mean you have to spend your life alone. It’s okay if your pack never goes beyond you and Leon,” she said gently. “You’ve been through enough, Aries. You deserve happiness,especiallyfor that little girl that designated and found out the hard way that not everybody was kind.”
Her words hit me square in the chest.
I’d been through enough therapy that I’d heard them before, but something about another survivor telling me that I didn’t have to still be in survival mode hit harder.
I’d watched some of the girls that escaped with me find their packs. I watched them find their own brand of happiness, flourishing with alphas that we all pretty much swore off when we escaped.
Fate had a funny way of coming through.
I just didn’t think fate would find me. And it wasn’t that Leon wasn’t enough, it was that Nikolai still held so much of my heart that I didn’t know how to let it go.
At some point, I was going to have to talk to Leon about it. I didn’t want to be cruel or lead him on.
“And what about you?” I questioned, turning the tables.
“I’ve turned our shared apartment into an amazing bachelor pad,” she teased. “Leon’s old room is now a massive nest, and honestly, I’m thriving. I can’t let that part of my life change me. I’ve always been an optimistic, happy person, and I want to find that girl again. I’m not letting what happened to me take that away. They’ve taken enough. That starts with indulging my omega and finding me.”
“That’s amazing, Cassie,” I said, my voice full of sincerity. I meant every word. She deserved the world.
She leaned forward, her hand grasping mine, warm fingers wrapping around and squeezing my hands.
“You deserve to find that level of peace, too, Aries.”
With that, she dropped my hand and turned away, letting the conversation end.
I walked back to my office in a daze.
That’s where Leon found me two hours later, staring off much the same way Cassie had been earlier.
“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked.
His voice was full of concern, eyes open and trusting as he looked at me. Usually we didn’t touch each other, but he walked around my desk, his hand resting lightly on my cheek.
I looked up into Leon’s eyes, my heart melting for the compassion this man still held after everything. Those pretty, soft blue eyes were eager and inviting and I wanted to get lost in them.
“I’m okay,” I promised. “Cassie and I just had a conversation earlier, and I’m trying to figure out how I feel about it.”
He winced. “She can be a bit pushy sometimes. She means well, but don’t take her too seriously.”
“No, this time she was spot on,” I admitted. “We’ve never really dove into my past, have we?”
He dropped to his knees, his hand trailing from my cheek down to my arms until he could take my hands in his. It was so natural that I don’t think he even thought twice about it.
