Page 64 of Petals and Strings
We’d both been burned before.
Then there was the complication of a pack built on shattered minds and amidst all this turmoil.
If the time came, at least I had a backup plan. Until then, we’d have to see what Director Cross’s next move was.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Audrey
Instead of folding in on myself, I found myself walking through the halls in search of Ansel. He hadn’t come back after his therapy session and I was finding myself terrified when I couldn’t see someone in our little group.
Pack, my omega side supplied unhelpfully. No matter if it felt like one, how could it be in a place like this?
His scent hit me first. That alluring scent of blood orange, jasmine, and burning wood. A mix of sweetness and soft masculinity.
I breathed him in as I rounded the corner in the library to find my omega nestled on one of the couches, book in hand but eyes distant, book long forgotten. His soft dark hair was brushed back like he’d shoved it out of his face before zoning out.
“Ansel,” I said quietly as I approached, afraid to startle him. Those deep, piercing eyes flickered to me and he blinked a few times to clear away wherever his head had been. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I had Eleanor today, so we didn’t get anywhere, but after that group therapy session with Trinity the other day, I can’t shake the memories as easily,” he admitted, putting the book aside and opening his arms as if he just knew I needed the touch.
We both did.
I didn’t hesitate to spread out on the couch with him, resting my head on his lap. Not even thinking, I pressed my nose to his stomach where I rested, breathing in deep. A soft giggle escaped as I accidentally tickled him, the sound making me smile.
It was so easy with this omega. At first he was standoffish, but the moment we gave in and connected it was like we’d been together for years.
We weren't labeled. Neither of us even talked about what happened, but we also didn’t let anything linger around to ruin it. We touch, stay close, and focus on healing.
His fingers teased through my hair, combing through the waves and draping them behind me with each layer he combed through.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I offered against the silence.
“Seeing you bring your past up had me wanting to,” he admitted. “I think working up to that courage is what has been bothering me. Watching you took that away. You make me feel stronger.”
“It’s just us here,” I said gently as I shifted my hands under his shirt, finding his skin. He was warm under my palms, the feeling grounding me as I prepared to hear the horrors he’d endured.
He didn’t start right away. His eyes were locked across the room, seeing something I couldn’t. I simply stroked his skin, reminding him I was here. I hoped the touch would give him something to focus on when he spoke.
“My entire life I was an anomaly. My scent wasn’t bad to anyone. As a child that worked in my favor. School was easy, everyone was nice, then as I got older and came into my omega side, it shifted. Their attention turned from friendly into interested, even when I wanted no part of it.”
“Did your family protect you?” I asked though I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
“They hated that I drew attention to them. The true scope of my scent really came in after my designation kicked in. Then it was even more potent. My own mom got jealous of all the attention. They kicked me out,” he said as his hands stilled in my hair. “I wasn’t even old enough to be on my own.”
His voice finally broke. I fucking hated that I couldn’t take away his pain.
At least I could give it space between us, find a place for it to fit into our lives as it slowly evolved into something that gave him strength.
He took a breath and forged ahead. I understood the need to get it all out at once. It was easier to face that way.
The relief after was indescribable. To know that someone else sees you despite everything you’d been through, to know it doesn’t define you.
“After that I went to an omega shelter. I’d befriended an alpha who worked there. I thought he wanted to keep me safe, but really he just saw a way to make money and jumped at it. Especially when we realized suppressants wouldn’t work,” he said, an angry, sharp edge to his voice.
“He sold you,” I guessed.
Ansel nodded, his fingers resuming playing with my hair as I wrapped my arms around his middle, holding him through this.
