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The heat had all but driven away the nightmares, for a while, but that wouldn’t last. I still couldn’t help but think of Brennan too often, in the worst way. I wanted to remember the good moments with him.
But it seemed like I was losing my grip on them. Every good thing I thought of blurred into those last horrible moments. His grunts of pain. The sight of blood splattered against the wall. The screams wrenched from my throat til it was raw.
A shiver raced down my skin at the thought of facing Stone.
But I had to try.
I kissed Shaw’s cheek tenderly and rose from the bed before pulling on one of Brennan’s old hoodies—for strength—and my new favorite pair of leggings.
Then I went out into the rain to hunt down Stone.
The garage doors were open, the multicar bay emptied, and Cole’s usual training session that he conducted on the front lawn was happening in the garage instead. Knowing how protective Stone was of his space—Karissa said he liked only to have family in the house—the sight surprised me.
But then, Stone had let me into the house, and he’d also made it clear I wasn’t family. He didn’t trust me.
Stone came into sight, and my heart skipped a beat, my stomach twisting with nerves.
He was trudging back toward the house from the command center, his big shoulders down against the beating of the rain. Then he looked up at me, his eyes widening, as if he had sensed me.
Our eyes locked through the rain. In the distance, thunder rumbled, but all I could see was his intense gaze; I couldn’t look away to search for the flash of lightning.
He kept striding toward the house. I veered to intercept him, and he stopped short, his nostrils flaring.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
My lips parted. What an absolute asshole.
He took a step back from me, bracing his arms over his chest. “Well?”
No matter how brusque he sounded, he looked uncomfortable.
My heat.
He could smell my desire—hell, maybe he could smell Shaw’s cum still sliding down my thigh mixed with my slick—and it bothered him. The sudden flash of realization came with a throb between my thighs that I had to ignore.
“I want to talk to you.”
“What is it?”
I gestured back toward the house. “You really want to do this in the rain?”
“Yes.” His nostrils flared again, and his mouth straightened out into that hard, bitter line.
The rain diluted the scent of my heat. I understood now. But it was even worse for me, because he was all alpha and so the traitorous prickle of heat along my skin was his fault. As much as I wanted to hurt him right now, part of me also wanted to press my lips to his narrow mouth, to reach for his cock.
“Fine.” My chin rose. “I need you to understand what you did to me.”
I need you to promise you’ll never do it again.
Everything in me begged for him to listen, for me to be able tostay.
His dark brows drew together. “I did what I had to do, Amelia. I needed to know you didn’t betray Brennan.”
“But you betrayed me.”
“I never made you any promises. You are my prisoner.”
“I’m not just your prisoner. I’m Dylan’s mother, I’m Brennan’s mate… I’m your…” I didn’t dare to saymate.
