“Maddie, this might sound mean, but that is the dumbest thing that has ever left your mouth, short of saying you were going to propose to Tyler. I love you because you’re you, not because you can do something for me. He made you see relationships as transactional and survival based, but that’s not the way it’s supposed to be. None of us want anything from you except to love you. That’s all we’ve ever wanted. He’s the one who took. Don’t let him take this from us. Don’t let him convince you you’re something you’re not.”
Tears slipped over her cheeks and she sniffled, wrapping her fingers around my wrists and pulling them away from her face. “What if I hurt you?”
“Maybe you will. Humans do that to each other on occasion, but we both know you’re not the type to intentionally hurt someone.”
“I don’t know who I am. I can’t figure that out in a few weeks, when I had a whole life of carving down every part of myself.”
My heart broke for her. I pulled her into a hug, and though she was stiff for a moment, she relaxed quickly. “Part of loving someone is wanting what’s best for them. Do you really believe what’s best for you is to not be with us?”
“It feels selfish to say no.” She pressed her face to my chest, holding like she was afraid to let go.
“Then be selfish. I’ve been dreaming of a life with you since we met and if I haven’t done a good enough job of showing you that, then I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not that. It’snot.I’mthe one who’s fucked up here, not you.Neveryou.”
“You’re not fucked up, and you haven’t done anything wrong, either. I know you’re scared, we all do. No one blames you for what your past has made you feel, we just want to make sure your future isn’t like that.”
She hiccuped and looked up at me, her brown eyes shiny. “I want that. I didn’t expect to feel the way I did when I saw him again. The things he said…”
“Are wrong. Straight up. That man is a fucking liar who never deserved you.”
“I thought you just said love wasn’t about deserving.”
“Real love isn’t. What he offered you wasn’t that.”
Madison whimpered. “How do I stop feeling like this?”
“I don’t know. Time? Maybe it will never truly leave you, but that won’t stop me from loving you. It won’t stop the others, either.”
“Where are they?”
“Downstairs, in the parking lot.” I sighed, stroking my thumb over her damp cheeks. “If we were bonded, you’d be able to feel the truth, but instead, I’m asking you to trust the words. I’ll pairthem with action, I’ll be as patient as you need, I’ll give you anything you want so long as you want to show up for this pack.”
“I want to.” She whispered it so quietly I almost didn’t hear. “I wanted you to have someone better, some version of me that doesn’t exist.”
“Maddie, I wantthisversion of you. I want you here, right now, with every bit of baggage you’re dragging behind you. Don’t stop trying to move forward just because you have to go a little slower with all you’re carrying. We have a baby on the way, and cats we all love, we’re building a home together.”
She shuddered, her cheeks pink and eyes bright. “Okay. Let’s go home.”
I scooped her into my arms and her ankles locked behind me. Everything would be better when she was home with us, where we could show her she was safe. I hoped that what I said resonated with her. She was held back by a lot of things, but maybe the glass shards of her fear could be shattered so she could walk through without being cut to ribbons.
I made it to the door to the stairs before a surge of heat swept over her, her body warming under my touch. She dug her nails into my shoulders, a fervent omega whine slipping out of her.
“Maddie?”
She gasped, tucking her face against my throat. “Apparently, I wished a little too hard to keep you forever.”
Rather than put her on her feet, I leaned her against the wall. “What does that mean?”
She squirmed in my hold. “Heat flare.”
Well, shit.
“I’ll get the others. You’ll need to be knotted.”
“No.” She held on tight, trembling. “Not yet.”
I glanced down the hallway, as if it might provide some answer I hadn’t seen. “I can’t take care of you here. There’s nowhere for us to go.”
