Page 38 of A Beta Protects

She filed for divorce.

This isn’t the time to grab her and kiss her, but it’s taking everything to hold myself back.

“I left him when he was at work. It was… a spontaneous decision to go when I did. I hadn’t meant to do it then, but I just…” Her voice trails off as she stares down at the table. “I was coming back from the store and I saw his truck parked in the driveway, and I couldn’t walk into that house or sit in the garage in my parked car and scream anymore.”

A rumble starts up in my chest hearing Kira’s soft words. And her pain. She was suffering for so long, and I wasn’t there when she needed me.

A shoulder bumps into mine.

I rip my attention from Kira’s bent head and meet Galen’s stare. There’s a warning in his eyes, and when he darts a rapid glance at Shawn, I understand why.

The rumble in my chest is my wolf growling. The sound was too low for Shawn to have overheard since he’s focused on Kira, but Galen caught it. If I don’t do something about it, that rumble will become a growl that Shawn can’t help but hear.

I silence my wolf and bottle up my rage for when I find Bryce.

“Then you came here?” Rose gently prompts.

Kira lifts her head, and her cheeks are pink. Hopefully not because she’s embarrassed. Admitting her pain isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. I give her hand another squeeze and she smiles faintly at me before she refocuses on Shawn.

“The attorney said…” Her eyes widen. “Shit. Uh, sorry about the swearing. I, uh…”

Shawn waves away her apology with a smile. “A few shits never did anyone any harm, me included.”

She blushes and continues. “The attorney needed a forwarding address. I filled in the form, signed it, and I had to pawn my watch to pay for the fees and sending the letter. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I just said I would be here. She assured me that he wouldn’t have the address, but maybe that’s how Bryce knows I’m here.”

I’d guessed she had nowhere to go since she and Aaron were orphans with no living relatives. I want to hug her, but now doesn’t feel like the right time to comfort my mate. Even if my wolf is scratching my insides, wanting to rub up against her.

“He won’t get to you, Kira,” I promise her.

“I wrote a statement and left it with the attorney,” she says softly.

“A statement saying what?” Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?

She avoids my gaze. “Bryce truly believed in his vows. His mom left his dad when he was in middle school, and he grew up with his dad bitching about her. It doesn’t excuse the way he treated me, but I think that’s why he was so controlling. That’s why I left the statement. When I’d be a fuck up, he would?—”

“Kira,” I gently interrupt, waiting until I have her full attention as I struggle to contain my simmering rage. “You are never a fuck up, okay?”

She doesn’t look like she believes me now. That’s okay, I’ll convince her.

“Till death us do part. That’s the part of the vow he would say over and over, so if he didn’t sign the form and something ever happened to me…” The room is pin-drop silent as Kira continues in a quieter voice, “I wanted someone to know who was responsible.”

In the silence, a chair leg scrapes along hard wood floors.

I look at Shawn.

His lips are flat and his eyes glint with anger. “Is there anything else you can tell us about him, Kira?”

“I don’t think he will ever let me go,” she says quietly.

“He will,” Galen says firmly.

Shawn gets to his feet, his coffee untouched. “I’ll head to the station to get to work. We’ll start sweeping the area for him. If he’s here, we’ll find him, and I’ll speak with the town attorney. That man has no right to force you to stay married to him, so if you need to speak to an attorney here, I can set up a meeting. Now, the letter. How did you send it?”

“Special delivery,” Kira says. “I have a receipt in my glove compartment, so he definitely got it.”

Shawn nods. “Good. He received it so he can’t deny it later. We’ll get you through this, Kira.”

When Shawn leaves, Kira is quiet.

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