Page 41 of My Bad Boy Alpha

“D-D-Derrit,” I said through hiccups, pointing at the man.“I-It’s h-him.”

“It’s okay, baby.I’m here.”Stone pulled me to his chest.“I’m here to protect you.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

ZURI

After snifflinginto Stone’s chest for the last hour, I finally crawled off him and wiped my tearstained cheeks.I hiccuped and bit my lip to hold back another sob.I hated feeling so weak.I had just finished telling Stone how strong I was getting.

Then, I had gone and almost killed his beta.

“Wh-where is James?”I asked between sniffles.

“Out in the kitchen,” Stone said, reaching for my hand.“Why don’t you rest?”

“I need to see him,” I whispered.

Instead of placing my hand in his, I walked to the bedroom door as tears stung my eyes.Part of me hoped that nobody else in the pack knew about what I had done because I didn’t want them to hate me.I needed them to trust me, but I didn’t even know if I trusted myself around anyone other than Stone now.

I pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway of the eerily quiet pack house, and then I glanced over my shoulder to look back at Stone.I reached out my hand again.“Please, come with me.I don’t trust myself to be alone with anyone else.”

Stone hopped up from the ground, where he had been holding me, and took my hand in his larger one, intertwining our fingers and squeezing.I gently tugged him down the hallway toward the kitchen with my stomach in tight knots.

“Do you think he’ll forgive me?”I asked, brow furrowed.

“Yes.”

“B-but I almost killed him.”

“He will understand that it was Derrit,” Stone said.

When we reached the kitchen, I peeked around the doorway and glanced into the room to see James standing by the sink with his hands on the counter, gazing out the window and into the forest.My stomach twisted into knots.I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to see his face.

My mind was shot, and I could barely remember how much I had hurt him.

“J-James?”I whispered.

Stone gently squeezed my hand.

James twisted his head and gazed back at me with a small smile on his face.“Luna?—”

My lips parted, and I released Stone’s hand, walking toward James in astonishment.His face and all his wounds were completely healed, and he was … smiling at me.

Why was he smiling at me after I had almost killed him?

If I had done that in my old pack …

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, drawing my fingers across his cheek, where I was almost certain that I had cut him.“You’re healed already.I … I’m sorry.It should’ve never happened.I can’t believe I hurt you.”

“It’s okay, Luna,” he said.“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Tears trembled in my eyes.“It’s not okay.”

“Yes, it is,” Stone said.“He understands that it was Derrit.”

Lips curled into a frown, I glanced over my shoulder at my mate.While they were both saying that it didn’t matter, it did matter to me.I had hurt someone, like my sister and family and ex-pack had done to me many times.

I had done the one thing that I’d vowedneverto do.

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