My eyes well with tears because that’s just what they do now, apparently.
“Hey,” he says, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me to the corner of the room. “What’s going on? I know you’re mad at Kristoff. To be honest, I don’t even blame you. But this isn’t like you, not coming to dinners or replying with one-word sentences. I know the media has been brutal, especially after what happened. Are you doing okay?”
Well, yeah. I’m keeping a huge secret, and I knew if I got cornered like this, I’d likely cave in.
I nod my head, and he sighs.
“We love you so much, and we’re worried about you. You tell me you’re happy, and yet when I look at you right now, you don’t look happy. This isn’t you, Sloane. I don’t know if it’s these men or what happened. But I’m not going to let my daughter disappear before my eyes.”
“I am happy,” I say, and I mean it. I truly am.
I’m just keeping a secret that’s making me sick. I’ve become addicted to reading terrible things about me and my pack, and it’s making me even sicker.
“You can try to lie to someone else. What’s going on?” he asks, staring down at me.
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Are you having some issues after the accident? You aren’t listening to all these stupid motherfuckers online, are you?” he asks softly.
I wipe away a tear from my eye because yeah, almost losing your pack that isn’t even officially your pack yet will fuck you up. But I need to be brave. I need to keep my cool because if I let myself feel it, I think I might just fall apart.
I liked it when Bram was home because I knew where he was, and I know that bonding with him would probably help some of this ache. But I just can’t do that until I talk to a doctor, and even then, I wonder how inundated he’ll be with my festering emotions.
“My life feels out of control,” I whisper, not meaning to say it out loud.
My dad wraps his arms around me and squeezes me tightly.
“We’re always here for you, Sloane. We miss you. I want to get to know your pack. It’s been so boring since you moved out.”
I let out a raspy laugh as he rubs my back.
“You’ll always be our little girl. You can’t blame us for making sure you’re okay.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that he’s about to be a grandfather, but I hold back. Max and Bram need to hear that news first, and it’s clear that I can’t keep this to myself anymore. It’s just making me worse.
I’m doing no one any good by holding in this secret. Bram is on the ice playing nearly up to par as he was before his injury,and Max has moved in. Getting this off my chest may be the thing that gives me some relief.
“I needed this. Maybe in a week or two we can come to your place for dinner. I can invite Lori and Ethan’s foster dad, Dave. Though he doesn’t get out much.”
“We’d love to have you all over.”
“Perfect,” I say as he squeezes my shoulders and leaves the box.
I take a seat next to Piper who eyes me cautiously.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re twenty-one now. You could have a drink at the game,” she says.
“Oh, I haven’t gotten my new ID yet,” I say, and she clicks her tongue.
“They don’t check IDs in the box,” she replies.
“My stomach hasn’t been right for a few days. I don’t think drinking will make it any better.”
“You haven’t told anybody yet?” she asks, and my throat clogs as I blink at the overly perceptive Alpha.
She shrugs. “I see pregnant Omegas every day, not to mention Charlotte’s two pregnancies. No drinking, tired, overly emotional, it ticks all the boxes.”
