AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The tow truck pulled into the shop as we stepped into the main garage again. Miller was already waiting, a look of concern on his face at the beat up car that was hooked to the back. I could smell the burning scent still, though it was no longer smoking. Small miracles, at least.
Dean hopped out and gave us a wave over. "She's familiar with the town but the car was smoking."
His passenger stepped out, helping her kid out of the car seat before stepping into view.
It was as if my entire world froze in that moment.
There she was, my mate... or former mate.
She was just as beautiful as ever. Her long golden hair was shining in the afternoon sun, her blue eyes expressive and locking onto me, widening in the same shock that I was feeling.
"Cole."
The word was barely a whisper but held such an array of emotions it was hard to decipher them all. But there was one I felt to my core.
Pain.
Did that mean she missed me just as much as I missed her?
Therapy and this pack were the only reasons I made it through those dark years. Did she find someone to help her?
Clearly she had, there was a child in her arms. That was evidence that she'd moved on.
My chest lanced with pain as a whisper of a bond flickered between us. Her breath caught, and I had to look away before I drowned in her eyes and my whirlwind of questions.
Then I took in the little boy's features. We shared the same blue eyes and curls, though his smile and adorable nose were definitely all his mom's.
No... he couldn't be. Right?
"Am I missing something?" Miller asked. The concern in his voice had me snapping out of it.
"This is Summer," I croaked out.
That was all I had to say before understanding dawned on all of their faces. They knew my past, maybe a little too well, which meant they knew exactly who she was.
The mate I left behind.
Her breathing picked up and with it, the purr that rumbled through my chest, but I was frozen otherwise. Broken once more by the pain that struck through a phantom bond I’d long thought dead.
The faint flash of pain was worse than anything I’d experienced in the crash, worse than my shattered leg had ever felt. It was all written over Summer’s face as clear as day.
Here she was standing in front of me, suffering, drowning, and yet I still couldn’t do what needed to be done and go to her.
I was rooted to my spot, unsure of how to say all the things I wanted to say, to ask her all the questions that brimmed on my tongue. To beg her for forgiveness…To get to know the boy in her arms. The one I knew in my heart every second I stood there was a product of the love we’d once shared.
“That’s why Theo smelled like home,” Dean muttered, almost too low for me to hear as he too began to purr to soothe the frightened omega in front of him.
My knee buckled but strong warm hands were there to hold me up, the smell of mint and orange blossoms wrapping around me as Miller supported me.
“Breathe, Cole.” His voice was strong and steady as he pulled me back against his chest. “Breathe with me. In and out…That’s it, nice and slow. Give me three things, Cole.”
I swallowed harshly, the command in his voice making my own alpha instincts rise to meet him. “I can see Summer, she’s distraught. I can hear…her breath, it's too fast. And, Dean’s purr.”
“Good, Cole. Now what can you touch?” Miller asked, guiding me through the last of my grounding techniques.
“You,” I said, taking another deep breath. “I can feel your strength against my back.”
“Always,” Miller promised. “Now it’s time for you to go over there and talk to your mate. You can do this, you’ve been waiting years for this moment.”
