AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, Rory. You were very, very smart to be wary.” Laying my hands on her shoulders, I fix her with a grim expression. “Very few people have survived what you went through. You’re a brave and strong soul to not shatter under their torture. That’s the only reason you stayed sane in that hellhole.”
Silent tears roll down her cheeks as she stares up at me.
“Trust your intuition,” I tell her. “Take your time to know the people who approach you. Judge them by their actions, not their words alone. That’s the only way you’ll know whether they’re your friend or not.”
She gives a nod and wipes her cheeks. “So, you’re not mad at me?”
I let a bright smile spread on my lips. “No.”
Before I know it, she’s thrown her arms around my neck and is hugging me so tightly, I feel my ribs protesting under the strain. My eyes squeeze shut from the pain but I don’t utter a single noise.
The agony of my aching ribs is nothing compared to Rory’s affection.
My brothers step back into the room with tall tumblers of coffee. They stare at me and Rory with relieved smiles on their faces and don’t interrupt us.
My curiosity piques. When did they meet Rory and how did they get so close to her?
“Here’s your coffee, Rory!” Simon says loudly, making her break away.
While he hands her the coffee cup, Oliver sidles up to me. “You were hurting, weren’t you?” he whispers while Simon easily distracts Rory.
“Yeah,” I confess. “Everything’s still kind of raw.”
“You poor bastard,” he hisses. “You were out there being a hero, weren’t you? You were with Rory when you disappeared on us.”
I nod.
He punches my arm, looking excited. “I knew it! I knew you had a good reason to abandon your post. You were helping Rory, weren’t you?” He hugs me tightly, knocking the wind out of me.
“My ribs are still healing,” I hiss, throwing him off me.
“Oops! For a second, I forgot our dads whooped your ass so bad you couldn’t crawl out of bed yesterday.” He makes an exaggerated noise and hangs onto my shoulder. “Ah well! Aren’t you going to thank us for bringing her here?”
I glance toward Rory. She’s chuckling away while Simon makes wild gestures and stupid noises.
“Thanks.”
Surprise flickers in my brother’s eyes. I doubt he has any idea about how I met Rory and how I helped her. Still, I’m glad they’re at my side to help me heal the broken omega I’m fast falling in love with.
22
Aurora
Laughter bubbles out of me. After spitting and choking on my coffee twice, I’m avoiding taking another sip until Oliver and Simon stop teasing Seth.
They’re merciless with him, telling him I’m their girlfriend. Any time he gets too close to me, they pull him away. To annoy him further, they make up the funniest names to call him.
Seth stays calm through most of their shenanigans but sometimes, it becomes too much and he ends up snapping at them. His annoyed expression makes me chuckle harder.
At times, though, I notice how pale he goes anytime his brothers playfully hit him or grab him. He’s doing his best to hide the pain from me. I wish he’d tell me how he got hurt instead of keeping it a secret from me.
I think about the time I spent with Jake. He never made me laugh the way Seth and his brothers do. I was always fighting for his attention, doing my best to do things that would please him. His fake charm made me a slave to him. I was so obsessed with keeping him happy, I alienated anyone who tried to warn me against him.
Being with Seth has finally shown me what a true alpha is like. He always watched over me and protected me. He never demanded anything in return for the sacrifices he made for my sake. This is the reason I’ve been craving his silent companionship and warmth.
Oliver and Simon’s personalities are polar opposites of Seth’s, but they’re just as brave and kind as him. They protected me from the monster who tried to hurt me again. I was a stranger to them but they jumped in to rescue me from Kelso.
I’d been so scared last night, I could barely breathe. My heartbeat became so erratic, I thought I’d die with a malfunctioning heart. They were gentle with me, carrying me away when I couldn’t even get my legs to work. While I passed out from sheer mental exhaustion, they stayed with me, protecting me throughout the night.
