Page 126 of Toxic

"Well… horrifying. Wonderful. Awful. Ecstatic."

Still, no expression crossed his face as he whispered, "How beautifully and accurately you put it into words."

The guy was something else, really.

I wondered how he could have sex at all, with that still face and cold demeanor. Could he moan? Maybe his face was just like that—frozen—during his orgasm? I almost chuckled as I imagined it.

There was another moment of silence. He continued to stare into the clouds above the city, which was a bit distracting, as if he wasn't even fully present.

"You know, no one is truly safe, Soren. From having a broken heart. My own family is an example. My brother Rain’s husband left him for his High Mate. Nothing in life is certain. Maybe we only have the moments that are ours? We have toaccept… embrace them if we want to get anything out of life. We have to risk it all."

I gazed at him, trying to process his words. The conversation was downright bizarre, and this guy was seriously offbeat. How was it possible that he was Skye's brother, they seemed so different!

"But what about the pain?" I murmured, looking to the side.

"The pain," he repeated, almost as if he savored the word. "You know, when I was a kid, my alpha father used to take me and my brothers camping in the woods. I hated it. I cursed his stubbornness for dragging us out there. Once, I cut myself with a pocketknife trying to sharpen a stick. I was crying, but he crouched down next to me with a band-aid in hand and asked, ‘Does it hurt? If it hurts, it means you’re alive, Winter!’"

He again met my gaze. This time, however, I caught a flicker of something deep in his pale eyes. Sadness? "Some people are so afraid of being hurt, they never let their guard down. Are they even alive, Soren?"

Wait. Was he talking about himself?

But for some reason, his confession had me in a bit of a quandary about my own situation. My recent decisions have all been designed to keep me safe. And… to keep my life from moving forward.

Encouraged by his sincerity, I decided to come closer and stood next to him, peering outside the window. "Well, that’s a valid question. But I reached a point in my previous relationship where I wanted to end it all—because the pain was unbearable. I’ve had enough… of cuts. My heart couldn’t handle it anymore."

A heavy silence fell between us, his irises reflecting the rainy sky outside.

"The eternal question, Soren: Is it better to regret the sins you committed or those you didn’t commit at all?" he said so quietly I could barely hear him. It was probably addressed tohimself more than to me, since it didn’t exactly fit here. Or did it?

I remained silent for a long moment, following his example and staring pensively at the skyline. Yes, this convo was downright bizarre, but in a way it was also eye-opening.

So, with sudden determination, I blurted out, "I’ve already got someone in mind for that second spot in the training."

"Oh?" Winter turned away from the window, looking at me again. "Who did you choose?"

"Skye."

SKYE

I returned to the room feeling oddly calm, at peace with the situation, accepting that waiting for Soren was my fate. I had to arm myself with patience—there was no other option. Nothing else mattered, even if it meant waiting until the end of my days.

Fifteen minutes later, Soren walked into the room with a strange look on his face. For a moment, I worried that Winter had scolded him about what happened in the bathroom, but then…

"Listen up guys, next week, the company is sending some of us for training. Director Nolan has chosen two employees—myself and Skye—to attend a course on C# and Kotlin. From what I understand, Fay and Devon have already completed the C# course, and Jess and Randy have done the Kotlin course. We’re the only ones who haven’t, so that’s the reason for the decision. The two of us will be away for five days, since that’s how long the course lasts."

That was unexpected—I froze in surprise.

"Who’s organizing the course?" Fay asked. "The one I attended was hosted by D-Project."

"Yes, it’s them. They have a few specialists and offer additional courses for their employees and others who want to upskill."

Fay nodded. "They have good courses. You can learn a lot."

"That’s what we’re counting on."

Soren turned toward me, his stormy eyes meeting mine.

"I haven’t even asked you yet if you want to attend this course. It’s entirely voluntary, of course, but Director Nolan suggested your name."

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