Page 39 of Home: Posy 5

And that was all I needed to hear to let the floodgates open.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was better! Iwantto be better! I'm sorry," I sobbed. "I'm sorry for not being better!"

"Youarebetter. So, so much better."

"Aren't you sick of this?" I hiccuped, my hand knotting tightly in his shirt. "Aren't you all tired of dealing with me? I am! I'm sosickof myself!"

"Shh, my little baby. Shh. I know you're frustrated." He rocked me back and forth, his voice barely above a murmur. "Remember what Dr. York said? No one expects you to be completely healed from years of trauma after less than two months. You need to cut yourself some slack, baby."

I didn't say anything, but my tears slowed down as I listened to the steady thumping of his heart.

"We aren't sick of you, and we never will be," he went on. "We told you before, we will never leave your side. Wecan'tleave you. We're as dependent on you as you are on us. If you think you could leave us and we'd be okay, you're dead wrong. Literally. It would kill us to lose you, baby. That's how deep you've dug into our hearts and souls."

He squeezed me gently.

"You have no idea how much you've changed us and helped us grow. Cole hardly ever loses his temper now. Sure, he grumps and growls around, but it's nothing like it used to be. As for Wyatt, I can't tell you how much happier he is. Ash doesn't get as distracted and off task as before, which has made him more confident. And Jay is finally seeing his own worth. He doesn't feel like an extra, unnecessary person anymore."

"And you?" I dared to ask.

He didn't respond for a minute, then he took a deep breath and bent his head to whisper in my ear.

"I didn't realize how depressed I was until I found the happiness I have now. I was hanging on by a thread and didn't even know it. If we never went to Green River, I would have snapped in a matter of months, and Goddess only knows what the fallout ofthatwould have been. Fortunately, you came into my life and filled all my cracks in with gold. It's like I'm sparkling inside now. I'm a better brother, a better alpha, and a better man because of you."

I knew Mason was not a liar, but it was hard for me to believe that one broken girl could have such an impact on these powerful men. They kept telling me it was true, though.

Others do, too, Lark reminded me.Their wolves. Mama and Mom and Peri. The betas. They all say the boys are happier and have better brain health.

Mental health,I corrected her gently.

Same same.She rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, my eternal flame." I leaned forward and kissed his big, soft lips. "I know it hurt you to have to hurt me."

"I would have taken every ounce of your pain if I could have. Now, are you ready for breakfast? Or do you want to go back to the bedroom and relax on your own for a bit? Or we can sit here on the kitchen floor for as long as you want."

"I'm ready for breakfast." I gave him a tiny smile.

Apparently, my other mates took that as a cue to stop hovering around us in anxious silence because they instantly dropped down and squished me in a group hug.

"I know you didn't mean to scare me by shouting," I said before any of them could open their mouths, "just like I didn't mean to upset you by panicking. I'm okay, I don't blame any of you for anything, and I'm not mad. Please don't be sad or upset or angry with yourselves or each other."

"But you got hurt." Tears overflowed Ash's brown eyes.

I made grabby hands at him, and he instantly pulled me into his arms and hid his face into the crook of my neck. As his impossibly wide shoulders shook, all I knew to do was pet his curls and reassure him I was fine and whisper good things to him.

"I love you, Posy, more than anything in this world," he said at last, his breath warm and tickly on my damp throat.

"I love you, too, waffle." I kissed his forehead.

Then I was passed from mate to mate to repeat the process, minus the tears but not the regret, and I ended up sitting on Jayden's lap as we gathered around the table and Mason served up breakfast.

I reached for the salt shaker, but Cole caught it, took it from me, and set it next to Mason's plate. I glanced over at him, and he shook his head.

Use the other one,he linked me. When I raised my eyebrows in question, he only grinned.Trust me, honey. You don't want that 'salt' on your eggs.

Confused but curious, I nodded and asked Wyatt to pass me the shaker at his end of the table. I sprinkled some on my finger and tasted it and found it was only normal table salt. With a shrug, I put some on my eggs and sat the shaker down.

Watch this, sweetness, Jayden purred in our mate link and tilted his head toward Wyatt, who had finished spooning sugar into his coffee and was lifting the mug to his lips.

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