Page 53 of Freeing My Alpha

My heart sinks, knowing he’s right.

“I-I know it's your parents' place, so that's not for me to decide, but—”

“No, that's exactly it,” I mutter. “It's my parents' place, not mine. And after what he did, it never fully felt like home again. I didn’t even bother changing anything.”

As I bite my lip, Noah strokes my shoulders, peeking into my eyes. “D-do you... Want to move somewhere else?”

“Um... I wasn't planning on—”

“Ugh, no. Sorry. That's not what I want to ask.” Noah’s feet shuffle as he drops his head, suddenly shy again. “Do you want to move in— W-with me?”

Despite everything that’s happened, I break into a beaming smile. The bright laugh that spills from me surprises us both.

“I’d love to, my shy Alpha.”

Noah releases a heavy sigh, his nose brushing mine as we embrace. “Ugh, you’re so cute. Don't feel pressured by me, okay? I just thought it would be a good time to ask, since—”

I laugh, squeezing him closer. “Noah, we're hoping to have a baby! Of course I want to move in with you!”

His bright laughter spurs more giggles from me. Noah kisses my forehead, softening his voice. “I guess we did do this a bit out of order. I just didn’t want to pressure you to let go of your childhood home, and I knew we’d figure out our living situation when the time came.”

I sigh through a laugh. “Me too; it didn’t even cross my mind. I guess I just trust us to make anything work.”

Our smiles widen by the second.

Noah draws me closer. “But y-you really want to move into my place, for now? You’re ready to?”

“God, yes. Please. I want to wake up beside you every day, and hold you every night.”

Noah chuckles, kissing my forehead. On the inside, his wolf bounds around mine, making me giggle. “We already do that, my sweet Omega. I can't last a night without you.”

“I know, but—” I drag my nose down the side of his, shyness swallowing the strength in my voice. “I also get why it felt like a big step for you to ask. We don't stay in one place we call ‘home’ together.”

Noah’s eyes soften as he gazes deep into my stare. “You’re right, we don’t. I love the sound of that.”

“I love it too,” I whisper.

As we break into soft smiles for each other, Noah kisses me as gently as he can, leaving my heart aching.

But it's already aching anyway. My trauma still sits beneath the surface, torn back open and bleeding.

I chew on the inside of my cheek. “Before I go back in to pack a few things, are you still okay with helping me do something about that mattress?”

Noah’s face dissolves into its stoic default. “Absolutely. Stay here.”

I’m shocked at how resolute he sounds, disappearing into my parents’ cottage. Seconds later, he’s dragging my mattress out the front door—well, more like chucking it off the front porch.

I jump back, gripping my chest. I hadn’t realized how much Noah had been boiling beneath the surface until he hops over my porch railing, claws extended. Noah tugs the mattress through the dirt with one hand, veins rippling down his arms. He looks like he’s dragging my ex into the forest by the hair.

As I rush to catch up with him, Noah tosses his clothes off in a sudden frenzy, shifting into his wolf. The sight of him so upset floods me with more emotions than I can process until I can’t feel at all, minus the wild, painful pounding of my heart.

After gathering my wits, I help Noah’s furious wolf yank the mattress, spraying dry leaves around us as its corner drags through the earth. Triumphing over all other emotions, anger rises in my chest, making it hard to take steady breaths. Noah’s thrashing paws charge me, mixed fury and pain zapping through our bond. Noah drops the mattress and meets my eyes.

With the mattress tossed in the small clearing behind my parents’ cottage, Noah shifts back to his human form and slips back into boxers. But my heart aches just looking at the mattress.

Noah links his arms around my waist before tucking my head beneath his chin. “I love you.”

I grip his bare back, my jaw tense. “I love you too, Noah.”

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