Page 7 of Frayed Owner

“Hey, Clare,” Wes said as he stepped out from the others.

I hadn’t even seen him in the group or realized—I was too all over the place. I opened my mouth to greet him, trying to control my feelings for him like always.

“You are the one Clare gave the message to?” Bevin checked, gesturing between us.

I nodded. “I know him from Morrigan.” I gave her a look to leave it alone and I was glad that she accepted that.

It was way more complicated than that. I had always liked Wes and apparently the feeling was mutual. He’d asked me out when I was at Morrigan, but I’d turned him down. I’d been honest though that I wanted to be with him and I thought he was amazing but I couldn’t.

That I didn’t care that he was an orphan or his background, but my parents would never allow me to mate someone of his circumstances. And I was realistic about my situation. That I wasn’t strong enough to go against them and he could end up dead if I ever got involved with him. It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take and then be forced to mate someone else without a choice.

“Believe me now?” I asked him quietly. I flinched, stunned it came out of my mouth when so many people were around and would ask what it meant. I was normally so much better at controlling my emotions and mouth.

I rubbed my face and had flashes of Alex hitting me, the guards taunting me. Jasmine was right that I’d been traumatized.

“Yes, and I’m sorry for how I handled everything,” Wes said quietly. “I didn’t—”

“I understand,” I said firmly, pulling myself together. “I just wanted to clear the air that I’m not an alarmist and wasn’t toying with you. If you’ll excuse me.” I focused on Bevin. “Is there a room I can use or—I didn’t even ask if I could stay here. I apologize.”

“I would suggest she maybe stay somewhere else while she takes this break from your birth family,” Jasmine said quietly. “She’ll learn too much staying here.”

I swallowed a snort but was relieved when Bevin said I could stay in her room for now. It was all overwhelming, and I thought I mumbled something about getting air and went for the back door. I barely noted the construction going on to build a patio or whatever and simply tried to remember to breathe.

“It’s going to be okay, Clare,” Wes whispered as he tried to hold my hand. He sighed when I pulled it away. “Your sister will help. She’s awesome and—”

I glanced at him when he cut off what he was saying but frowned when his mouth kept moving. My eyes went wide when I realized it was magic keeping him from speaking.

“The NDA is muting you for others to hear,” Jasmine explained to Wes. “And I would advise you to remember you signed it and promised to keep quiet. Ms. Shaw had a fight with her family and was assaulted, but—she has not asked to switch teams nor have we accepted her on this one.”

Wes frowned but nodded after glancing between us.

I caught Bevin fidgeting and looking really uncomfortable like she was caught in the middle of something, so I decided to spell it out before she developed an ulcer. I met Jasmine’s gaze. “There is no going back in the Shaw family, Ms. Hough. That’s what Bevin is too nice to clarify and hit me with reality, but I understood it when I made the call.”

“I’m sorry, Clare,” Bevin whispered. “Really.”

I let out a slow breath. “Me too, but thank you for being there to catch me. Really. It’s more than I deserve after how I’ve treated you.”

“No, it’s not, and you didn’t know,” she mumbled.

“Wait, I’m confused,” Taylor interjected as he glanced between us. “What are you talking about?”

I let out a small giggle and it didn’t sound too sane. “I went to the enemy, Mr. Reid. The biggest enemy of the Shaw family currently. That is an unforgivable crime to Father and even Grandmother. I won’t be welcomed back to the life I had no matter what precious Alex did. Now that sacrificing me is on the table, that is very clearly my only option if I go back there.”

“She’s right,” Bevin said firmly when they all seemed like they might argue. “I knew the same when Charles came to the hearing for me to be disowned. He wasn’t really trying to welcome me back. He didn’t want the world to see he lost an asset—something that belonged to him. He’ll do the same for Clare.”

I bobbed my head and stared out at the pretty landscape. “But I’m as good as dead if I go back. There is no one punished harsher to Charles Shaw than a traitor.”

“I’m sorry,” Bevin repeated.

“Why are you fucking apologizing?” I snapped. I pushed Wes’s hand away when he reached for me and stormed over to Bevin. Three different people got in my way, and I was impressed that none of them backed off when I made it clear that I would break them if they didn’t move. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

“It’s fine,” Bevin mumbled, clearly not wanting a conflict or issue. She stepped around them to face me.

The fear in her eyes when she looked at me was like a knife through the heart.

I grabbed her arms before any could stop me and gave her a shake. “You are Bevin Fucking Shaw—Millen now. You don’t apologize for others. Why are you apologizing that our father is a psychotic asshole? Did you make him that way? Did you allow it all of these years? What part did you play in it that you should apologize for?”

She let out a slow breath and nodded. I had a flash of the little girl she’d been, seeing her as she’d been and not the jealous little girlI’dbeen. I saw that same fear and worry—waiting for something bad.

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