“If we stay together, I’ll never leave, Plum. I’ll never go to school, and I’ll never make the kind of money that changes lives. You deserve to have everything you’ve ever wanted. A home, jewelry, cars. All of it.” Kai cries, tears falling down his cheeks, confusing me even more.
Is this hurting him too? If it is, then why is he leaving me?
“Why do you think you’re not enough to make me happy, Kai? I’ve never needed those things before. This doesn’t make any sense,” I whisper, my heart shattering into broken shards at his feet. I thought Kai was the kind of guy who would heal my broken pieces, not stomp them into the dirt. “You’re breaking my heart,” I murmur, trying to keep my voice down in this stupid fucking restaurant.
Did he think dumping me here would stop me from causing a scene?
“I’m a beta, Plum! I’m already not good enough for you, but now I can’t even give you the one thing your body needs! I’m not enough for you. How could I ever be enough if I can’t even give you a good life?” Now he’s the one raising his voice. The one causing a scene.
I swallow thickly, as his scent floods my mind with crushing memories I've tried so fucking hard to run from.
“Please,” I beg again, but just like five years ago, he ignores my broken pleas. He grips my arms to turn me toward him, and pulls me into his chest. It works, lowering my defenses long enough that I let him hold me as I breathe in his scent. The veryone that used to bring me endless comfort but now only reminds me of the second worst day of my life.
“I’m sorry, Plum. Fuck, I’m so sorry. Let me show you. Let me prove that I’m the man you deserve. I can be what you need?—”
“No!” I cry. His words trigger a response neither of us expects as I shove myself out of his arms and stumble back. “No, Kai. You do not get to come back here after all this time, and…and just…” I wave my hands at him, gesturing wildly before swiping angrily at my tears.
“Buck up, buttercup.”That’s what Sable’s Grams would say. Fuck, I miss her. Thinking about her only ignites the fire in my chest into a full-on inferno.
“You just expect me to fucking fall for it!Youleftme, Kai. Now fucking deal with the consequences!” I’m shouting now, finally causing that fucking scene he was so scared of once upon a time. “You have no fucking idea what I need after five years off in the big city you love so much. You don’t know anything about me, about who I am now, or what I want.” I hiss, resenting the damn determination I see burning in his brown eyes despite my words. “And like I said last night, I have a boyfriend now. You remember him, don’t you? Benson? ThealphaI left with.” My words are laced with venom as I spew them, desperate to get him to leave. Something he’s historically good at doing when I’m having a total breakdown.
Maybe emphasizing the fact that Benson is an alpha is a low blow, but Kai being a beta was never something I cared about. He’s the one that had a fucking lobotomy the day he presented as a beta instead of an alpha, and then lost his ever-loving mind.
Sure, we were teens, and I could give him a little grace now that we’re adults.
Or… alternatively, fuck that and fuck him.
“Damn, Plumshine.” He sighs, looking slightly defeated and more than a little hurt by my words. And, much to my annoyance, rather than feeling satisfied, I feel fucking guilty for trying to hurt him. The omega curse of excess empathy strikes again. “I thought maybe you were just lying to chase me off last night. I didn’t know you were serious.”
“Well, I was. We are, I mean.” The skepticism in his eyes irks me, and I shrug. “We’re even planning to tell his family soon,” I impulsively add, crossing my arms over my chest as if I’m not lying through my fucking teeth right now and digging this grave even deeper.
For a long moment, I think he’s finally going to concede. There’s this look in his eyes, like he’s giving up, and I hold my breath. Instead, the fucker shakes it off, straightens his shoulders, and lifts his chin. His eyes meet mine again, and the grin he sends my way makes my knees weak.
“I don’t need you to be single, Plum. I just need you to forgive me.” His matter-of-fact statement, as if my having a boyfriend is the least of his worries, shocks me silent. “I knew there was a chance you’d have a pack one day, and I was prepared to earn my spot in your life if that was the case. So, what's one alpha boyfriend compared to a mated pack?” Kai lifts one shoulder, tilting his head as he steps closer to me. Reaching up, he caresses my cheek as he tucks my hair behind my ear.
I consider biting his fucking fingers, eyes narrowing in warning, but the cheeky fuck only winks.
“That is not—I’m not—you can’t…” I stumble over my words, flustered by his unwillingness to give up and the fact he’s touching me. That he’s standing so close I can feel the heat of his body. His scent washes over me as I tremble.
“Sure I can, Peppermint Plum.” His smile is disarming, and his wink is fucking infuriating as he steps back. Between the use of the old nickname and the kiss he blows to me, like this is someplayful game, it’s almost enough to push me over the edge and contemplate criminal charges.
Kai gave me dozens of nicknames over the years, and I didn’t think I’d ever hear any of them come from his lips again.
Plumshine, Peppermint Plum… Sweet Plum…
“Omegas never forget their first love… or the man they lost their virginity to.” Kai takes advantage of the shock his words leave me in, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek before running away. Literally. He jumps back, dodging my lame attempt at punching him as I realise what he’s just done, and then fucking prances out the door, grinning like a madman.
The door closes after him with a soft thud and a jingle from the chimes above it. I stand frozen in place, feeling too stunned to do anything else for several long moments, wondering exactly what the hell just happened. Even after several long minutes, I can’t force it to make sense in my brain. There are too many questions. Too much uncertainty.
Though, one thing is very fucking clear. I need to keep my distance. I have to stay as far away from that damn beta as possible. The wedding isn’t for weeks; that’s long enough to come up with a plan. It has to be.
KAI
Fuck, she was so mad. I knew she would be, but I guess I wasn’t expecting so much violence to shine in her silver eyes.
But mad is good. Mad isn’t indifferent. Mad means there are still feelings there, even if they aren’t great ones. Mad means she hasn’t moved on, no matter what she says about Benson.
“ThealphaI left with.”Plum’s harsh words ring in my head, but I cling to them. Benson might have a knot, but I’ve got more money in my account than everyone in this town combined. Something that might not impress Plum now.
