Page 189 of Chosen Beta

A monster with a face is a bit easier to deal with than one that’s lurking in the dark.

I move out from behind the desk, and Kellan’s favor pops back into my head.

Brooke’s biting her lip. She glances at Pete.

He clears his throat. “I’ll give you two a minute.”

He steps out of the room and Brooke smiles.

“So, I’m not going to keep asking if you’ll date me,” she starts, taking me by surprise.

She gazes at my marks, and I realize this is it.

She’s letting me go.

I hesitated for too long. I doubted her at every step, not believing she could ever really want someone like me. I told myself we missed our shot. I told myself she had her mates.

None of that was honest. It was all mired in fear.

I was afraid she didn’t really want me.

I was scared to say yes and have something go wrong.

“I’ll always wonder what we could have had,” Brooke says. “But I respect your choice. It’s not a typical situation. It was never going to be easy.”

She takes my hands in hers. “Will you let me kiss you goodbye?”

I nod slowly, still trying to find the right words.

She moves closer and rests her forehead against mine.

We stand there for a few minutes, silent and solemn.

Then, she tilts her head and presses her lips to mine.

The soaring feeling I get when she kisses me is undeniable.

I kiss back, wrapping my arms around her with the intention to never let go.

It feels so right. She feels like she’s mine. Like we belong together.

We both have mates, but they seem okay with this.

I’m the only one who hasn’t been certain.

And that’s only because it feels impossible to have everything I could ever want.

But it’s not. That’s a roadblock I put in my own path.

Anything is possible. Everything is possible.

She breaks away, breathing heavy.

Her statement lipstick is still in place.

Of course it is, she always looks perfect.

“I want to be with you,” I admit. “I was just … It didn’t seem real.”

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