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Ben’s voice was noticeably lower when he spoke again. “I should be sorry your plans were ruined, but I’m not. I’m just sorry we can’t take care of you like we should.”
I could hear the unspoken words.I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you.I hated it, because I wanted to be strong. And I loved it, because I also wanted to be vulnerable.
“I’m not sorry. Not about the plans. If I hadn’t come to meet you…”
Some kind of delayed reaction from what had happened by the creek rolled over me. The thought of Ben,myBen, dying alone in the cold. The idea of never meeting Michael and Griffin. I felt like I was drowning.
During a heat, my emotions were always right at the surface. There was no hiding. My body started to tremble, and tears streamed down my cheeks.
Ben got to me first. He climbed under the covers, pulling me close. Michael and Griffin cleared away the plates, but they stayed nearby.
“Shh… We’ve got you.” Ben leaned back into the pillows, and I clung to him, my nose at his neck.
“You could have died,” I breathed on a sob.
“I’m here, baby.”
He stroked my back, surrounding me with his calming scent and his strength. My panic started to dissolve, replaced by something essential, primal.
Ben was mine. My body knew it, my mind knew it. All my doubts faded away.
“Mark me, alpha.Please, Ben.”
He groaned and kissed my forehead. “I want to so much, Tracy. You’re ours. But not until after your heat. If you ask me then, I won’t deny you. I never want to deny you anything.”
I knew it wasn’t a rejection. It was actually the most respect he could possibly give me. I was still kind of pissed.
“Fine,” I huffed.
He laughed at me, and I swatted his arm. Then I started laughing, too. But not for long.
I was drained. Tired from feeling so much. I snuggled against Ben’s soft sweater, burrowed my face into his strong chest, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.
21
BEN
The purring coming from my chest blended with Tracy’s quiet snores. She slept deeply, much better than the night before.
She needed it.
I couldn’t rest at all. My mind raced from one extreme to another. We needed to protect her, to keep her close. But we also needed to remember she wasn’t a victim. She was strong and independent.
It was the heart of her conflict about being an omega.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t fight her internal demons. I couldn’t repair the rift with her family. I couldn’t go back in time and rip her kidnapper to pieces.
But I could support her. Hold her. Purr until she fell asleep on my chest, every single fucking night.
When she asked me to bond her, I’d barelyrestrained myself. She’d been panicked overme, and it would have been so easy to take her fear away. To assure her that I would always be there.
Selfishly, I also wanted to mark her as mine. To see my bond mark on her skin. My instincts were riding me hard, and it was good that she was wearing my shirt. Something about having my scent on her settled my nerves.
I smiled against the top of her head. We both wanted to rescue each other. Falling into a creek was the best thing that ever happened to me. I would have done it a hundred times if it meant I got to meet her.
Muffled noises came from the kitchen as Michael cleaned and gathered pantry items for the next meal. We were all lucky he was here. If it was just me or Griff, we’d be stuck eating instant soup and oatmeal.
I used to worry about how much Michael threw himself into cooking school and being a chef, but it had given him focus when things were tough. We’d definitely benefited from the leftovers he brought home.
