Page 206 of Broken Dreams

I love how he adds himself to the insanity. We’re a unit, a pack, and I have to remind myself that I have people. I’m important to them.

“I think I’d like that,” I murmur. “There was an auction house in Chicago that I was taken to, and I’m still having nightmares about it.”

“Do you remember who runs it?” he asks. I can hear him picking something up, and I imagine that he’s going to write it down.

“Her name was Clara,” I reply. “She was an alpha who ran it.”

“I’ll see what I can find on her,” he says. “In the meantime, I’ll get some information on the therapy sessions. I’m proud of you for wanting to go. I love you, if I could just follow you around all day, I would. Text me with updates. Anything, okay?”

I know I won’t do that. He’s busy, but I agree anyway.

“I’m going to head to my next class,” I tell him. “I feel better.”

“I’m not sure if that’s true or not,” Callum grumbles, making me smile. His honeyed tone despite his complaint helps.

Saying goodbye, leaving the stall to wash my face and pat it dry. I knew today would be hard, but I let the excitement carry me away.

I’m walking to my next class when my phone buzzes again in my pocket. Chuckling under my breath, I check it, expecting it to be Callum.

Instead, I find that I’ve been added to a group chat.

Christian:

Hola, mi amor. How are your teachers?

The text is attached to a mouthwatering photo of the alpha at the construction site. He’s sweating, and wearing a long sleeved shirt with the sleeves pushed up and jeans. I almost tripped because of a damn crack in the sidewalk.

“That’s so unfair,” I mutter, stepping off the path so I won’t run into anyone as I continue to read the messages.

Duncan:

Do you want to grab takeout tonight for dinner? We should celebrate your first day of school.

Quinn:

I want you to find the prettiest spot on campus, Linus. Send me a photo of it and eat your snack. I love you.

My alpha enjoys scheming,but this is what I needed. I send responses to all of them, and then head to the food court for a protein shake. Maybe it’ll help with this headache.

I’m not alone anymore, and that’s the gift I needed to remember today.

QUINN

Smiling at the messages in the group chat, I put my tablet down to work on my current project.

“You’re quick on your feet,” I tease Callum. “I think that helped Linus a lot.”

“I was hoping he wouldn’t have a panic attack on his first day,” he admits, sighing. “Triggers and anxiety don’t have a playbook, so it was always going to depend on what tricks his brain decided to play. He said he wants to look into therapy.”

Thinking about that, I nod. “I’ve thought about it,” I sigh. “Being in Miles’ house brought a lot of memories up for me. They’re hard to talk about because they’re so fucked up, and no one needs to hear them.”

“Excuse me. What does that mean?” Callum asks curiously.

“I mean, I need to talk about it, but I don’t think I should with you. You know enough,” I say with a wince. “Duncan, Christian, and you want to save Linus and I from the bad things in life.You’re not responsible for the nightmares you couldn’t have slayed.”

Callum stands from the couch, scooping me into his arms so he can hold me as he steals my spot.

“Fuck, I didn’t think about it like that,” he murmurs, kissing my forehead. “A completely non-invested party it is, then. Thank you for explaining it the way you did.”

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