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“All right, well… see you.” I had no idea what to say.
“Oh, Pearl,” he called after me again. I turned, looking at him expectantly. “It’s good to see you.”
My fingers clenched the book I was holding. Part of me wanted to tell him that I’d missed him while he’d been gone. We’d avoided each other for years, but I couldn’t deny that I’d missed him in my life. I’d thought we would be together forever, but actions speak louder than words. He showed me where his true loyalties lay, and it wasn’t with me. I’d just been a steppingstone to a higher position. I couldn’t forget what he’d done to my family, what he’d done to me. He hadn’t bothered to explain or apologize, which just showed how much our friendship truly meant to him.
But standing here, looking back at him, made me want to confront him. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, but I was also terrified of the answers. Ignorance was bliss after all, but it left a foul taste in my mouth.
I responded with a nod then hurried away. Being near him after so many years was doing something to me that I wasn’t prepared for. Empathy. Compassion. The part that was still his friend wanted to know why. Had he been coerced? Did he regret it?
“Pearl, wait,” Rylan called after me, but I couldn’t anymore. Old wounds were being reopened, questions without answers resurfacing.
I walked quickly, tempted to break into a run so that I could get away from him faster and forget about this encounter. It hurt too much.
“Pearl?” A hand grabbed my biceps as tingles ravaged my arm.
“Don’t touch me,” I hissed, pulling away and clenching my fist. “What do you want?”
I could see the answer to my question in his eyes. He wanted me, but I couldn’t tell if it was as a friend or something more. My earlier reaction to him resurfaced in my mind, and I fought against it.
“I hate this,” he whispered, stepping closer to me, his green-grey eyes darkening.
“Excuse me?” I asked, unsure what he could possibly hate.
“This. Us.” He gestured between us.
The sudden emotion made me pause before I unleashed my own anger.
“What do you mean?” I needed him to spell it out.
“This anger. We were best friends when we were kids, and I… miss that.”
I stood staring at him, too stunned to form a reply. He took a half step closer, until he was almost touching me, his chest less than an inch away.
“Do you think we could ever be like that again?” he asked, his hand rising, fingertips nearly touching my skin.
My breath shuddered out of me as he looked down into my eyes. Heat infused my core at his nearness. I wanted to step closer and run my hands over his chest, I wanted to feel his skin and feel his lips on mine so badly that I rocked my feet.
“Rylan, I…” I swallowed, having no idea what I should say. The thought of him back in my life was appealing.
His nostrils flared as he breathed in my scent, an intimate action that was considered rude in public. We weren’t in public though, and the thought of him smelling my arousal was enough to break me out of whatever spell I was under.
I took a step back, staring down at the floor so I couldn’t see the hurt on his face.
“I don’t know,” I replied, answering his previous question. How could we ever come back from what happened? How could I ever trust him?
“I’ve changed, Pearl,” he said softly, genuinely. “I know you’ve changed too. I just want the chance to know you.”
Why was this happening now? I was already stressed out with all this Alpha Seeker stuff, and now the person I’ve hated for years, blamed for all my suffering, wants to know me?
“I’ll think about it,” I said, before turning and quickly walking away.
I turned a corner before I glanced over my shoulder, making sure that he wasn’t following me again.
My first instinct was to say, ‘hell no,’ and forget the whole interaction altogether, but I couldn’t. Not when I saw so much regret and hope. Even as kids, it was hard to deny him with those expressive green-gray irises. Now, they were guarded, questioning. I would have been lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by him. There was something deep inside that seemed to be pulling tighter, forcing us together.
I glanced down at my arm and wondered if the changes I’d inherited were to blame.
Find your mate. He’ll unite the packs.
