Page 96 of Mark & Don't Tell

God. They’re all so worried. As much as it hurts me to say it, I can’t keep torturing them. “I need to tell you something. I—” I begin, but my voice cracks. Clearing my throat hard, I shake myself and start again. “I want to start by saying I didn’t know when I first met you. I only realized last Monday when he showed up.”

“Monday?” Lincoln tips his head, and I see the dots slowly start to connect, but he’s missing enough information that it doesn’t quite make sense yet. “Ryan?”

I nod. “I...he...” Come on, Daria. Just fucking say it. “I dated his pack last year for a few months,” I say quickly, then the words won’t stop coming. “We met at a party and hit it off. We took a few trips together. Obviously, it didn’t last, but it was about six months, and I thought I loved them, but then they—” I cut off and press my lips together. They don’t need to know that.

“Then they what?” Vic asks, jaw flexing.

Kai is clenching his fists, and Lincoln is staring at me like I kicked his puppy.

“Uh, nothing,” I lie, chest tightening as reality starts to set in. “The point is, we dated for a while. And Ryan is your son, and obviously that means we can’t be together, and I’m getting kicked out of my apartment, and my car caught on fire yesterday. I really can’t lose my job,” I continue in a rush. “I’m hoping we can tell Mandy something that won’t make me seem like a terrible employee, because I really, really need the money.”

My chest is heaving by the time I finish, and I can’t bring myself to look at them. I want to remember how they looked at me before there were complications. I don’t want to ruin the slice of happiness we had together. Nearly panting, I try to keep my breathing under control, but the harder I try, the more it hurts to breathe and the less air I get. As dark dots sprinkle across my vision, I clutch my chest. I think I’m hyperventilating. I swear I sound like a dying horse, like every attempted breath puts me a little closer to death because, no matter how hard I try to get air into my lungs, I can’t.

How was Quinn ever around her scent matches without telling them? This is so painful.

Vic rises from his seat. “Breathe, little doe.”

“I. Can’t,” I manage to gasp out, chest so tight it feels like a giant has my lungs in its fist, crushing them slowly to draw out the pain. Or maybe it’s the choker? Grasping the clasp, I try to take it off, but my fingers fumble.

“Stop,” Vic shouts.

My gaze flies to meet his.

A hard line carves between his eyebrows, and his eyes darken. He takes a step toward me. “Who told you to take that off?”

Surely, he doesn’t want me to keep it. That would be another level of torture.

“I. I—” I’m still struggling to breathe and can’t get the words out.

He reaches for me, and I try to take a step back, but he grabs hold of me and pins me to his chest. “Get over here before she faints.”

I don’t realize who he’s talking to until Kai and Lincoln join the hug, surrounding me on all sides. Bergamot and spice and myrrh. Greedily, I inhale, memorizing every subtle note in their scents. Memorizing how it feels to be protected by them. Memorizing everything, so I can remember this moment after they come to their senses and break it off.

Slowly, my breathing steadies, and it’s only then I realize they’re talking to one another, and probably have been this entire time.

“I’m not letting her go,” Kai says softly.

My stomach flutters.

“Ryan is going to be so angry.” Linc releases a heavy sigh. “But I can’t imagine life without her now that we’ve found her. She was always meant to be ours.”

My heart clenches.

“She’s our mate,” Vic agrees, chest rumbling against my cheek as he speaks.

My eyes mist.

Someone’s thumb runs over my spine. I don’t say anything, for fear of making them change their minds, but they don’t. Although they discuss how Ryan will react, they never even bring up breaking it off, almost like it was never an option.

Which is crazy, right? Maybe this is another one of fate’s cruel jokes. Maybe I actually fainted, and I’m imagining this whole thing.

“Is this real?” My voice trembles.

“Oh, bunny,” Linc says, mouth close to my ear. “Did you really think we’d let you go?”

“Yes,” I whisper. “He’s your son and?—”

“And you’re our fated mate,” he says, cutting me off. “Nothing will change that. We’re all in, Daria. We’re not giving you up.”

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