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Seth is quiet as he ascends a wide, sweeping staircase.
Burton Manor is filled with incredible paintings and antiques, but my attention remains on the alpha who stares right ahead. Now that I’ve fully allowed myself to trust him, a kind of peace steals through me.
Exhaustion comes over me. Resting my head against his chest, I watch him taking me inside a room on the second floor.
“We’re here,” he says, carrying me to the bed and laying me among the pillows. “You can relax now. It’s just you and me here.”
He moves away from the bed and starts shutting the curtains over the windows. The room grows darker, effectively soothing my senses.
The haze of anxiety finally lifts off me, reminding me of the scene I just caused at the dinner table. It wasn’t just Seth who witnessed my breakdown. His mom, brothers, and grandpa also watched me flail on the floor like a fish out of water.
A groan escapes me. “They must think I’m crazy,” I moan, hiding my face in my hands. “What the hell was I thinking? I should’ve never come here.”
Climbing onto the bed, he comes to sit beside me. “Don’t blame yourself, Rory,” Seth says in a gentle voice.
I shake my head, refusing to accept it.
“You’ve just come out of an extremely traumatic situation,” he says as his arms go around me, pulling me against him. “It’s extremely brave of you to try overcoming your trauma on your own.”
“Are you sure I’m not plain stupid?”
“You’re not letting the past hold you back,” he says. “You’re meeting people and trying to move on. You’re being very strong, Rory. You have no idea how proud you make me.”
I stare up at him. His eyes shine with sincerity as he gently caresses my head.
“How can you care about me so much when all I’ve done is hurt you and put you in trouble?”
Confusion spreads across his face. “What’re you talking about?”
“Simon and Oliver told me about the way your dads punished you,” I say in a bitter tone. “It’s all because of me, isn’t it? You got in trouble because of me. If you didn’t help me, you could’ve avoided the whole situation.”
“It was my decision to protect you,” he says, gently caressing the sweaty tendrils of my hair that stick to my forehead. “You were traumatized and going into heat. There was no way I was going to compromise your safety by bringing you to a group of male betas. Your perfume would’ve driven them mad with lust too. I could’ve hurt you too but it was safer to bet on myself than on anyone else.”
I shake my head. “You never hurt me. Even when I was so damn rude to you all the time.” Guilt tears open a new wound in my heart. “You never left my side. I was a fucking bitch to you but you always took care of me. That’s the reason you were away from your post and your job. You should’ve explained the reason for your absence to your pack. It’d have saved you from being punished so cruelly.”
“What are you talking about?” he says in a grim tone. “I promised I’d keep your secret. You don’t want to live as a victim for the rest of your life and I respect the choice you made. I want you to grow stronger, Rory. It’s the only way to win against the bastards who tried to break you.”
“Seth...”
“I will never compromise your future by revealing your identity to anyone. The other rescued omegas are too far gone to live a normal life anymore but you still have a chance, Rory. You were strong enough to reject the drugs they gave you. You chose to bear the pain rather than allow it to bury you. I want you to live the rest of your life with your head held high.”
“But—but—”
“It was my decision,” he says firmly. “I’ll gladly take the same punishment all over again to protect you.”
His words are a balm to my broken heart and soul.
Jake’s betrayal left me in pieces. The reason I resisted the drugs was to stay with the pain. It was the one constant reminder of what I’d lost due to my own selfishness.
Loud, painful sobs wrack through me as I hold onto Seth tightly.
“It’s okay,” he says. “You’re safe now, Rory.”
He doesn’t stop me from letting it all out. My tears dampen his shirt but he continues to hold me. His strong, silent presence is my only anchor as the storm rages inside me.
The doors are suddenly thrown open with a loud bang.
Staying wrapped in Seth’s embrace, I squint toward the bright light flooding into the room.
