Page 61 of Glitched Fates & Stolen Mates

“Are you… here for your hoodie?” I croaked.

“Huh?” Felix cocked his head. “Oh… well, Priya just came round, and she said I needed to come talk to you.”

Gratitude washed over me. Priya had given me this—one final chance to see him before I removed myself from his life. To apologise properly. To try to explain the inexplicable.

Felix shifted uncomfortably, his hands fidgeting with the zip of his coat. “She said…” He squirmed. “She said you told her you’re quitting Killigrew Street.”

I nodded, finally forcing myself to look at him properly. Those large eyes held a mixture of confusion, anxiety, and fear.

“Aye. It’s the least I can do, after everything.”

Felix pressed himself against the far wall like I might pounce on him at any moment. His shoulders hunched, body language screaming please don’t hurt me. He wouldn’t sit down, wouldn’t even step away from the wall. Just stood there, biting into his lower lip hard enough to leave marks.

Christ. Look at him. Terrified. In my own home, of me.

My chest started pulling itself tight, like someone had wrapped wire around my ribs and was tugging hard. The air felt too thin, not enough oxygen reaching my lungs no matter how deeply I breathed.

I’d done this to Felix. My mate. The one person in this world I was supposed to protect above all else, and I’d turned myself into his personal nightmare. For months, I’d been the shadow in his periphery, the threat he couldn’t shake. He might never recover from this—this level of betrayal from someone he trusted. Someone he saw every day.

I’d damaged my own mate.

I sucked in breaths determinedly, but it was useless. The tightness grew worse and worse, each breath more ragged than the last. My hand flew to my chest, fingers digging into the cotton of my T-shirt as my heart fluttered against my ribcage like a baby bird being squeezed to death.

Oh, fuck. No. Not now. Not in front of him.

But I recognised the signs. The shortness of breath, the crushing weight inside me, the blur at the edges of my vision. This had been building since yesterday, since the moment I’d made the decision to leave Killigrew Street—to leave the only life that I’d ever enjoyed.

“Kit?” Felix’s voice sounded far away, muffled. “Are you… are you okay?”

I wasn’t okay. I was the furthest thing from okay. And the concern in his voice, even after everything I’d put him through, just made it worse. Made the self-loathing dig deeper.

“You need to go.” The words came out strangled, desperate. “Please, Felix. Just… just go.”

“I’ll call someone,” he said, already reaching for his phone. “Rory, or—”

“No.” The word tore from my throat. “Please don’t call anyone. Please.”

I sounded pathetic. Broken. Which I was. Utterly and completely.

The room tilted sideways, or maybe I did. When had I ended up back on the floor? The hardwood pressed cold against my cheek, my whole body shaking like I’d been dunked in ice water. My teeth chattered so hard I thought they might crack.

Soft footsteps approached. Felix, moving closer despite his fear of me. A blanket appeared, settling over my shaking form with gentle hands.

Then, the lightest touch. Fingertips through the fabric, hesitant and careful, like he was touching a wounded animal that might bite.

“What can I do to help?” His voice was so quiet, so gentle.

“Please just go,” I said, between chattering teeth. The shaking wouldn’t stop, my whole body convulsing like I was seizing. “I need to… I just need to ride it out.”

The overhead light clicked off, plunging the room into softer shadows. Felix moved to the window, tugging the curtain until only a thin strip of grey afternoon light filtered through. The harsh fluorescent glare that had been stabbing at my eyes disappeared, replaced by something gentler.

“Better?” he asked quietly.

I managed a nod, though the shaking hadn’t stopped. My wolf was still pacing frantically, feeding off my panic in an endless loop.

Felix crouched beside my coffee table, his fingers hovering over the glossy leaves of my monstera deliciosa. “This one’s beautiful. How long have you had her?”

The question caught me off guard. “W-What?”