AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thoughts of Warren had my relief fading away and turning to guilt.
Meeting my scent match a few months ago was never supposed to be the plan. I’d met him a few times on dates, and he had fallen hard and fast, but I was too guarded. He deserved better than me.
The alpha was relentless. He tried to talk to me, sending me reassuring messages, trying to find answers to why I ghosted him. He even went as far as posing as a hookup on my dating app, luring me to a date to talk to me, though that blew up in hisface when I hightailed it out of that restaurant like my ass was on fire.
On the exterior, everyone saw the cute blonde who always had a sassy quip or a quick smile for anyone. But what they didn’t know was that my parents had made sure I could never cut them out completely, and that broke me in ways no one could see or understand.
It felt so dramatic to say, but it was getting easier as time went on.
My therapist made sure that I understood that not all trauma was created equal, and it was okay to be frustrated. Comparing trauma was a losing game—just because someone suffered worse didn’t mean I hadn’t suffered at all.
Ironic since Ellie was the one who was openly the scapegoat for my parents. She was the wild child in their eyes, even though she wasn’t crazy or rebellious in the slightest .
She was sweet but confident, their manipulation never worked on her.
I was the weak one letting them do what they wanted. Sure, I got spoiled to some extent. We always had more money than I knew what to do with. From a young age, I had been pampered.
But none of it meant anything—not the moment that they chased off the person I cared about, not the moment that they arranged a date with an alpha that didn’t know how to take the word ‘no,’ not when they didn’t protect me when he came knocking on my door and then climbing in my window.
A single tear tracked down my cheek, and I tried my best to shove all those feelings aside. I wanted nothing to do with self-loathing and the impending pity party. They were not healthy coping mechanisms.
Honestly, I still needed to find a new therapist here in Lockwood, but I was putting it off.
A notification dinged on my dashboard, and I started to read it, my heart sinking further—a message from Warren Avery.
Warren: Tori, please, can we just talk? I don’t understand. If you just tell me what’s wrong, we can work through it. You don’t even know me. We could be amazing together.
“Delete,” I said out loud, the sound of the message swooshing to the trash can, the last sound before only my shaky breathing filled the car.
Deep down, I knew I was a terrible person, that I was robbing him of the only chance he’d have for a true scent match, but just because we were fated didn’t mean I had to agree.
The universe may have thought we were perfect for each other, but I still had to consent. Right now, I’d rather drive this car off a cliff than pack up.
I had about twenty minutes to get my shit together, stop for the wine, and make it back to my sister’s place.
With a deep breath, I turned on my favorite heavy metal playlist, screaming along until my emotions were handled.
By the time I pulled up outside of Ellie’s place, my throat was a little scratchy, but I no longer felt like I was going to drown in the bullshit causing tidal waves in my head.
Ellie was on the porch rocking in the swing as she waited for me. I knew that’s exactly what she was doing, she didn’t just sit out here for fun.
If she was needing a moment to breathe, I’d find her in her greenhouse.
“I could tell in those texts that something was wrong,” she said, pausing the swing long enough for me to sit down. I sat mybags down and flopped down next to her before she kicked off again. I let my head fall back and the breeze wash over me.
“I’m just getting frustrated. I keep going for these shitty entry-level jobs. I should have finished my degree like you did. There was so much more I should have done, and now here I am, floundering to make it in the real fucking world. If it wasn’t for our father’s tainted money, then I’d be fucked.”
“You are way too hard on yourself,” she said as she wrapped her hand around mine, giving it a quick squeeze before letting go. Even with my siblings, I’d never been overly touchy. That was more her and Micah’s style. I just pretended for them.
“Am I, though?” I countered. My voice was hollow and she gave me a worried glance.
“This isn’t like you, Tori,” she growled. I couldn’t even find the words to argue. She didn’t know me as well as she thought she did.
No one did.
I didn’t fault them for that. We had all been really close before everyone left the house. When it was just me left in my parents’ clutches, that’s when it all went downhill. Fast.
My dad threatened to disown me if I didn’t drop out of school, and when I did, it was date after date that he’d arranged. I wasn’t just a daughter to him, I was a business deal in the end.
