She doesn’t have the instincts or the intuition of an Alpha or an Omega.
That was always going to affect how she took the news.
But there’s more to her misgivings than a lack of certainty caused by her designation.
She was raised in the house of the man who killed her mother, and she had no idea of that truth until recently. She didn’t knowshe was trapped there, and she wasn’t even aware that she was close to death from malnutrition.
That’s a lot of awful shit for one person to have to process.
Thinking about it all enrages me, and makes me hopeful that Ivan Hamilton will avoid jailtime, because he doesn’t deserve to be allowed to continue breathing for everything he’s done.
I know if I ever get the chance, I’ll put him in the ground.
I can’t imagine how hard it’s going to be for Robin to get over what happened to her, but I fully intend to be there for her every step of the way.
“Wow,” Robin murmurs. “So, you two were like enemies because you were both Alphas when you met? And you avoided each other because of it, until he found out you were sleeping in the school.”
I smile wryly at the memory as it comes back to me. “When he discovered my secret, I was afraid he would rat me out. He promised he wouldn’t tell, and something changed in that moment. It was like I was really seeing him for the first time. I felt pretty dumb for thinking we had to be enemies all that time. It didn’t take long for us to bond and become mates after that.”
“So how did you end up meeting Harper and Jay?”
“A couple of years after we left school and got an apartment together, we ran into them at an open air concert in Silver City. I’m not sure who was more surprised when Harper’s perfume was triggered. Luckily, we were all far enough away from most of the crowd to avoid attracting attention from strangers. Harper was instantly smitten. Jay wasn’t so sure, but he trusted Harper’s instincts. It didn’t take long for them to move in with us.”
“So, you all live in Silver City?” she asks, frowning slightly.
“Actually, we live in Silver Valley.”
“I don’t really know where that is,” she admits. “Is it far from here?”
“The drive takes a few hours.”
That information seems to worry her, and I can’t think of the best way to assure her.
It’s a bit too soon to talk about where we might live once we’re mated, especially since she’s doing so well here at the academy.
“So, it took you hours to get here?”
I nod slowly. “It did, but we’re staying in Cressidan City for now, so it’s not going to be an issue while we’re visiting you.”
“Okay,” she says, clearly continuing to worry.
“We can stay here for as long as you like,” I start, not even sure where I’m going with the offer. “We don’t have to rush back to Silver Valley.”
“That’s good.” She smiles, but it feels strained.
Shit.Why don’t I know what to say?
The words just won’t come.
That’s because there’s no way to reassure her.
She can’t stay here once we’re mated, because we won’t be welcome here.
Whatever happens, we’re going to have to leave Goldcrest, and that’s not something she’s going to feel comfortable with any time soon.
“I think I could eat now,” she says after a beat, letting go of my hand and getting up. “I’ll ask if Cara can reheat this. I’ll be right back.”
She picks up her plate and heads back to the counter.
