AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, I see we have some catching up to do,” she said. “I’ll send the details over and I’m hanging up before you can ask me any more questions. Bye.”
“I’ll have to be at the shop tomorrow, but I’m sure the others will be with you.” He gave Jordan the stink eye, making sure I had someone to go with when he couldn’t. Felix had claws and I loved it. He reminded me of a cat. Sweet and cute on the outside but vicious if provoked.
“You know it,” Jordan said. “Until we figure things out with this ex-fiancé, you’re not going anywhere alone, princess.”
Just hearing the nickname froze me in place. Felix tensed next to him at first but relaxed when I did. Hearing it from Jordan’s mouth with a soft edge actually made me like it. It felt like he was taking the power away from Easton completely, and that was something I could get behind.
We pulled up outside of Felix’s shop and my anxiety amped up even more. He gave me an encouraging smile as he unlocked the door and pulled me inside. Felix showed me to the back stairs and pointed at the door at the top before heading back to the front to wait with Jordan.
My hand hovered above the door before I finally managed to knock.
Warren
A poundingon the door had me dropping the remote from my hand. I didn’t even know what was on the TV at this point. I’d stopped paying attention the moment I chose a show to binge.
My mind had been on Felix and our mate. He’d checked in a few times, but I needed more than a text. I was going crazy over here.
What I didn’t expect was to open the door to find her standing on the other side.
“Tori,” I breathed out, almost as if I was afraid she’d disappear if I said it any louder.
“Can we talk?”
There was something in her face that told me there was only one right answer here. Not that I would have said anything else. I’d give this girl the world if she’d let me.
“Of course,” I said. “Come in.”
I stepped aside and let her into the apartment. Instead of talking, she glanced around, taking in Felix’s space. It was small but cozy. The omega knew how to make a home.
“He’s organized, isn’t he?” she chuckled to herself. Everything was meticulously in its place, but it was also full of life: pictures of the two of us, plants, and art everywhere you looked. He was never one for bare walls.
“Why are you here, Tori? Is everything okay?”
Her shoulders slumped, and I had to fight the urge to reach out for my mate. All I wanted was to hold her close and help her realize how strong she truly was.
“I need to get this out, and I need you to not interrupt me, otherwise, I don’t know if I can keep going,” she said in a rush. She was starting to pace, so I just sat on the couch, waiting for her to continue, refusing to break the moment.
Hope swelled in me. She wasn’t angry or hurt, she was almost manic in her need to speak and I was taking that as a good sign.
Tori shot me a relieved smile at my silence. That was the last time Tori gave me the view of those pretty green eyes. She started talking and didn’t stop.
My mouth dropped open in horror as she began her story. She continued outlining everything her father had done and then the real reason behind the bodyguards. The attempted breaking in, someone creeping in at night–everything had me ready to join the hunt.
She’d carried so much alone and I hated that she felt she had to. The alphas in her life had failed her.
“I’m sorry for giving it to you like this. I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing lately is dumping on you guys the truth so you understand why I am the way I am. I won’t say that it’s an excuse, but it is a reason. It’s the reason I hold myself back. It’s the reason I have a genuine fear of alphas. Sometimes I wake up, and I expect him to be hovering over me like he was that night.”
She looked up at me finally and my heart shattered even further at the look of desperation in her eyes. She needed me to listen, to absorb, and most of all to forgive her.
“I know that you wouldn’t do that to me now, Warren. And I think I knew it then, but I just needed time. You gave me that eventually, and I’m thankful for that. Felix has helped me see that not all mates are terrifying, and his trust and yours helped me find it, too. But last night, that you were willing to walk away from me to give me what I needed…”
There was no need for apologies or even thanking me for being a decent human. I never held it against her for protecting herself. In fact, I was so damn proud of her for being able to do that.
“Will you let me take you on a date and give me a chance to make this up to you?” she begged.
I had a feeling this wasn’t about who paid for the meal or who made the plans, it was about her needing me to let her take the lead.
“I’d love to.”
