I thought I had him figured out. I thought Cato liked me, but now that I reciprocate, he pulls away? He rejects me?
I bite my cheek to distract myself from the pain.
Was it all meaningless?
Don’t they want me? Don’t they care about me?
It’s all I can think about. Agony consumes me.
“Did you have a good—” Charm says, cutting himself off as we enter the living room.
“What’s wrong?” Orion asks, rushing over.
He grabs my shoulders to get a good look at me.
That’s the other problem with not blocking my scent. I can’t hide my emotions when I want to.
“Nothing,” I say, but my lip trembles.
Magnus pulls me away from Orion and folds himself around me. He’s so big I’m completely surrounded, like he’s taken me into his chest, cracked open his ribs to tuck me in next to his heart.
It helps, but it doesn’t assuage my fear that they only care about me as ateammateor, at best, afriend.
My tears soak Magnus’s shirt.
“It’s probably a delayed reaction to the stress,” Charm murmurs.
“I’m sorry, Hestia. I should have realized you’d be distressed after all of this. We shouldn’t have left you alone,” Orion says.
I shake my head, face rubbing against Magnus.
“I’m fine,” I say through sniffles.
I can’t have Orion trying to take responsibility for everythingagain.
This isn’t his fault. Or at least, I can’t blame them if they don’t like me the way I like them.
I don’t know why it’s getting to me now though. It must be the shock of surviving a blizzard, like Charm said.
“Come over by the fire. The warmth will help,” Orion says.
He doesn’t sound panicked like he did earlier, so at least I was able to help him before breaking down myself.
Magnus carries me over and sits down with me straddling his lap, my back to the fire. I keep my face buried in his chest.
Henri, Charm, and Orion join us, rubbing my hair and back, purring. Magnus is like a jet engine with his rumbling purr, ginger scent soothing.
Being surrounded by my alphas is comforting, but it’s a lie. They’renotmy pack.
I hiccup, trying to hold back more tears.
“Crying is a normal reaction to shock, let yourself feel your feelings,” Henri says.
“It’s better not to hold things in,” Cato agrees, flat and emotionless, his voice coming from across the room.
I wait to see if he’ll say more, but he’s silent.
I clutch Magnus’s shirt and can’t stop the tears anymore. I try to keep my sobs quiet, shaking in his arms.
