“I’m going to go. I’m not much of a cuddler,” I rasped.
He opened his mouth, then closed it, eventually rose to his feet. “I’ll walk you out.”
He held my hand all the way to the door, his little dog sniffing at my heels as we climbed the stairs. He opened the front door, the cool night air hitting my skin like a wake-up call. I moved to step out, but he held tight. I looked back over my shoulder at him.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he rasped, then released me.
Judge
It had been three days since I’d spoken to Uriel. I’d sobbed the whole drive home that night, doing a walk of shame past my sisters when the sun came up. He hadn’t written, and I hadn’t reached out. I’d made up my mind: Uriel was a good man, but I couldn’t make him happy. He deserved an Omega who wasn’t broken.
Amos turned out to be a beast. There was no Prince hiding behind the cruel acts Amos performed on me. I didn’t miss Amos; I missed having someone to do life with, even if it was a cage. My self-respect was non-existent. I didn’t know how to love myself and I knew that’s what it had been. Sex with Uriel had been sweet. It was everything I craved before. It was everything I needed to heal. In the two times I’d met up with him, he’d given me pieces of myself back. I didn’t know what to do with them.
I spent the last few days spoiling Fale. I wanted to give her a piece of the world Amos had kept from both of us. When it was finally time to take her to the airport, the air between us was heavy.
“Did my brother write you?” Fale asked as I parked at the terminal. My hands tightened on the wheel.
“No. Was he supposed to?”
“Good. I told him to fuck off and stop bothering you,” she said firmly. “I wanted him to know he can’t order you around anymore.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Thank you, Fale.”
“He’s my brother, Ra. I know how he is. Don’t let him back in.”
I reached over and hugged her, crumbling as we said goodbye. I slipped an envelope of cash into her pocket—an emergency fund she’d never get from her Mother. “Keep your chin up, sis. Don’t let them get to you.”
The last shred of my past disappeared through the doors. I was alone. My phone went off as I fell into bed, my eyes still puffy from the airport. Paul.
“Bitch, what are you doing?” he barked into the phone.
“I just got home. I’m bed rotting,” I groaned.
“Liar. The party is tonight. Pajamas. I’m five minutes away, be ready.”
My inner gremlin begged me to stay in the safety of my room, to shower and hide under the covers. But the phantom sat in the shadows, the silence of the house felt like a tomb again. I needed noise.
A Snarl popped up as I sat up. Eduard. I’d forgotten about him, but as I opened his Snarl to find a selfie of him in the gym, I wasn’t pleased. It was a picture of him flexing.
Eduard: Like what you see?
I sighed. He was a tool. A smile spread across my face because I knew exactly what kind of guy he was. Before Amos, I wouldn’t have given him the time of day, but the shell left behind was desperate. I cringed as I typed out my reply.
Me: Hot.
Eduard: I am.
Me: lol
Eduard: When are we meeting up?
Me: I’m busy tonight.
Eduard: This weekend?
Me: I’m not sure.
Eduard: Find an Alpha you want to keep?
