Page 84 of Petals and Strings
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ansel
My consciousness returned slowly, a warmth surrounding me and scents that left my omega content for the first time in our entire life.
A whimper had my eyes popping open. Soft snores were drowning it out. Rydell, Ledger, Kane and Audrey all still sleeping soundly.
Then my gaze landed on Caspian writhing in his sleep, tears streaming down his face as his features contorted into pure agony.
My heart broke. Knowing what he’d endured was enough for me to crawl out of the covers between Audrey and the wall. My heart was pounding in my chest, breath shallow, as I moved toward the sleeping alpha.
Despite the physical reaction, my omega was content, if not just as worried as I was.
“Caspian,” I whispered, hand tapping his arm gently. Startling him wasn’t going to put me at ease any, nor would it be safe waking him from what I could only assume was aviolent and heart-breaking nightmare he couldn’t wake himself up from.
His eyes flew open. Caspian stared at me, the fear still on his face before he broke. A sob wrenched free and he put a hand over his mouth to try and suppress it.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered brokenly, shattering my heart for this alpha. I knew I had my own issues, but in that moment, only for him, I couldn’t hold back.
He gasped softly as I wrapped my arms around him. Knowing I’d established there was no attraction was enough for me to be able to hold him as a friend. Someone who understood the pain of nightmares.
I knew that feeling of pure exhaustion. The point when your brain couldn’t give you a single night of relief.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m sorry you had to endure that again.”
“It’s changing,” he admitted as he wrapped his arms around me. My touch-starved omega let him hold me there. To my relief, he didn’t react outside of speaking softly, ruffling my hair.
“How?”
“It’s her now.” He didn’t have to explain who he meant, both of us glanced over at the sleeping omega in the room. Her blonde hair was fanned around her and those perfect lips parted softly.
“You don’t regret your wife, knowing the outcome, right?” It was a harsh question, but he answered anyway.
“Of course, not.”
“Then you won’t regret Audrey, either. It’s okay to find a new life, new happiness. It doesn’t erase the one you had. That love is different and so is she. This is just your inner fear winning out after a hard week.”
“When did you get wise, little omega?” he mused as he let me go. I scooted away just enough that we weren’t touching. Mychest was tight, more than a little shocked I even allowed that, but so fucking proud of myself.
Audrey was always so strong and sure that it had me wanting to embrace my instincts more.
“Years of therapy,” I snorted.
“I know Theo didn’t bring that out,” Caspian said. “Cross promised someone new. He better deliver. We all need it.”
“What’s going on?” Kane’s soft voice had us turning to take in the beta. He was running a hand over his face, then arranging his long, twisted braids around him as he waited for us to answer.
“Bad dreams,” Caspian admitted. Kane nodded, rising from his bed and disappearing into his room. He came back a few minutes later with a tea bag resting in a paper cup. Soft steam rose out of it, a welcome sight.
“Do you need one, too, Ansel?”
“No, but thank you,” I answered. It felt strange to talk to them so openly. For years I’d stayed silent, as if words would make me more vulnerable.
“How did you manage this?” Caspian asked.
“I think tea is my thing,” he said, uncertainty in his eyes. “After working in the kitchens I managed to snag us a small supply. It’s tap water, not too hot but it does the trick.”
“Thank you,” Caspian said before blowing on the cup and taking a sip, he hummed in appreciation as it hit his tongue. “This is nice.”
