Page 64 of Storm
I sob against him, unable to form words, clinging to him like he might disappear if I loosen my grip even slightly. He's real. He's here. After everything, after all this time, Rook found me. He never gave up.
"I love you," I finally manage between sobs. "Rook, I love you so much."
For a moment, the world shrinks to just us, his heartbeat against mine, his scent wrapped around me like a shield. Then, still in Rook's arms, I look over his shoulder at the alphas standing like statues across the room.
My eyes find Reed's, his stormy gaze unreadable as he watches us.
"Thank you," I say, the words catching in my throat, surprised at my own sincerity. "For letting him up."
Reed stares at me, genuine shock flashing across his face at my gratitude. He holds my gaze for a long moment before giving a single, sharp nod. Without a word, he turns and leaves the room, his shoulders rigid with tension.
I watch him go, puzzled by his reaction. I don't know why my thanks affected him that way, don't understand the storm I glimpsed behind his eyes.
But honestly, I don't care. Not right now.
Because Rook is here, solid and real in my arms. His hands are in my hair, his scent surrounding me, his heart beating against mine. Four years of separation and now this moment that feels like coming home.
For the first time since Choosing Day, since the moment Jonathan threw me over his shoulder and carried me away from freedom, I feel something like hope.
Rook is here. And now that we're together again, I know we'll find a way out of this mess.
We have to.
Chapter19
Rook
The door to Storm's bedroom closes behind us with a soft click, and suddenly, we're alone. Really alone, for the first time in four years.
I'm still reeling from the past hour. Being discovered by security, the tense elevator ride with Reed Howard glaring daggers at me, and then finally, finally seeing Storm run toward me. The moment she jumped into my arms felt like coming home.
Jonathan Kingsley was not happy about any of it. The cold alpha made it abundantly clear that I was only being allowed to stay because Storm promised to behave at some important dinner. His exact words had been. "You can stay in her room. Nowhere else in the penthouse without an escort. One night. Then we discuss next steps."
I don't care about anything except the fact that Storm is here, real and alive and looking at me like I'm her entire world.
The moment the door closes, it's like no time has passed at all. Storm's across the room in an instant, her body colliding with mine as her hands grab my face, pulling me down to her level as she kisses me with desperate intensity. The dark chocolate scent of her wraps around me, intoxicating and familiar, though now with new omega notes that make my head spin.
Her fingers tug at the hem of my shirt, sliding beneath to touch my skin. The contact sends electricity through me, and I respond instinctively, my arms tightening around her waist, lifting her so her feet leave the ground.
"Rook," she breathes against my lips, my name a prayer, a plea, a homecoming. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"I never stopped looking." I tell her, pressing my forehead against hers, trying to memorize every detail of her face. "Four years, Storm. I waited. Then you show up on TV, pulling Kingsley's name from that barrel."
She laughs, the sound watery with emotion. "That wasn't how it was supposed to go down."
Her hands are everywhere, under my shirt, in my hair, clutching at my shoulders like she's afraid I might disappear if she lets go. I understand the desperate need for touch. Four years in the Omega House, she would have been touch-starved in a way I can barely imagine. Then spent the last few days with a pack of alphas who would be reacting the way my body is.
"Storm," I say gently, catching her wrists as she attempts to unbutton my jeans. "Wait a second."
Confusion flashes across her face, followed immediately by hurt. "You don't want me?"
"God, no, that's not it," I say quickly, cupping her face in my hands. "I want you more than I've ever wanted anything. It's just... I know how hard this must have been for you. Being here with them. If something happened with Reed or Jonathan or Alexander, I would understand. You're an omega now, and they're alphas, your pack. And you've been trapped here?—"
She jerks back as if I've slapped her, gray eyes flashing. "Nothing happened," she says fiercely. "Nothing. I've been waiting for you, Rook. Only you. Always you."
Relief crashes through me, so intense it makes my knees weak. "I didn't mean?—"
“I know what you meant, and it’s sweet, but I don’t want them.” She says, stepping close again, her hands gentler now as they frame my face. “Not as much as I want you.”
