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De’drik rolled us over until I rested on his chest, his heartbeat competing with the purr thundering under my ear. He stroked my hair as our breathing slowed, and I was half asleep when he spoke.
“You could stay.”
My tired mind couldn’t understand what he was talking about.
“What?”
“You could stay. With me.”
I stiffened, and all drowsiness fled as his meaning sank in. My chest clenched as tears flooded my eyes and I fought the urge to sniffle. Staying with De’drik seemed like an easy escape, but I barely knew him, and it would mean abandoning the only family I had.
Unable to respond, I forced myself to relax as I buried my face in his chest. No matter what my body and heart were telling me to do, I had to go back. There was no fairytale ending for me.
And what fairytale featured a monster as the hero?
De’drik’s breathing deepened, a snore letting me know he wasn’t waiting for a response, and the stranglehold on my chest eased. Although I felt like I couldn’t stay, I also didn’t want to tell him I had to leave.
He had been nicer to me than anyone since my parents had died, and a part of me yearned to do what he wanted.
To stay with him and build a new life.
But that was crazy. I barely knew him, he wasn’t even human, and I was sure he’d grow tired of me and regret his offer. It was what happened with William’s peers according to the stories he told. The alpha was in love with the omega for a few days, but quickly grew discontent being tied to someone smaller and weaker.
The differences between me and De’drik were even more pronounced, how could he be happy with me?
What would happen when he returned to his clan and found an omega of his own species?
Sighing, I closed my eyes and snuffed out the spark of hope. My place was with Aunt Mary and my cousins, even if they saw me as nothing more than cheap labor. De’drik had only offered because we were locked together, not because he wantedme.
Who would?
Chapter Seventeen
Ivy
Once I was sure he was deep asleep and his knot had deflated, I slipped off his chest. Our fluids leaked from my core, smearing my thighs and the inside of my dress, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Straightening my clothing and finding my shoes, I ignored the alpha sleeping unawares. I didn’t make it more than a dozen limping, painful steps from where we’d stopped to have lunch before I heard a noise and felt Wulf bump against my leg.
Kneeling beside the little wolf, I ran my hands through his fur, so similar to De’drik’s.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. I have responsibilities,” I whispered, tears dripping from my chin.
Wulf nosed my cheek, licking the salty tracks away. With a deep breath, I stood and straightened my shoulders. I couldn’t wait, because I knew my torn heart wouldn’t be able to deny De’drik if he asked me to stay again. No matter how much pain I was in, I had to go now.
When Wulf started to follow me again, I turned to where his little body wriggled beside me.
“Stay, Wulf. Stay with De’drik.”
I made my voice as firm as I could while keeping it low enough not to wake the alpha. Wulf whimpered, but when I took another step away, I didn’t hear him following me.
“Take care of him,” I whispered to the trees ahead of me, unable to look back.
While I didn’t know exactly where I was, the mountain peaks looked familiar enough that I knew I was close to Barcole. I was able to walk by keeping my weight on my heel and the edge of my foot, though the strain on my ankle was already making itself known. The trip was going to be painful, but I’d handled pain for most of my life.
Sucking in deep breaths as I walked, the tears dried as I pushed myself as fast as I could go. If De’drik woke, he’d be able to catch up to me if I wasn’t close enough to the town to scare him away, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I couldn’t explain the driving need to go back when all that would greet me was misery. My life with my aunt was dull and uncomfortable, but it was known.
