I heard her pad across the floor, felt her presence behind me. "You're shaking," she observed.
I gripped the sink harder. "You should stay away from me."
"Why?"
"Because I'm exactly what everyone says I am. Violent. Uncontrolled. Dangerous."
"Knox, what brought this on?" she asked gently.
"My father claimed my mother during her heat," I said, the words ripping from my throat. "She was eighteen. Didn't know better. He trapped her in a bond she couldn't escape."
Harper was quiet, waiting.
"He hurt her. For years. Used the bond to control her, to make her submit even when..." I couldn't finish. "She died when I was fifteen. Just gave up. And the worst part? Sometimes I see him in the mirror. In my hands. In the way I lose control."
"You're not him," Harper said softly.
"Aren't I? I claimed you during your heat. Just like he did to her," I said, finally turning to face her.
"It's not the same," she insisted.
"How? How is it different?" I demanded.
"Because you're terrified of hurting me. He never was afraid of hurting her," she said simply.
The truth of it hit like a punch. But it didn't erase the fear.
"I almost killed Briggs. Would have, if they hadn't pulled me off. That violence, it's in my blood," I said.
"Maybe," she agreed, surprising me. "But so is the man who held me through heat fever. Who tried to cool me down before anything else. Who keeps asking if I'm okay."
"That doesn't erase what I am," I said.
"No. But it shows who you choose to be," she replied.
I laughed bitterly. "I chose to destroy your career. Some choice."
She moved closer, and I backed away. "Don't. I can't... When you're close, I can't think straight."
"Then don't think," she said, still approaching.
"Harper, I'm serious. Stay back," I warned.
But she didn't stop. Instead, she reached up, her hand gentle on my face. Then she did something that destroyed me.
She scented me.
Soft, deliberate, her neck rubbing against mine. An Omega comforting an Alpha. Accepting him. Choosing him.
"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice broken.
"Showing you the difference," she murmured against my skin. "Your father's omega feared him. I don't fear you, Knox."
"You should," I whispered.
"Probably," she agreed. "But I don't."
Her scent wrapped around me, vanilla and warmth and something uniquely Harper. My racing heart slowed. The violent edge that always lived under my skin softened.
