So, I do.
“I wasn’t joking before when I said I was a mess but that’s only because everything is so twisted up and strange. Running from Ryder was how I ended up at the hospital. It was such a shock to walk in the auditorium at Rejoice and realise Ben Franklin and Rye, the man I met on New Year’s Eve and have been chatting with online ever since, were one and the same.” I start to raise my eyes, but Dominic taps his finger to keep my attention there. “Everything is going to sound like I’m rambling.”
“And I’ll listen and take notes. What you think may be inconsequential is sometimes the key.”
Another tap of his finger, and the flood gates open. I explain in vivid detail what happened to Lydia, and the guilt I felt. Before going backwards in the timeline to talk about the remorse that has been eating me up about meeting Hendrix at Unity to our encounter at Noire where he broke off my wristband.
Tears fall but I swipe them away as I move on to how relieved I was not to have to go home, even though I shouldhave gone to see Lawson. Eventually, I loop back to the original question and manage a handful of words about being separated at the hospital before Brody slips into my subconscious and gags me.
Everything comes to a screeching halt as Brody’s bark once again shuts me down. Inside, it feels like I slam into a brick wall so hard that every part of me hurts.
I forbid you.
Brody’s bark in my mind is made worse by my out-of-control emotions, and it becomes impossible to fight. His bark circles through my thoughts like a shark latched on to a bleeding target. It rips my resolve to shreds before it eats through my hope like acid.
I forbid you.
I hate feeling him always inside me.
I forbid you.
I hate how weak I am. Unable to fight him even though he is nowhere nearby.
I forbid you.
No one would want pieces of a person like me in their life, broken and fucked up. So mentally fragile all it takes is a memory to ruin. I’m so pathetic and anaemic in my ability to survive all I can do is pretend.
I need to get out of here.
How stupid was I to even consider telling anyone about him? Could I be any more selfish? Dumping my shit on someone else.
I stand up, unable to even lift my gaze off the floor. I can feel tears soaking my face, but they stay there for the world to see how piss weak I am. All my energy is used to find the strength to walk away. I’ll crawl if I have to. His bark once again chases everything away, leaving me searching for somewhere—anywhere—to hide. A nest tucked away from the world, where I can wait for this nightmare to end.
I can’t do this.
No matter how much I want to.
I simply can’t do or be this person anymore.
I watch, completely detached from reality as a pen and paper falls to the floor.
I’m not so lost in my head that I don’t remember where I am. I bet Dominic wishes he never agreed to meet me this morning. I can only feel relief that the rest of his pack aren’t here to see the shit show.
“Tell me, Simona.”
Dominic’s bark is like a violent clap of thunder.
It’s so loud and unexpected, it makes me scream. But his bark also breaks through my consuming panic.
Before I get a chance to think, Dominic’s scent rushes around me, holding me tight in reassurance and courage. All I can smell is paper and ink so intense I can taste the vanilla and floral sweetness on my lips as I lick them nervously.
“Tellmewhat it is you are not allowed to tell anyone.” Another bark.
His designation is infused within every word he speaks.
His presence shoves against mine pushing me further out of alignment, further away from Brody’s bark. Dominic’s expectation of obedience hangs in the air as thick and obvious as his scent, but how he delivered it comes from a different place. Dominic’s bark is light years away from the way Brody uses his Alpha side to commandeer.
I can feel the tremble of his hand as he stands behind me and pulls my back to his front. There’s no space between us. His scent, his touch, his designation is intimate, softly encouraging as he leans down and rests his chin on my head, but it’s also done in such a way that he overrides Brody’s hold. “Please, Simona, tell me so I can help you.”
