Bibi cupped my face and gently patted my cheek. “Poppies not good for man, either.” She smiled widely, a twinkle in her eye as she stood from the bench, said something to Blossom in Farsi, and headed out of the greenhouse.
Leaving me frozen on the bench.
Holy. Shit.
Did she just say what I thought she did?
I glanced at the poppies, seeing them in a whole new light.
I stroked Blossom’s velvet ears. “So, um, either she’s telling me I should kill Wilder or she’s telling me to take my destiny in my own hands and not let him go.” Blossom stretched her little body as she tried to reach a leaf dangling down from the plant beside me. I snatched her around the waist, pulling her away. “That’s not yours. Also, now I’m a tiny bit worried about what other dangerous plants might be in here.” I let out a strangled laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Destiny demands action.
Was I being too passive, expecting the universe to just hand me the perfect romance?
“I just want a pack who will fight for me, Blossom.” I brushed a tear from my cheek.
Wilder hadn’t fought for me. He’d rejected me so fast, barely offering an explanation. Maybe he didn’t deserve another chance…but could I let him go? What if he was part of my destiny and I needed to fight for him, for us, for our new family?
I forced myself to peel away the layers of hurt that had blanketed me since that night in the hospital and replayed the memory. Wilder’s blank expression. His harsh words. Hisbark. It was one of the cruelest things you could do as an alpha, abuse your power against an omega like that.
And yet, Wilder had only ever shown me care and gentleness.
I played through the memory of the hospital room again.
His bitter, twisted scent had saturated the air like decaying leaves on the forest floor. The scent of his fear.
Wilder had beenterrified.
I didn’t know how long I sat there, but the brightness of the greenhouse and the gentle spring breeze brought clarity. If Bibi could survive her husband and create her own future, maybe I could find it in myself to be brave, too. Rejection might feel like dying, but it wassurvivable. And on the other side of rejection was the possibility of love, family, and the pack I always dreamed of.
Blossom was a heavy weight on my lap as she fell asleep. I adjusted my hold on her and stood.
No matter what, I wasn’t alone. I had King, Leo, Felix, Blossom, my friends, my moms, and this town behind me. And maybe I even had the backing of the universe as I seized my destiny.
On my way out of the greenhouse, I trailed my hand over the delicate poppies and smiled.
65
Wilder
HoroscopeTaurus
Taurus, you’re usually so steady and levelheaded in love. Draw on those traits today and stop being a complete and total idiot!
The Starlight Grove Clinic’s lobbywas quiet. A home improvement show played on the TV, and every staff person had been friendly and helpful.
I still fucking hated being here.
I’d done my best to avoid doctors my entire adult life. Before this past week, the last time I’d seen a doctor was when I had to be hospitalized with my burns. Fuck, that was ten years ago. If it weren’t for the multiple semi-threatening calls I’d gotten from the hospital telling me to get new labs done so I didn’t drop dead, I wouldn’t be here at all.
I’d thrown myself into work the second I got back from New York. Everyone at the firehouse had given me a wide berth, clearly sensing my dark mood. I’d finished an entire shift without being pranked once, something that had never happened since I’d started working here. I never thought I’d miss the guys’ asinine pranks, but they were preferable to the dirty looks everyone had been giving me. Things only got worse when Lucy came bytwiceto see me in the past two days, and I’d hidden in my office like a coward.
I needed to get the fuck out of this town. There was no way for me to live this close to Lucy without losing my mind. Every moment without her felt like slowly being ripped apart. Distance wouldn’t make iteasier—my heart would forever be a gouged, shredded lump—but it would at least make Lucy safer. That was all that mattered.
This was always how our relationship was going to end, wasn’t it? My hopes that we could make this work had been pure delusion. There had always been a countdown timer looming over us.
After this doctor’s appointment, I would notify the regional fire chief I was resigning. Maybe I’d move out to the West Coast.
