Oh my God. Did something already happen between them?
“I’m not ready to be marked or anything,” she adds. “But it felt right to help him stay.”
“That’s how you know it’s fated,” I admit, though I’m still a little stunned.
This woman seems sweet and quiet, but she’s a lot stronger than she thinks.
Potentially upsetting her guardian to keep Falcon here is a big deal.
Alphas do that kind of stuff without thinking.
Betas usually can’t make themselves oppose authority.
She’s absolutely, one-hundred-percent, Pack Falcone’s woman.
Chapter Eighty-One
Robin
The sky starts to get dark, and the lights flicker on around the garden as Shayne and I walk around the path, hand in hand. He’s only a few inches taller than I am, and he has such a friendly, disarming energy that I can’t help but like him.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he has the classic good looks of a leading man from a romantic movie. His skin has a sun-kissed healthy glow, and his bright blue eyes sparkle when he talks.
“This doesn’t feel real,” I blurt, feeling my face warm when I realize I just spoke my thoughts out loud.
Oh no. That was so dumb. I’m such an idiot!
He stops walking and I’m almost afraid to look at him.
I stand still and his fingers slip out of mine.
He moves to face me, his gaze steady.
“What doesn’t feel real?” he asks, his tone curious.
“I don’t know. This. Us. Everything.” I try to laugh, but I can’t force the sound out of my body.
My eyes get watery instead, and, suddenly, it’s hard to catch my breath.
I don’t understand what’s happening to me.
“It’s okay,” Shayne says softly, his arm going around me. “If this is all too much, too soon, I understand. All of us understand. We can be here whenever you need us, but we don’t have to be here right now if you need time.”
His soothing voice helps me to calm my breathing, but the waterworks have started, and I don’t know how to switch that tap off. Tears roll down my cheeks, and they just keep coming.
He’s holding me close, and I’m soaking the shoulder of his shirt.
I can’t find the will to move away, and I can’t find any words to explain.
The only sound that comes out when I open my mouth is a choked sob.
“It’s okay,” Shayne murmurs, stroking my back. “You’re okay.”
I am, and I know it. I’m in a place where I have everything I could ever possibly want.
The people here have been so kind to me.
The doctors saved my life.
