Page 51 of More Than I Can Bear

I wondered if Phil felt like I did, that she smiled just for him and only him. Something hot and hard and possessive throbbed in my chest, but when Phil shot me a wary look because I was standing by my side of the table like a fucking idiot, I was forced to tamp it down.

This wasn’t about me.

Kaine and Jack had made that clear, that any further attempts to soothe my wounded ego or assuage the sense of guilt that raged inside me were to be smothered ruthlessly. My eye had to be on the prize and that was this.

Fixing shit.

But when Phil sat down, Freya’s focus shifted to me.

Fuck, she was just as beautiful as I remembered. I saw notes of amber and gold, green and sable in her eyes as they widened. Was she remembering what it was like when we were together? She was staring at me, her breath coming in faster, her nostrils flaring. Was she breathing me in like I was doing her? Was she sucking my scent in and—

“Hello, Adam.”

That was more than I expected. Jack had said that Freya might not want to talk to me and I’d accepted that. When she did? Her lips quirked almost into a smile, but it faded away before it became anything real and my heart sank with it.

“Freya.” I breathed out her name. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Her brows creased slightly and she took a step back, the beast inside me wanting to claim the ground she ceded, but I forced myself to stay still.

“So I’ve heard,” she said, her tone turning wry. “I think the whole of Adelaide has heard, but…” Her eyes dropped down, spending way too much time regarding the grain of the conference table. “We need to find a way through this.” Her focus shifted to Jack. “That’s what we’re here for, right?”

She slid into her chair and then pulled out her phone, dropping it onto the table conspicuously before unlocking it and pushing it my way.

“You’ve got quite the fanbase.” Those beautiful eyes hardened then, staring into mine without blinking. “They have no qualms about attacking someone they feel has done you wrong.”

My heart was already breaking, but right now it felt like it was going into flames, filling my chest with hot ash.

“No, Freya, I didn’t—”

But she didn’t let me explain. Her lips thinned and a small frown formed.

“I’ve had hundreds of comments on my artist profile.”

“I didn’t want—”

“DMs warning me to keep the hell away from you,” she continued. “Others telling me to kill myself in increasingly complex ways.”

My hand went to grab hers, but she jerked it out of my reach.

“Some accusing me of making shit up to bring you down. What exactly that is, they don’t seem to know, because I’ve said nothing to the media.” Her eyes narrowed. “Unlike you.”

“Not a smart move, Adam,” Phil said with a shake of his head.

“I seem to be the target of every fantasy and every frustration your fans feel: attention I never wanted.”

“Freya, I’m sorry.”

I was interrupting her diatribe, one I’d more than earned, but I couldn’t seem to help it. I needed her to know just how I felt, but she just shook her head slightly.

“I’m sorry too,” she said finally, pulling away from me and that ache in my chest grew with that distance. “I never wanted this. I never signed up for this.”

And that’s when I saw her hand move, her fingers brushing against the bite mark I’d left.

Fuck.

Part of me had thought there was still hope, but that died now. I’d spent my life listening to stories of bear shifters finding their mates and knew now mine would be a cautionary tale. Don’t do what Adam did, or your mate will end up getting death threats made against her.

“I can make this right,” I said, gripping the table now, so I didn’t grab at her. “I can do another press conference.”

---