Page 23 of Orri

"It's only fair," Orri smirks. "You snuck around and watched me training. Why don't I get the same privilege?"

"That's—"

"Different? How so?" His eyes gleam with mischief as he releases me, and I notice that he's wearing his uniform again. It's the same garb he wore when he rescued me. I remember that much. My stomach sinks. Is he going out on a mission again?

A strange cramping starts deep down in my gut, swirling with unease. Even the thought of him leaving makes me feel ill. And I hate that I've fallen for him this hard, but here we are.

"You've improved, you know." Orri says.

"Oh." I didn't expect that. Thought he was coming in here to tell me he was leaving on a mission or something.

"I'll be honest, I wasn't sure about teaching you, but you've picked up on the fundamentals remarkably quickly." He pauses. "For a human."

Bam. Another cramp. More insistent this time. A strange lightheadedness crawls up my spine. Maybe I overexerted myself. Or maybe I'm just getting too worked up over all of this.

A moment hangs between us. I want to tell him. I want to have this conversation. But now?

Now.

"We need to talk." To my surprise, it's Orri that broaches the subject. "Being that your heat is over, and I still have my duties to attend to, I..."

Right. Duties. He's just going to leave me and pretend like none of this ever happened. Sure wish I could.

I try to think of something to say. Anything. But all of my carefully planned speeches vanish in the heat of the moment. "You're leaving." It's not a question. Just a statement. A cold recognition of the facts. And it's all that comes out.

"I have to."

Ouch. I can't bear to look at Orri's face. I stare at a spot on the floor and try to keep the tears at bay. "Did our time together mean nothing to you?" It's harsh, but it's how I feel.

I don't expect him to answer. I just needed to get it off my chest. He could just turn and leave right now, for all the good it would do. He's already made his position quite clear.

My stomach cramps again, just to emphasize that.

"It did." When he speaks again, his voice is hoarse. Different than the confident, commanding voice I've gotten so used to. "It does. I enjoyed every moment I spent with you, Isabella. You know that. Or I thought you did."

"So you're just going to run off now, like nothing's happened? Since I'm not in heat I'm not your responsibility anymore, is that it?" The emotions come on hot and heavy now, one after the other. I know I should take a step back and think before I speak, but all the frustration and fear and longing have finally come to a head.

"No, it's just..." He trails off.

"I've fallen for you." The words tumble out at a whisper, falling as quietly as the tears from my eyes.

This time I really do expect him to leave. It would almost be easier if he did. I don't want to hear his excuses. I just want him gone.

"Isabella..." The sound of my name on his lips is like a knife to my heart. "I'm not your mate...the ISA will find someone for you. Someone better..."

"I don't want—!" But the burst of emotion sends me over the edge and the lightheadedness reaches my face until everything's fading, my legs are wobbling...

"Isabella!" Orri calls out, rushing forward to steady me.

I can do that just fine on my own, thanks. I move to the couch and land heavily, putting my head between my knees and trying to breathe. The tears are still falling. My stomach's still cramping.

And my heart is still breaking.

I can still feel him hovering over me. "What's wrong? Let me help."

But I'm still too hurt to think clearly. "I don't want your 'help'," I say miserably, without lifting my head. "You've helped enough. Just go back to your life, Orri. You don't have to pretend for me anymore."

"Isabella..."

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