Page 43 of Claimed By Fur and Fangs

“I want to go home, Aidan.”

“I promise, I’ll take you home tomorrow morning, it’s pretty late.”

“Take me home now!” I snapped.

“I understand your anger and trust me it’s valid but right now all I can think of is your safety. First thing in the morning, I’ll takeyou home. We are literally on the outskirts of town; it’s a long drive home.’ “I guess I will have to find my way home.”

I stormed out of the cabin, my heart splintering into a thousand pieces.

The cabin door slammed as I stepped into the cool air, but I froze when Aidan’s men appeared, and a tall guard blocked my path.

“Miss Amelia,” he said gently, his voice firm but respectful. “It’s not safe for you to leave. It’s dark, and the woods… they’re dangerous at night.”

“I don’t care. I need to get out of here,” I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling up inside me.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go. It’s for your safety,” he shook his head, his expression apologetic but resolute.

I don’t understand why am I being protected? Why so many guards? Am I in trouble?I thought.

Overwhelmed, I sank onto the porch steps, and when Aidan sat beside me, his silence spoke volumes.

“I never meant to hide it from you,” finally, he spoke, his voice low and rough.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My throat felt too tight; my emotions were too raw.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” he asked, his tone softer now. “I called you Alma.”

The memory hit me like a punch, rushing back, the way he’d looked at me, his voice faltering as he said her name, a moment I’d buried under everything that had happened since.

“I thought it was a mistake,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I thought you were just… confused.”

“I wasn’t confused,” he said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “I was stunned. You looked so much like her, Amelia. It was like seeing a ghost.”

I turned to him then, tears burning my eyes.

“And that’s why you’re with me, isn’t it? Because I remind you of her?”

“No,” he said firmly, his gaze locking onto mine. “That’s not why I’m with you. Yes, you look like her. Yes, it shook me to my core when I first saw you. But you’re not her. You’re Amelia. And I don’t see you as a replacement.”

I wanted to believe him. I really did. But the doubt lingered, a sharp thorn in my heart.

“Then why didn’t you tell me? Why keep it a secret?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Because I was afraid. Afraid that if I told you, you’d look at me differently. That you’d think I was using you. And I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you because of my past.

His words hung in the air, heavy with sincerity. I searched his face, looking for any sign of deception, but all I saw was raw honesty—and pain.

“I loved Alma,” he continued, his voice breaking slightly. “She was my everything. But she’s gone, Amelia. And I’ve spent over a century mourning her, carrying the weight of her loss. When I met you… it was like the world gave me a second chance. Not to replace her, but to love again. To live again.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I quickly wiped them away.

“But how do I know you’re not just seeing her when you look at me?”

He reached for my hand, his touch gentle but firm.

“Because I see you. I see the way you laugh, the way your nose scrunches when you’re annoyed. I see the way you fight for what you believe in, even when it terrifies you. That’s not Alma. That’s you. And I love you for it.”

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