Page 34 of Forbidden Daddy Mate

I hesitated. “I guessed when you mentioned his name the first time.”

She closed her eyes as realization washed over her. “That’s why you wanted to leave,” she said. “You guessed. I wondered why you wanted to leave, but didn’t ask.” She shot me a look. “Partially because I figured you wouldn’t give me a straight answer, and, like an idiot, I wanted to avoid confrontation.”

Her words were a gentle slap to the face. “It set off enough alarm bells that I didn’t want to risk your safety,” I said.

“And you didn’t bother to mention that it was the name of a vampire you killed?” she asked. “You didn’t think that might be useful information?”

“I didn’t want to alarm you,” I said impatiently. “I was afraid that if you knew—”

“I’d what? Wilt like a flower? Faint? Freak out?” She glowered. “Maybe if you’d told me when you figured it out, then I would have been able to find a way to work around the compulsion or something. If you’d said, ‘Hey, this guy’s bad news,’ maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess. Maybe they wouldn’t have been able to sneak up on us that night.”

I gritted my teeth, knowing that she had a point. “I can’t take back what I did,” I said. “Would I have done things differently if I’d known the outcomes? Probably. If I’d known you’d been compelled already, I would have taken you away from there that instant.”

“Yeah, except you didn’t. Because you didn’t trust me.”

“I wish I had.”

“I don’t care,” she snapped. “It’s too late. Varin and Tyr may be dead, but that isn’t going to stop the nightmares of being woken up in the middle of the night and dragged away.”

“You’re having nightmares?” I asked, concerned.

She glowered. “Does it matter? Because honestly, right now, it’s hard to believe you give a flying fuck. You didn’t care enough to warn me—”

“I didn’t tell you because I cared,” I said.

“That’s such a stupid cop-out,” she snarled. “That’s not how it works.”

I sighed, trying to calm myself down. None of this was going to do either of us any good.

“I understand I made a mistake,” I said.

“Are you going to say you’re sorry at the very least?” she asked.

I snarled. “I acted with the information I had. I don’t think I should apologize for that. I’ll admit if I’d known more, things might have turned out differently.”

“That’s not the same thing.” She shook her head in frustration. “If that’s all you have to say for yourself, then we’re done here.”

She turned to go. I reached out to grab her arm, careful not to touch the injured one, and pulled her back. “Freya, don’t be ridiculous,” I snapped.

“Are you going to tell me why, or am I going to have to stay in the dark?” she shot back, wrenching her arm from my grip. “I’m leaving. I don’t want to see you again.”

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her and leaving me alone in the middle of the room.

Chapter 16 - Freya

A scream burned in the back of my throat, but I bit it back. Not because I was afraid anyone would hear it, but because I was afraid that if I started screaming, I wouldn’t be able to stop. For years, I hadn’t wanted to be difficult or confrontational. Apparently, now that I had been, years of holding myself back were fighting to get out and let themselves be heard.

I stalked back through the woods, fuming, letting the rage and frustration over the situation wash over me. How could Malcolm have kept something like that from me? He had known for ages. Would telling me have made any difference? I had no idea. But I hated being kept in the dark like that. I held back tears threatening to sting my face. Cold wind bit at my skin, but I barely noticed.

The further away I got, the more my frustration grew, but so did my shock. I wasn’t great at confrontation. This was the most I think I had ever stood up for myself. I would have been proud of myself were I not still filled with anger. I felt betrayed, lied to, duped. How could I ever have been so stupid as to just trust him like that? On top of the lies, he’d effectively used me and dropped me the instant I became inconvenient for him. I should have seen it all days ago, but I’d been too blind and stupid to actually see any of it. He was just like any other man who had hit on me. I’d been an idiot to think otherwise.

My hand went to the necklace, fiddling with it. Once I realized what I’d done, I scowled, fumbling with the clasp and yanking it off my neck. I almost threw it as far into the woods as possible, but instead, I shoved it deep in my pocket. I’d mail it back to him at some point and forget all this ever happened.

I paused, looking behind me. I was still furious. My wolf was, too. But at the same time, that stupid attraction and desire to be near him lurked just below the anger. I wished I knew how to turn it off. The last thing I wanted to do was listen to those urges. It was over between us. Even if there weren’t other obstacles to contend with, I couldn’t be with someone who didn’t trust me. No, it was best to just leave it as it was and move on.

Sighing, I continued moving through the forest.

The incredibly still and quiet forest.

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