Chapter 71
Fiona
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He knocks again, for the third time, but all I can do is stare at the door. The only thing separating me and him is this slab of wood.
“Fiona, could you open the door?”
1 rub at my burning eyes but don’t move. I didn’t sleep. Not a wink all night. I tossed and turned. Ethan’s words and the events of the day playing over and over in my mind.
Tran
Alpha.
Werewolf.
Soulmates.
Honestly, even if I wanted to sleep, which I didn’t, I probably would’ve had nightmares all night.
“I need to know you’re okay.” Ethan says through the door. His voice is warm, like a blanket that just came out of the dryer. I want nothing more than to wrap myself up in it, but I can’t make myself open the door.
My fingers sit on the knob, frozen from fear
“Fiona “The slight crack to his voice brings tears to my eyes. I had trusted him, given him so much of myself. For what?
He lied about who- or what he is and nearly got me killed. Last night wasn’t just a nightmare. I was kidnapped and taken hostage because we’re supposedly soulmates. They wanted to use me to hurt Ethan, and it almost worked.
Scenes from last night flash through my mind, and I press the heels of my palms into my eyes.
Blood dripping from sharp white teeth and pooling on the floor.
Glowing yellow eyes that pierce your soul.
Claws digging into flesh and tearing through muscle.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at him the same again. Not after that.
“I have to go to the office, but Ryan will be here to guard you,” he says. My hands drop from my eyes, part of me screaming to open the door while the other part cowers in the comer. “If you need anything, let him help you. He can contact me faster than anyone else”
My lips part yet no words leave them. I can’t speak. There are no words to explain how I feel or what I want because I don’t know.
I don’t know anything anymore.
My life, yet again, has imploded, and I’m left to scour through the pieces to find out if I can put it back together again.
Alone and afraid.
Like always
“I’ll be back soon”
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Chapter 71
Then, the soft thud of his footsteps fades into the distance.
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Turning, I lean back against the door, shove my list in my mouth, and slide down to the floor while tears finally stream down my cheeks. Sobs shake my body, and no matter how much I want them to stop, I can’t force them down.
I wanted to believe in Ethan. Wanted to see him as a good man, but now….. my mind flashes to the black and brown wolf that fought so viciously. I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as I was last night.
A shiver runs down my spine.
The way he ripped into his opponents without hesitation was animalistic, brutal, and unapologetic. Was that who he truly is?
The image of his teeth sinking into the gray wolf’s neck makes my stomach flip as I push my fist deeper into my mouth to smother the sob.
He saved your life, my heart says.
But he also endangered it, I tell it.
My trust is crumbling around me, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to build it up again. Almost as if I could see it, I look at the ground around me. There’s nothing there, but it feels as if everything lies in a broken pile of rubble at my feet.
If yesterday hadn’t happened. Ethan and I would be at work right now, moving through our day with longing glances and small touches.
We’d be eating lunch together or working on a file for the company.
I’d be oogling him through the office window when he wasn’t paying attention.
Everything would be okay.
But it isn’t.
Last night everything changed for the worst, plunging us into a dark, unknown whirlpool with no end in sight. I’m drowning in the waters and my only safety net is shredded
I’ve been hiding since I gave him the chance to explain everything in the library last night. If I looked at him now, I feel like all I’ll see is the wolf. The larger than life monster that could rip me apart in seconds.
He said there were Lycan and human couples, but I don’t see how it works. Do they keep the secret forever? Is that what Ethan had planned if we went further in our relationship!
I laugh restlessly at that thought.
What relationship?
How can we keep this relationship going now?
I’d trusted him enough to get us home, but now? I don’t know if I have any trust left to give.
Closing my eyes, I let my forehead fall to my knees. He hadn’t hurt me yet, but I didn’t know his secret before. Would everything change now? Would he become aggressive now that I know, now that he doesn’t have to hide it anymore?
Irake my hands through my hair, pulling at the roots as scenario after scenario runshrough my mind.
What if someone found out? Would they think I was a Lycan too?
I groan, shaking my head.
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Chapter 71
Would one of his pack members come after me thinking I’ll spill their secret
Casping I lift my head.
What if Ethan blamed me and attacked me? Would he do that?
The air in my lungs becomes thin and nonexistent.
Does he expect me to accept everything and become his mate
My chest constricts painfully, and the icy hands of a panic attack wrap around my neck, squeezing. I choke on m thoughts, gasping for air.
I fall forward on all fours, heaving and gulping down air until I can breathe properly again. The ache in my chest doesn’t disappear, but it eases with each deep breath I take
When the darkness fades from my vision, I push myself back to my feet and lean against the door. I let the dizziness subside before stumbling toward the bed.
If this is what I have to look forward to the rest of my life, I can’t do it. It’s all too much for me. I need to get out of here, to find somewhere safe to hide. Maybe if I can get to my house. I can pack a bag and get away
Turning, I look around the room, my eyes landing on the window at the far end of the room. I need time away from everything to think, and I can’t do that here. I run to the window, laying my palms on the cool glass and looking out at the city beyond.
I have to get out of here.
