Ishouldhave turned around and walked away.
Instead, I pushed off the cabinets and dared a few steps closer, stopping right in front of her. Just like the first time I laid eyes on her, she was so small. Frail, weak. But rather than the surge of dominance I expected, the wave of power that came with knowing I could snap her in half, the alpha urge to protect her swelled in my chest.
It didn’t make sense.
She wasn’t an omega; I shouldn’t feel this strongly about taking care of a beta, especially after I worked so hard to get her thrown out of the circus.
None of this made sense, and the next words out of my mouth stumped me even more.
“I’m sorry.”
Arina’s jaw dropped, and her brows furrowed. “For being a giant prick? Noted but not accepted.”
A growl vibrated in my chest, and I fought to keep a grip on my temper.
“Could you stop being a fucking brat for five seconds and let me be nice to you?” I asked, my jaw hardening. “I came to check on you, came to make sure you were okay?—”
“So you could convince me to leave?” Her tone was icy. “Or to make yourself feel better, Revel? You don’t care how I feel, you never have, and that’s fine. Pretending now doesn’t fix anything; It just makes you look like a self-serving asshole.”
We stared at one another for a long second, Arina still clinging to her unlaced dress to keep it from falling to her feet. She was insufferable, and I was beginning to regret coming at all.
“Fine. You want to leave? Go,” I said, throwing my hands up. “Good riddance.”
With a final scathing glare, I turned and marched back toward the front of the bus, my hands balling into fists. My temper was getting the better of me, and it would be best if Arina wasn’t around for the fallout.
I’d caused her enough strife, even if it wasn’t my intention. And if she wasn’t willing to accept my apology, there was no reason for me to stay.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ARINA
I stood there, open-mouthed, watching as Revel walked away. It was the most decent conversation we'd had since he picked me up on the side of the road, and now he was leaving. Just like that.
I was conflicted.
Annoyed.
Angry.
I went from a panic attack, to sobbing on the bus, to arguing with the alpha in a matter of minutes, and my mind was all over the place.
I wanted to run, to scream, to cry.
But most of all, I wanted Revel to… stay?
Rather, my omega instincts wanted him to. They were throwing a fit, making it impossible for me to sort out my emotions. They tugged at my turmoil and latched onto his sticky-sweet candied-apple scent. Begging me closer, making me yearn to bury my face in his chest and breathe him until the chaos passed.
Absolutely not.
I stayed rooted to the spot as he walked away, fighting the incessant urges, unsure what to do. They burned beneath my skin, tearing at me internally. No matter how hard I tried to fight them, they were relentless.
My mind whirled.
Nothing made sense.
The only thing I knew for certain was that I didn't want Revel to get off the bus.
Before I could stop myself, I opened my mouth and words flew out. “Sure, run away like you always do.”
