Page 28 of Betrayed Alpha Mate

“So it’s time you let us be there for you.”

I blink back the tears in my eyes, discovering the true meaning of sisterhood with the two witches, and realizing how wrong it was of me to try and figure this out on my own.

“Thank you,” I murmur, glancing between them.

“Don’t thank us, Em,” Arianna whispers.

“Just let us in. Let us help you. Sean included,” Delilah says as she folds me into another warm, inviting embrace that softens my heart and extinguishes any lingering irritation I might have felt just now.

I realize I’d been feeling more irritated with myself than them, or even Sean.

They’ve all been trying to help me through this, and I’ve just been resistant to getting help.

Little Miss Sunshine?

More like Miss Hyper-Independent!

“I’m sorry, D…Ari…” I sigh as I glance between them. Like anchors to keep me grounded, they wear smiles so sincere as they allow me to express myself. “I’ve been pushing you guys away. I realize that now. I should have come to you from the get-go, and I would have avoided the binding spell in the first place.” I roll my eyes, and both women giggle.

“It’s fine, Em,” Delilah assures me. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Maybe we should take a break from training,” Arianna suggests, and Delilah nods.

“I don’t wanna take a break. I need to—”

“You need a break, Em,” Delilah insists, holding up a hand. “I think you should just take a few days off, and we’ll resume training next week.”

I nod slowly, noting that they’re just looking out for my best interests, and that I probably do need a break since I’ve been too overwhelmed by everything.

***

Days have passed, and my excitement about being the fifth witch that’s needed to defeat Merlin Grimes steadily returns, proving that the rest was needed.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror as the morning sun filters through the lace curtains, I tilt my head to one side and open my palms so that I can see in the mirror.

An invisible glow of gold surrounds them, a tingling sensation growing slowly the longer I stare at my reflection. I guess the witches were right—I just need to stay detached from my personal feelings and see Sean as a friend who will catapult me toward using my powers fully.

“Don’t look at it through a personal lens, but rather, look at how it can serve you.”

Sean hasn’t been serving me much when it comes to using my magic, ever since that day in his backyard. Actually, he’s been more distant than ever, gone before I head to the kitchen, returning only once I’ve retreated to my bedroom at night.

I lift one hand to my chest when I feel a pang of something I don’t recognize.

Guilt?

Regret?

I’m not sure what it is, but I know this feeling comes every time my mind drifts to what happened that day, the look on Sean’s face, the sadness glowing in his eyes. There’s a part of me that wants to gloat about making him feel even a semblance of what he made me feel when he rejected me.

But there’s also a part of me—perhaps my inner wolf—that feels remorseful.

No.

This won’t do.

I straighten up and stare into the bright blue eyes of my reflection, Delilah’s voice echoing in my mind like an affirmation, a mantra to keep me sane.

“Don’t look at it through a personal lens, but rather, look at how it can serve you.”