AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There was a familiarity to her, and it only took a few breaths to realize who it was.Farren.
Our mate was a dragon, a species that we’d thought was extinct outside of our omega. Now, as far as we knew, our coven had the only two in existence.
If this gets out, we’re as good as dead.
14
Farren
‘You have to calm down,’Zehra told me firmly. She had tried everything she could to get through to me, from sending calming vibes my way to reasoning with me. Yet nothing topped the panic that was clawing at my chest and throat, making each breath torture and my vision fuzzy.‘You already told Nikolaus.’
‘That was different,’I argued. Even hours later, I could still picture their shocked expressions. Levi, in particular. His voice had called out to the others, drawing attention my way. This was not how I wanted to tell them my secrets, yet here we were.
Needing comfort, I went to my nest, a small bedroom in my cabin I’d filled wall to wall with mattresses, pillows, blankets, and some adorable dragon plushies. The tiny army of dragons gave me something to snuggle on the lonely nights I spent here. Once I was cocooned in a few blankets, wishing I could take a normal breath, she finally jumped back in.
‘How? He likely already planned to tell them. And so did you,’she shot back.‘I just cannot understand why you are acting this way. They are not strangers willing to turn you in for a few bags of gold.’
‘We use cash now, dollars,’I reminded her, amusement busting through a bit of the panic.
‘Gold is more durable,’she grumbled,‘but that’s irrelevant. They are your mates! Stop acting like an independent brat.’
Her harsh words had me huffing out a startled laugh.'Brat?! It’s called survival. It’s what’s kept us alive and out of their clutches all these years. Which you’re fucking welcome for.’
‘This is not the rest of the world. This is about your mates. Do you want to lose them over lies? Deceit? This is your moment to let them in, to share this burden. Stop this nonsense.’With that, she closed our connection, leaving my head silent for the first time in an hour. I sighed, hating that the one being who knew me on a soul-deep level was the one I was arguing with. It was just so fucking hard to give in, to let go. I’d given myself over to them, but not my past, not the secrets that I’d held tight to my chest like battle armor, unwilling to waver for a moment. If I hadn’t slipped, even Nikolaus wouldn’t have known.
Wrapping the blankets tighter around myself, I walked over to the window. The snow was deep enough that I couldn’t see very far, but now I was finally about a twenty-minute walk from the hotel, even in this snow. I’d watched from the shadows to make sure the guys made it back safely before tucking myself away here to wallow in self-pity.
“I should talk to them.” Even saying it out loud threatened to bring the panic back, but then I replayed the scene in my mind again. I had sensed them before I saw them, but that moment had caused time to stand still, something I’d never forget. My dragon eyes were sharp enough that I could scrutinize every detail of their expressions. Avi was in shock, but there was also a hint of awe. Niko’s face held pride, having recognized me right away. Kane was reverent, something I never thought I’d see. And Levi… he looked almost relieved?What was that about?
Focusing on those reassurances, I let them soothe my fears enough to put out my fire, tugged on my snow gear, and started the trek back to the hotel. The snow was deep, nearly over my head in some parts, but once I got to the path that cut through the mountains and backed the hotel, it wasn’t as bad. The path was protected by the towering stone above.
West met me at the door when I pushed it open and started stomping off all my gear. He had to have seen me coming. The cunning witch always paid more attention than he liked to let on.
“You freaked those men out today,” he commented. There was amusement in his voice that told me he wasn’t trying to criticize. “I assume you haven’t shared yet?”
“What’s with everyone pointing that out?” I grumbled as I hung up my snowsuit. He chuckled knowingly.
“You think the little angel on your shoulder is going to let this slide?” He was referring to Zehra, using the moniker he’d given her when he first learned of her presence. “I hope you listen this time. Stubborn girl.”
“Yet you love me anyway,” I teased. I finally managed to kick off the snow boots, the last of my winter gear.
“They’re in their room,” he said, raising an eyebrow. It was his way of giving me an order without giving me a direct one. Something that never went over well. We were far too alike, so we’d had to adapt over the years.
He walked away, likely to hide in his suite for the duration of the storm. Between us, the teens who loved to grab a room to get extra hours of work in during these storms, and West, we all got a bit more time off to enjoy the snow days.
My heart raced as I walked closer to their rooms, afraid of what they might say. My truth was out there now. There was no going back, so I couldn’t avoid this confrontation forever.
I’d barely knocked twice on the door before it was yanked open, then I was crushed in Kane’s arms. My body relaxed at my alpha’s touch and the vibrating of his soft, comforting purr. I met that beautiful sound with a content one of my own, an unspoken moment of relief and acceptance that I felt in my soul.
“We will protect you, Farren, with our lives. Your secret is safe with us,” he promised, his voice rough. I hadn’t really gotten a chance to catch up with him since the attack, and from the pain in his voice, he needed this moment.
“You know it wasn’t your fault, right? The attack?” I asked. “I was grateful you and Angela were away from that demon.”
“I failed you,” he said gruffly, squeezing me just a bit tighter. “But I knew you’d say that. I’m working on it.”
“Understandable. I just wanted you to know that I still trust you to keep me safe,” I told him. He shakily sighed at that but didn’t respond. Then again, he didn't need to.
“Come on, the others are going to turn feral if we don’t go in, and I don’t share,” he joked, breaking the moment, I knew he was going back to his usual cocky demeanor for the both of us—a way to let us both at least feign some normalcy.
