Page 54 of Freeing My Alpha

He lowers his head to meet my eyes. One glance at the exhausted bags under his eyes ignites a fire in my heart that I didn’t know I was stoking.

I back up from Noah, shaking out my hands.

Worry creases his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“What do you mean? Why would you hurt me?”

“I’m—” My throat tenses around my swallow, clenching harder than my teeth.

“Angry?”

He’s right, but I shake my head through threatened tears, not wanting to feel it. Noah misunderstands this as dismissing his guess.

“Then, what? Hurt?”

I seethe, my gaze landing back on that mattress. “No, you were right. I’m so angry that I’m scared. Which makes me even angrier. I'm sick of being scared.”

He closes the gap between us, gathering my head in his palms. “Then be fucking angry. This situation is infuriating. He never should have done this to you.”

The vivid anger in Noah’s voice amplifies both my rage and my fear, my breathing rate rapidly rising.

“I-I don’t like seeming angry.”

“Why? You’re too emotional? Too wild?”

“Y-yes.”

“Who told you that?”

My cheeks flush, tears pricking my eyes. “He did.”

“Well, he’s fucking wrong.” Noah’s words vibrate through me, making my teeth chatter. “You’re a wolf. Get angry. Lose your shit. No one has to know but us.”

Just as I’m about to, Noah’s emotions dip. His warped expression guts me, pushing fresh tears down my cheeks.

“But please, Aliya, if nothing else, don’t hold this in anymore. Don’t force yourself to sleep with this nightmare every night, carrying it all alone.”

Following Noah’s point back to the mattress, it’s never been clearer what it represents to me. He’s spot on, and that enrages me. My hands ball into fists, my lungs shaking with every exhale.

Noah drops his forehead against mine, his hot breath beating against my lips. “Good. Let it out.”

My vision’s color warps, my wolf on the verge of showing herself. I growl, gripping Noah’s hands still on my cheeks.

“Destroy it. Tear that mattress to fucking shreds.” Noah’s voice is dark and commanding, rippling bristles through my wolf’s fur.

But my heart wavers. My wolf takes a step back with my doubt, the poor girl slumping to the ground in our bond.

“B-but... What if I do something I can’t take back?” My voice comes out dry and small.

“Like what?”

“Like... Getting too angry.”

“I don’t understand. Who would you be hurting by being angry over this?”

I swallow over and over, unable to choke out the words as hot tears sting my eyes. “Him.”

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