Page 20 of Unbreak Me

With a quick gesture, he motioned for the short alpha to come in.

The man stepped in, hesitating slightly, his heart pounding wildly. Of course, the first thing I did was school my face to look unapproachable. Just in case.

Nolan nudged a stool toward the short alpha with his foot and, a bit awkwardly, introduce him.

The guy—Jan Wilson—started talking about his education and job but abruptly stopped. His eyes met mine, and for some reason, I felt… off. A weird uneasiness washed over me, like something sharp had just cut through the air between us.

And then things got really weird.

My vision went blurry, and suddenly, it was like I could feel him holding me amidst the storm. Strong arms wrapped around me, his handsome face close, smiling softly. It felt warm, safe—like being curled up in a blanket at home. And inside me? This rising, overwhelming urge to kiss him, to drown in his warmth…

His lips moved over my skin, caressing it… Stop!

What the hell was happening to me? Was I seriously daydreaming right now?

He started to pull me out of the vision with the sound of his voice, saturated with pain.

"You're probably wondering why I don't look like a typical alpha," he muttered.

Blinking, I finally came out of my daze.

"I’m aware, I’m usually taken for a beta," he pushed out, a bit breathlessly.

It dawned on me—this was probably something he dealt withall the time. People mistaking him for a beta, judging him, undervaluing him. And here I was, doing exactly the same, just adding to the pile.

With sharp attention, I focused on his face, studying him closely as he continued to speak.

The more I stared, the more I noticed it—the weight of years of being overlooked, the continuation of that lifelong oppressionpresent in his body language. He seemed low-key depressed, but for the most part, he hid it from the world.

In the meantime, I couldn’t help but notice his physical attributes.

Jan’s skin had the kind of light bronze tan you get from working outside a lot, and it was smooth and youthful. His eyes were light gold, almost lion-like. His lips were full and perfectly shaped, and his nose had a clean, straight line to it.

He gave off this classyattractiveness, and fuck—I wasattractedto him. Strongly! An embarrassing vision of touching his skin, his sensual lips, appeared before my mind's eye, but I quickly shooed it away.

And more than that… there was this energy about him that stirred something deep inside me, making me fully believe what Storm said: I was almost certain Jan and I were biologically compatible.

However, the main problem remained firmly in place—I still didn’t know the guy.

That should be my biggest concern now. I came here determined not to choose a husband after just a five-minute conversation!

"…but I am an alpha by genetics," he finished, this time very firmly, straightening his back.

In a bit of a daze, I kept staring at him, probably looking dumb. Let’s face it—if attractiveness were rated on a scale of 1 to 10, Jan Wilson would win with me. He was way out of my league, even considering his height.

"When I was fifteen, I hit six feet tall. I probably would’ve grown taller—my brothers are both 6'6". But then I had this accident, and it damaged my spine. I couldn’t walk anymore." He paused, his expression hard to read. "Luckily, my uncle, who was a doctor, got me into a therapy program through Malden Pharmaceutical. I was part of Blue Lowen's experimental group—the one that won him the Nobel Prize in Medicine. His breakthrough in nervous tissue regeneration saved me. It truly worked; his technique healed the damaged nerves in my spine. But the side effect was… it stopped my growth permanently. So I stayed six feet tall, just like I was when I was fifteen."

A total jerk—that’s how I felt now for how I’d treated him earlier. I remained quiet, unsure of what to say. Since we’d never met before, I couldn’t think of a way to show sympathy to a stranger, that wouldn’t sound fake.

Thankfully, Nolan stepped in. "I’m really sorry," he said. "But the important thing is your spine was saved, and you’re able to move freely now. Blue Lowen is really a genius!" he declared with a peculiar grimace, as if he wanted to add something about the man but decided otherwise.

Jan nodded. "Yeah. Now I can live and work normally. I’ve got full mobility, and my spine’s fine. But my height is a constant reminder of how different I am. People mistake me for a beta all the time." His voice turned bitter—it was clear this had been weighing on him for years.

"Maybe that’s why my love life hasn’t worked out," he continued. "People expect perfection, right? Or perhaps it wasn’t just the height. Maybe I couldn’t hold on to them. Insecurities have a way of messing with you, even if you don’t realize it. Possibly, that’s all this is—an excuse." He dropped his head slightly, his voice soft. "So, yeah, I’m still alone."

He looked away, and the sadness in his posture, his pain, his self-doubt—they were strangely mirroring my own. And it affected me in a way I didn’t expect.

On a deeper level, Iunderstoodhim.

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