Page 20 of Falling for My Shifter Guardian

She trails off, her cheeks flushing, but the frustration burns bright in her gaze.

“Like what?” I press, even though I already know.

“Like I’m your responsibility,” she says, her voice cracking just slightly. “Like I’m a burden.”

The words hit harder than they should. Pride, guilt, desire—they all collide in me, leaving my control hanging by a thread.

“This isn’t about you being a burden,” I say through gritted teeth. “It’s about keeping you alive.”

“And why do you care so much?” she demands, her voice rising. She’s standing so close now, I can feel the heat radiating off her, smell the faint trace of her shampoo beneath the lavender. “Why does it feel like there’s something you’re not telling me?”

Her question cuts too close to the truth. She doesn’t know. Doesn’t understand the bond tying us together, the promise I made to her father, or the war I’ve been waging with myself since the moment I met her.

“Just trust me,” I say, my voice quieter now. “Stay away from the pack. Stay away from me.”

Her eyes widen, hurt flashing across her face before she masks it with anger. But she doesn’t back down.

“No,” she says firmly. “You don’t get to push me away like this. Not without giving me a damn good reason.”

I can’t give her one. Not without unraveling everything. But as she steps closer, her scent wrapping around me, her heartbeat pounding in my ears, I feel myself unraveling anyway.

My hand lifts almost on instinct, my thumb brushing against her cheek. Her skin is warm, impossibly soft, and the way her breath hitches sends a shiver down my spine.

“Olivia,” I murmur, her name barely a whisper.

She doesn’t pull away. Her eyes search mine, unguarded and full of questions, and for a moment—just a moment—I let myself imagine what it would be like to answer them. To tell her everything. To stop fighting and let myself have this.

But I can’t.

The bond roars to life, demanding more—demandingeverything. My wolf surges forward, clawing at the edges of my control, and I know if I don’t pull back now, I never will.

“You don’t understand,” I say, my voice rough, almost broken. “Keeping you safe is the only thing that matters. Even if it means…”

Even if it means breaking my own heart.

I step back, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep them from reaching for her again. “Stay away, Olivia,” I say, forcing steel into my voice. “It’s for your own good.”

Her voice follows me as I turn to leave, sharp and defiant. “You can’t keep doing this, Derek! You can’t keep pushing me away and expecting me not to fight back!”

Her words hit like a blow, but I don’t stop. I don’t turn around.

Because if I do, I won’t be able to leave her again.

Chapter 8

Olivia

My hands tremble, nails biting into my palms as I pace the length of my tiny apartment. The walls feel like they’re closing in, my frustration boiling over with every unanswered question Derek left me with. He didn’t even look back when he walked away. Just dropped his cryptic warning like a grenade and left me standing there, stunned and shaking.

“Stay away from the pack. Stay away from me.”

I can still hear the raw edge in his voice, the crack that betrayed something deeper beneath all that stoic indifference. And the way his fingertips lingered against my cheek, just for a second—long enough to make my heart stutter, long enough to make me hope—and then he was gone.

I let out a growl of frustration and tug at the end of my braid, pacing faster. He’s always like this. One step closer, two steps back. Warm one moment, ice-cold the next. It's maddening. And now, after everything, after three years of him lurking on the edges of my life, watching me like some silent sentinel, I’m supposed to juststay away?

No. Not this time.

I grab my phone off the coffee table with more force than necessary and scroll through my contacts until Maya’s name pops up. If there’s anyone who can give me a straight answer, it’s her. She’s been dropping hints for weeks, always stopping just short of saying too much.

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