Page 167 of Bonding with the Beta

“I thought you’d move on with her.”

“There is no moving on from you, Kayleigh.”

My heart thrashes in my chest, and I tremble.

“If I don’t have you, then I’ll have no one. It’s simple.”

I crash back into him, and he holds me with his Godlike strength, wrapping me up tighter until the hole in my heart twitches like it wants to form together again.

My chest heaves rapidly. “I missed you, too,” I admit.

Kayden presses his head further into my shoulder and releases a long sigh of relief. “You have no idea how it feels to hear those words, especially after I thought I had lost you forever.”

I somehow gather the courage to remove myself from his hold.

His arms drop to his sides, and I gasp down air like I’ve been withheld from oxygen for too long. I slowly turn to face him, andwhen I do, his eyes are wet in the creases, and I forget everything else in existence.

“Please, just—” he cuts himself off as his throat tenses. “I will get down on my knees and beg you to forgive me. I will do everything to prove that you can trust me because I don’t want anyone else but you, Kayleigh. I can’t fucking breathe without you.”

My heart falls onto the floor in a heap.

“You mean that?”

“Yes.” He nods and steps closer. “I am so sorry that I hurt you. I hate myself for how I handled the situation. I was fucking awful to you, and I’ll live with that regret for the rest of my life. But if you give me another chance, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I want nothing more than to shower you with the love that you deserve—that you havealwaysdeserved.”

I flick my eyes between his slowly as his continues to glisten at me, and it breaks my heart all over again.

“I don’t know how to trust you,” I confess.

Kayden nods. “I know,” he whispers hauntingly. “I understand if you need to take your time. But please, let me prove you are everything I have always wanted. I will never take you and what we have for granted. Especially after what I know now.”

My brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain when you’re ready, but I don’t think you’re ready to forgive me.”

I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried.

“It’s still raw.” I wrap my arms around myself. “And I’ve been focusing on myself.”

Kayden’s expression softens. “Yeah? That’s amazing, Kayleigh.”

“Mm-hm,” I hum. “And right now, I think I still need to focus on that.”

“I understand,” he says after a few moments.

I take a small step back. “I should get to bed.”

“Okay.”

My eyes dip low, and I walk towards the door.

“Wait, Kayleigh–”

I say nothing.

“Please, tell me there is hope for us.”

Hope.

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