Page 21 of Claimed By Fur and Fangs

“No,” she said, her voice breaking slightly. “This… this isn’t right. I need to figure things out. You both need to leave me alone for a while.”

The finality in her tone was like a slap to my face. It hurt. It really did. But I could see it in her eyes, she was struggling to make sense of everything.

Finn didn’t need any more encouragement. He shot me one last furious look before turning to Amelia. “I’ll give you some space,” he said, his voice tense. “But I’m not going to just sit back and let him interfere with whatever this is between us.”

I watched him walk away and zoom off.

The silence between us stretched, and I turned back to face Amelia. She was standing on her porch, her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes full of emotion.

“Aidan, I…” she began, her voice shaking slightly. “I don’t know what I’m doing right now. I never expected this… any of this.”

I stepped forward, wanting to reach for her, but I stopped myself. She needed space, and I wasn’t going to push her.

“I get it,” I said softly, my voice full of regret. “I didn’t mean to confuse you. I’m not good at this, Amelia. But I need you to know I want something real with ’you.’

She nodded slowly; her eyes filled with tears.

“I don’t know what I want right now, Aidan. I need time.”

“Okay. Take all the time you need,” I swallowed hard, stepping back.

With one last lingering look, I turned and walked away, my heart heavy with uncertainty.

The drive home felt endless. Inside, unease took over as my thoughts kept drifting to Amelia, Finn, and Alma's haunting face.

Could Amelia be Alma? It’s too much of a coincidence that they look so much alike and have the same mannerism,I thought.

Shaking it off, I headed to my study. The dark wood walls and faint scent of leather and paper usually brought comfort, but tonight, everything felt distant, hazy.

"Julian," I called, my voice firm.

“Sir!” he answered as he rushed in.

“Any information regarding the refinery? It’s been days now and nothing”

“We have a lead. The camera of the Isomerization unit stopped working an hour before the fire. And that’s where the fire started. Someone is behind this, and the person has access to the control unit. I believe it was an internal attack sir.”

“Does Fergus know about this?”

“I haven’t told him yet; I wanted to inform you first.”

“Investigate everyone that had access to the control room this month and also check the camera footage 72 hrs. before the incident. We might find something.”

Julian gave a short nod before making his way toward the door.

"One more thing," I called out, and he turned back to face me. "I need you to look into Finn Harper. I want to know everything and most importantly, I want to know if he has any secrets."

"Understood. I’ll get on it right away."

I stared at the darkened window, trying to clear my mind, but all I saw were her eyes, Amelia’s eyes. That damn look she’d given me before I left. Confusion. Regret.

The days dragged on, and I couldn’t stay away any longer.

I drove to her house, parked down the street and rang her doorbell. Moments later, she appeared, silhouetted in the doorway.

“Aidan…” she said softly, her voice unsure.

Seeing her, my resolve crumbled. The hurt in her eyes was clear, but so was the unspoken connection between us.

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