Page 78 of Specter Bred

"It's toxic."

My gaze met Hayes's.

"It's completely fucked up, and I know that."

My voice cracked.

"But I don't know how to change it."

Sammy stood and crossed the room before I could stop him. Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest. For once, I didn't fight it and went to him willingly. He was warm, solid, and steady like an anchor when everything inside me felt like it was coming apart.

He didn't try to fix me or tell me I was overreacting. Sammy didn't even offer advice I hadn't asked for. He just held me, quietly, patiently, and expecting nothing in return.

“I feel so out of control,” I whispered against his chest. “I fucking hate it.”

My fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt, holding on as if gripping him hard enough might steady everything spinning inside me.

“Control is all I fucking have, and right now it feels like even that’s been stripped away from me.”

Sammy didn’t say anything. His heartbeat remained slow and steady beneath my cheek, giving me something solid to focus on. Then his chin settled gently against the top of my head, and his arms tightened around me.

“So take it back,” he whispered.

I frowned and tilted my head up to look at him.

"How?"

A small smile touched his lips.

"You're an alpha, Maeve."

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, wow. Thanks. That clears everything up."

A laugh rumbled deep in his chest.

"I'm serious," he said, his hands settling on my shoulders. "You're trying to control the wrong thing."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means you've spent months trying to control what Graves thinks of you."

"You can't control that," Sammy continued. "You can't control what he sees, what he values, or whether he ever admits you're good enough."

His gaze held mine.

"But you can control yourself."

The words settled heavily in my chest.

"You can control how much power you give him."

That sounded a lot easier than it felt.

I looked away but Sammy gently nudged my chin back toward him.

"If Graves is really the only captain you want, then stop chasing him and let him see what happens when you stop needing it."