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“I’m okay,” I say again louder.
“Hearing you say it is not the same as seeing it for ourselves. We almost lost you, Anna,” Griffyn says.
I can feel his anxiety too. It isn’t as frantic as Felix’s but still strong.
Blaze’s muscles are tense.
Rion’s voice is strained as he says, “I need to go before I do something I’ll regret. I’ll be back as soon as I can calm down.” He heads towards the door.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Aksel demands.
“Rion isn’t a prisoner here. If he wants to leave so he doesn’t attack Blaze then he can. He doesn’t have to explain,” I demand.
Rion dips his head before heading out the door.
I need to calm Blaze down and I’m the only one who can do it. I take his hand and press the palm against my chest.
“Feel my heartbeat. I know you can hear it with your super hearing so listen to each beat and know I’m alive.”
Felix stops pacing and listens to me too.
Gradually, the tension leaves Blaze and he stops growling.
Blaze takes a deep breath. “Sorry.”
“No sorry needed,” I say.
As soon as it’s clear Blaze isn’t going to lose his mind, everyone crowds us and there are a million hands on my body, checking me over.
We all stay like that just taking a moment to appreciate the fact that we are all alive. If Rion was here, it would be beautiful.
It takes time but eventually, we all take some space and spread out around the room.
“So, a lot happened tonight,” Griffyn says carefully.
It’s time to address the elephant in the room, I can’t wait a second longer. I turn to these idiots and yell.
“Yes, and the revelations were important. This is ridiculous. Seriously, did you all get together and decide to keep this life-changing truth from me?”
Felix clears his throat in a clear attempt at humor.
I roll my eyes. “Except Felix. Who clearly never lied to me about being my mate.”
Felix was the perfect first mate.
I catch myself. First? I’m planning on mating the rest of them and making an order?
“Anna,” Griffyn says softly.
I’m at least planning on mating with Griffyn.
“Fine. I’ve already been mad at Griffyn and he apologized. So right now we are focused on Blaze and Aksel. I haven’t even talked to you, Blaze, about dropping that bomb before your fight and thoroughly distracting me. And Aksel, your lie almost got us all killed.”
For the first time, Aksel drops all his walls and shows me what’s underneath. His eyes soften while his eyes stare into mine and beg me to forgive him. Every inch of him is remorse from his drooped shoulders to his wet eyes.
“Anna, I didn’t want that to happen. Everything I did was to prevent that. I wanted to keep you safe from my psychotic father and the only way to fight the attraction between us was to be horrible to you. Even I had no idea he would go that far, he’s worse than I ever knew.”
I just stare at him and try to process what he’s saying. It’s so easy to be quick to anger and want to hate him. Everything he’s shown me since I met him screams that he’s an asshole. There were very few moments where I felt like I was connecting with him. I can’t discount how he reacted when I woke up in Joka’s arms. I missed a lot of the action, but I know he was begging for my life. He was willing to give his life up for mine.
