“And what about the fact that I think we’re mates?” I asked. This time, I was unable to hide my wince at how pathetic and sad the question sounded.
“Whatever you think you sense, it’s wrong,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s no way we’re mates.”
The way he said it shook me from my grief, shooting a small job of irritation through me. Frowning, I stared back at him, brow furrowing.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
He shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. “You’d be a terrible mate for the pack beta,” he said, still not looking at me. “Think about it. You can’t shift. What sort of message would that give to the pack? Whoever my mate is, it’s not you. You’re a good kid, and I’m always going to care for you as Elias’s sister, but not the way you’re hoping.”
I could barely breathe. I tried to staunch the tears threatening to flood my eyes, though I could still feel them threatening to spill over at any moment. I swallowed the lump in my throat, willing myself to keep my composure until I could get away.
“Right. No worries. I’ve got to get going,” I said, backing up from him. A lump scratched my throat, nearly choking me.
For the first time, something like guilt or regret spread across Sam’s features as he saw me crumble.
“Rachel,” he began, but I couldn’t listen to him any longer. I couldn’t be here. I could barely breathe. I could feel thetears starting to come, and I wasn’t about to let him see me cry. Not after this.
“I’ll see you later,” I mumbled, turning around and walking away as quickly as I could without breaking into a run.
I could feel his gaze still locked on me with every step, but he didn’t come after me. He didn’t even call after me.
I kept walking. Then, when I turned and saw he was no longer in sight, I started running, running as fast as my legs could take me. And only then did the tears begin to spill over.
It was a small mercy that the park was relatively empty this early in the morning, fog spilling over the grass, giving it a pretty, almost fairy-tale look. There was no one around to hear the sobs over my footsteps, and when I finally slowed, there was no one around to ask why I was crying, no one to find out about how stupid I had been.
I came to a bench and curled up on it, drawing my knees up against my chest as I took deep, shuddering breaths, my entire body trembling.
He could have just said no. That was the worst part. He could have told me he wasn’t interested, and I would have walked away feeling a bit embarrassed, but not like this.
I knew I was considered weak. I knew half the reason the pack tolerated me at all was because my father was alpha and Elias was slated to take his place. I knew that the fact that I couldn’t shift was an embarrassment to the rest of my family. I knew all of this. But to hear it said so bluntly, so openly, from Sam made it feel like a knife twisted in my stomach.
His words rang out over and over again in my head, a horrific chorus, chiding me for even thinking of telling him how I felt in the first place.
I let myself cry for a while, letting my throat go raw with sobs and the cool morning air chill the tear tracks on my cheeks. I let myself cry until there were no tears left. Then, I straightened.
This was good, though. I would rather have learned the truth about Sam now. He’d shown me his true colors, and now I knew. I wouldn’t have to waste any more time on him. I may not be strong. I may not be able to shift. But I had value, even if most of the pack thought otherwise. I wasn’t going to let myself moon over some jerk who couldn’t see it.
So why the hell had I started crying again?
Weak. He had called me weak. I knew people thought that about me, but hearing it from Sam hit in a way I hadn’t expected. I thought I had grown a tough skin about it. Apparently, based on the tears dropping into my lap, it hadn’t been tough enough.
I let the tears fall, let myself get out the heartbreak and grief, and pain in private. The tears kept coming, and I didn’t try to stop them. I would cry over it now, then never again. Once the tears stopped and had dried on my face, I wouldn’t shed any more tears over Sam. That was my promise to myself.
After a few more minutes, I took in a deep breath, this one less shaky than the one before. The next one was less shaky than that one. And again and again until my breath came even and smooth.
Finally, I pushed myself from the bench, wiped the tears from my cheeks with the heel of my palms, and walked down the path, my head held high. I wasn’t going to shed any more tears over Sam Casey. From now on, I would barely give him a second thought.
Chapter 1 - Rachel
I stood on tiptoe as I stretched up, trying to reach the top shelf. I could almost get the box of cereal onto it. Just as I thought I had it, the box teetered over the edge once more and hit the ground.
Huffing, I bent down, grabbed the box, and repeated the process.
“Stretching like that isn’t going to make you any taller,” a voice teased.
I twisted and glared down at Alex, who gave a playful, boyish grin.
“Another short joke? Wow, how original,” I drawled, my voice oozing sarcasm.
