Page 38 of Betrayed Alpha Mate

“I know,” I say warily, hands up, rain dripping from my sleeves as I point to the hole. “Your roof—”

“I don’t care!” she shouts. “Leave!”

Another thunderclap shakes the cottage, and the power flickers again. Water streams down her hair, her clothes clinging to her petite frame, magic flickering erratically around her hands like it can’t decide whether to burn or vanish.

“You’re freezing,” I point out, noticing how much she’s trembling.

“Not your problem,” she grumbles as she marches forward and grabs the door. “Just leave.”

She tries to shove the door shut, but a gust of wind slams it back open, rain blowing inside. Her magic surges in response, lashing out instinctively, and when she pushes against my chest to force me back, everything detonates.

White light explodes between us.

The lights inside the cottage flicker violently, the air crackling with energy so thick it buzzes in my ears. The bond snaps tight, roaring to life, and we both freeze, breathless.

Her hand is still on my chest, her eyes wide and panicked. Emily snatches her hand back, pulling it from my chest, but whatever started when she touched my chest has already begun, and there’s no stopping it. The white light pulses between us as her knees buckle when she pulls her hand back.

I catch her without thinking, wrapping my arms around her as she collapses forward before she hits the floor. The moment I do, the magic stabilizes instantly, settling into a steady, radiant glow instead of the chaotic flaring.

She gasps, fingers curling into my jacket like it’s the only solid thing left in the world.

“Put me down…” she demands weakly, her bottom lip trembling.

I don’t listen this time.

“I’m not here to save you, Em,” I whisper gently, carrying her further into the cottage, away from the open door and the rain pouring in. “You don’t need saving.”

She lets out a sharp, bitter laugh. “That’s rich coming from you. You always show up when things fall apart.”

“Only once,” I reply with a lighthearted chuckle that borders on sarcasm as I enter her bedroom. “But that’s only because I can feel it,” I smile dryly, setting her down carefully but keeping my hands on her arms to steady her. “I can feel you spiraling through the bond, Emily. It’s like my chest is being ripped open every time you push it down.”

Her jaw tightens. “That’s not my problem.”

“It is when it’s killing me inside.”

Silence settles between us, heavy and charged as she stares ferociously into my eyes. I see the moment she cracks, her eyes turning from soft blue to icy sapphire.

“I don’t care!” she huffs and spins on her heel to face her bed. “I don’t care what’s going on with you. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I know you don’t mean that, Em,” I say as I place my hand on her shoulder.

She shrugs me off, glaring at my hand as if it had committed an unforgivable crime. “You don’t get to stand here and pretend this means something when you already made your choice.”

“I was wrong back then, Em. Can’t you see that? Can’t you feel what I feel?”

Emily turns back slowly, shaking her head measuredly. “You don’t get to want me now,” she says finally, her voice raw.

“I never stopped wanting you,” I admit, the words tearing out of me before I can soften them. “I was broken. I was grieving. I was terrified of losing everything, and I thought if I let myself choose you, I’d destroy you, too. I would have taken you down with me, and you were always more important than my grief. I fucked up back then. I know it, and I’m sorry, Emily. I am sorry that I hurt you.”

Emily stares at me in disbelief, eyes wide, a glint of sadness passing through before she hardens herself again. “That’s not an excuse,” she fires back. “You rejected me. You left.”

“I kn-know.” My voice cracks. “And it’s the worst mistake I ever made.”

Her magic flares again, reacting to the truth whether she wants it to or not. Gold light wraps around her like wildfire, too much, too fast.

“Stop…” she whimpers, panic edging her voice as she stares at her palms like she’s talking to her magic. “Please…don’t touch me….”

Emily looks up and meets my eyes, tears building in hers as she appears so soft, so vulnerable, so fragile despite what she just said. Then, she reaches for me anyway, her fingers latching onto my shirt as her legs give out completely. This time, I don’t hesitate. I pull her against me, anchoring her, holding her tight as the magic settles, calms, obeys.