Page 70 of Awakened
He gave me a watery smile and nodded. “I am. I do.”
I wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Okay, good.” I blew out a breath. “And you’re sure you want to be alpha?”
He shrugged and said, “It’s what I was born to do.” His tongue pushed the inside of his cheek as he eyed me. “I came home destroyed.”
My heart ached, knowing I had caused that pain.
“But the longer I’m here, the more things click. I’d been fighting my destiny for so long that I didn’t remember what it was like to just exist.”
The tears came back. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” I choked out.
Seth approached me cautiously and gently tilted my chin up with his calloused fingers. “You have nothing to apologize for. I did it to myself.” He exhaled and closed the distance between us. “Loving you consumed all of me. I knew how it would end, but I could sooner stop breathing than stop loving you.” A sad smile pulled at his lips as his thumb grazed my jawline. “But I would suffer through all that pain again for the moments we had together.”
Hisbeautiful brown eyes peered into mine. My hands had found their way to his cheeks. His mouth was only an inch from my own when I finally leaned away.
He couldn’t do this. He was happy and in love. I was just a tornado here to ruin what he had built.
Without breaking eye contact, I said, “We should go back in. I need to apologize to your father but also make sure he understands the Amazons will not support this gathering.”
Seth snapped out of his trance, his cheeks crimsoning as his hand dropped. “Uh yeah. You really popped off in there.”
I turned and walked toward the cabin. “It’s ludicrous to risk lives for the possibility of mate pairings. The more I see of this mate business, the more unsure I am it’s worth it. Wolves are treating it like a religion when it seems like a biological fluke.” I side-eyed him. “I remember when we argued about mates a year ago. Things certainly have changed.”
“They certainly have.”
When we reached the cabin, we went our separate ways. I needed to remove all traces of the afternoon from my body. I looked like the final girl in a horror movie—hell, I felt like the final girl. I changed out of my dirt-covered dress and cleaned up the tear stains on my cheeks. I had an hour until dinner, so I went to apologize for my rudeness. Dinner was already going to be uncomfortable without the alpha wanting to murder me.
As soon as I was downstairs, I heard shouting.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?”
In stark contrast to Seth’s voice, Alpha Collins replied calmly, “I did. I told you a representative from the Amazons was coming. Anyway, why should it matter? You have Rebecca and your future. She was bound to find out that you’re with your mate.”
There was a pause.
“Didn’t you see how hurt she was? She shouldn’t have found out like that.”
Even then, Seth was worried about me. I knew falling out of love with him would be hard.
Fucker.
“How could I have known she would be upset? She rejected you, remember?”
I could practically feel Seth flinch at the truth. It took every bit of my self-control not to storm in there and punch Alpha Collins right in the dick.
“I remember. Letting her go has been the hardest thing I have ever done, and then you just spring her on me. How could you do that?” His voice was thick with emotion.
“I’m sorry to have caused you pain, son, but it’s better this way. I needed to see if you are ready to take your rightful place with Rebecca. After that outburst, you can’t honestly say you still have feelings for that girl. She’s no luna.”
There was a loud scuffle and a menacing growl.
“Never, I repeat,neversay a disparaging word about Celeste Spencer. She is without equal. This pack would be lucky to have her as a member, let alone their luna.”
A loud thud caused me to jump.
“I’m doing everything expected of me. I’m with my mate. I gave up teaching to train to be alpha. I’ve even made my peace with your religion. You have no right or reason to question my intentions or resolve!”
I had heard enough. Barging into the office, I was surprised to find Alpha Collins on the floor next to the wall and a murderous, panting Seth standing over him.
