Page 56 of The Alpha's Sold Pregnant Mate

Esme felt the roughness of the split she'd rested upon and curiously turned to see the crack. Her heart skipped for a moment. She looked around the room and saw the dangerous cracks running along the walls and on the ceiling. She saw that algaecovered almost the whole room. She observed that the plant she had made grow three times its original sizewas now even a bigger than before, with its vines traveling across the room.

“Asher…”she called him quietly, trying not to jump to conclusions that she was the one who had caused this even though everything inside her was saying she had. “What happened here?”

He sighed and took her hand. “It wasn't your fault,” he began.

Esme knew exactly what would follow up after that statement. She slipped out of his hold and got off the bed. She heard some noise outside that soundedlike people were lamenting about something. The sounds of their voices lether know what was going on.

“Esme, don't…” he said, probably trying to stop her from going to look out the window, but it was too late.

She stood by the broken window and saw the giant plants that had sprung forth from the ground. The plants were so tall, so high up, that they penetrated the clouds above. This was far beyond unnatural, and Esme's jaw dropped in a mix of fear, shock, and disbelief. She saw the plants that had destroyed some houses, roofs, and windows.

People were lamenting outside and some were injured—perhapsin their attempts to dodge the plants shooting from the ground.

Her hand instinctively reached her mouth as she was overwhelmed by guilt.

“It wasn't your fault, Esme.” He got to his feet.

“I did this, Asher.” She didn't look away from the calamity outside. “I did this.” Tears began trickling down her cheeks.

“You didn't know what you were doing, Esme.” He held her hand and pulled her away from the window. “You weren't yourself.”

“But I did this.” She sniffled and sobbed. “What is wrong with me? Why do bad things always happen around me?”

“Hey, hey.” He placed a consoling palm on her face and wiped her tears as he tried to catch her eyes. “Look at me. Esme, look at me.”

She did, her eyes stinging again, and she knew they must be shimmering. She wasn't wrong.

“Nothing is wrong with you.” He stared deeply into those eyes.

“How can you say that? I'm a broken piece of junk, Asher.” She couldn't hold back the tears anymore, so she let them out, crying helplessly. “I have no idea how to control these powers, and now the people I'm supposed to save are hurt because of me.”

“Esme…”

“No, let me finish,” she interrupted him, her voice breaking as she spoke, struggling against her sobs. “All my life, I've only wanted one thing; to be loved by others. I finally found love, and now, I'm screwing it up just like I screw up everything I touch.”

She sniffled and wiped her tears, but they wouldn't stop flowing. “I just found out that my mother was also a witch, a witch who could have taught me how to be a better one.” Esme rolled back her eyes and lifted her head to the ceiling, trying to blink back her tears. “But she died.” She lost the battle with the tears. They just continued to flow.

“Esme…”Asher called her name so tenderly, but she ignored him. Obviously, she wasn't finished yet, and he still had to listen.

“I know I'm supposed to understand that it wasn't my mother's fault, that if it was left to her, she'd still be here with me… But it hurts, Asher. It hurts.”

“Esme,” he called her again, and she stopped to hear him out. “Look.” He gestured at the room with a smile.

She wiped her tears to be sure that she was seeing clearly.

The algae had vanished off the walls, and the plant in the room had returned to its original size.

Loud gasps of astonishment outside caught her attention, and she rushed over to the window again. The giant plants were shrinking, and all the villagers could witness it with their own eyes. In a few minutes, everything was back to normal—except for the cracks in the walls.

An abrupt chuckle burst out of her.

“Are you seeing this too, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?” She turned to him, a little afraid to believe what had happened.

“That's what I was trying to tell you while you were venting your frustrations, but you didn't let me,” he said to her.

She smiled and rubbed her eyes, still struggling to comprehend what had happened.

“I can't believe this,” she said, chuckling.

---