Chapter 14 #3
"Then most people are idiots." He shifted slightly closer, still not crowding me but close enough that I could catch his scent—something crisp and clean with an undercurrent of cedar that reminded me of Garrett.
"Look, I'm not going to pretend this would be easy.
You've got walls, we've got complications.
But that doesn't mean it's not worth exploring.
Unless you genuinely don't want to, in which case we'll back off completely.
But if you're only saying no because you're scared. .. maybe that's worth pushing past?"
I stared at the coffee in my hands, watching steam curl up into the cool air. Everything he was saying made sense in a distant, logical way. But logic wasn't the problem. Fear was.
"What if I can't do it?" I asked quietly. "What if I try and I just... fail? What if I let you all in and then I can't handle it and everyone gets hurt?"
"Then we deal with it. Together." Levi's voice was steady, certain. "But Daphne, you can't live your whole life avoiding things because they might not work out. Sometimes you have to take the risk."
Before I could respond, Eleanor appeared around the corner, slightly out of breath. "There you are. Daphne, honey, are you alright?"
I nodded mutely, not trusting my voice.
"Good. Because half the market is buzzing about Trinity's little performance, and I thought you should know—no one believed her.
" Eleanor's expression was fierce with protective anger.
"Everyone knows Trinity's been making a nuisance of herself since she showed up.
No one thinks you're scheming or desperate or any of those horrible things she said. "
"They don't?" The question came out small, disbelieving.
"Of course not. We've known you for five years, Daphne.
We know you mind your own business, work hard, never cause trouble.
One dramatic omega throwing accusations isn't going to change that.
" Eleanor glanced at Levi, then back to me.
"Though I will say, the general consensus is that if you are being courted, good for you.
Those boys seem nice, and you deserve some happiness. "
The casual acceptance in her voice, the matter-of-fact way she dismissed Trinity's accusations while simultaneously endorsing the possibility of a courtship, left me speechless.
"I should get back to my stall," Eleanor continued. "But Daphne? Don't let Trinity's poison get to you. You're worth ten of her, and everyone knows it."
She squeezed my shoulder gently before heading back toward the market proper, leaving me alone with Levi and a head full of conflicting thoughts.
"See?" Levi said softly. "Not everyone's judging you the way you think they are."
I took a sip of coffee, using the motion to hide my expression. "Trinity's not going to let this go."
"Probably not. But that's her problem, not yours." He stood, offering me his hand. "Come on. Let's get you back to your stall. I'll stay nearby if you want—moral support against any more dramatic confrontations."
I looked at his offered hand for a long moment. Accepting it felt like accepting more than just help standing up. It felt like accepting the possibility he was offering. The risk. The terrifying chance that maybe, just maybe, letting people past my walls wouldn't destroy me.
Slowly, I reached out and took his hand. His grip was firm, warm, steady as he pulled me to my feet. And he didn't let go immediately, didn't release me the second I was standing. Instead, he gave my hand a gentle squeeze, his blue eyes meeting mine with understanding.
"We've got you," he said quietly. "If you'll let us."
I pulled my hand back gently, needing the space to breathe, to think. "I don't know if I can. One I haven’t even met all of your pack yet…two I don’t even know if I want to be courted or a romance at that."
"Then take your time figuring it out," Levi said simply. "We're not going anywhere."
We walked back to my stall together, and I felt the market's attention on us immediately.
People were definitely watching now, definitely talking.
The gossip mill was going to be working overtime after today.
But as I looked around at the familiar faces—Mrs. Morrison giving me an encouraging nod, Eleanor smiling warmly, even a few other vendors offering supportive waves—I realized Eleanor was right.
They weren't judging me harshly. They were. .. supportive? Hopeful, even?
It was disorienting, this communal approval of something I hadn't agreed to yet.
But it was also, in a strange way, oddly comforting.
Like maybe I didn't have to face this decision entirely alone.
Levi stayed nearby as I resumed my position behind my stall, not hovering but clearly present.
A few customers approached, and I noticed they were gentler than usual, kinder in their questions and comments.
Word had definitely spread about Trinity's scene.
"Don't let her get to you," Mrs. Peterson said as she bought her weekly lavender bundles. "That girl's been making trouble since she arrived. You just keep doing what you're doing, dear."
"Thank you," I managed, genuinely touched by the support.
The morning continued like that—customers offering subtle encouragement, vendors checking in with concerned glances, and through it all, Levi's steady presence a few stalls away, browsing other vendors but clearly keeping an eye on me.
It should have felt suffocating, all this attention. Instead, it felt... safe. Protected.
Like maybe I didn't have to face everything alone anymore. The thought was both terrifying and strangely appealing. As the market began to wind down in the early afternoon, as I started packing up my remaining goods, Eleanor appeared at my stall again.
"You did well today," she said quietly. "Stood your ground, didn't let Trinity break you. I'm proud of you."
The unexpected praise made my throat tight. "I didn't do anything special."
"You defended yourself. You didn't run away or hide. That's plenty special." Eleanor glanced toward where Levi was helping another vendor load boxes into their truck. "He seems nice. They all do, from what I've heard."
"Eleanor—"
"I'm not pushing," she said gently. "Just observing. And Daphne? Whatever you decide about this courting business—whether you say yes or no—make sure it's what you actually want. Not what you think you should want, or what scares you less. What you want."
She left before I could respond, leaving me with yet another uncomfortable truth to sit with.
What did I want? I wanted safety. I wanted my carefully controlled life back.
I wanted walls that held firm and routines that never changed and a future I could predict with absolute certainty.
But I also wanted... more. The conversations with Garrett that made me feel seen.
Levi's easy humor that made me laugh despite myself.
The possibility of connection, of belonging, of being chosen not despite my walls but because someone thought I was worth the effort of scaling them.
I wanted both things. And they seemed entirely incompatible.
As I loaded the last crate into my truck, Levi appeared at my elbow. "Need any help?"
"I've got it," I said automatically, then paused. Reconsidered. "Actually... if you could grab that one?" I pointed to a particularly heavy box of preserves.
He grinned like I'd given him a gift, hefting the box easily into the truck bed. "See? Accepting help isn't so bad."
"Don't get used to it," I muttered, but there was no real heat in it.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He closed the tailgate, then turned to face me fully. "Daphne, about what Trinity said—"
"She's right though, isn't she?" I interrupted, needing to voice the fear before it consumed me. "I am damaged. I do have too many walls. I can barely function in normal social situations. Why would you want—" I gestured vaguely between us. "Any of this?"
Levi was quiet for a moment, considering his words carefully. "Can I tell you something? About my past?"
I nodded, surprised by the shift.
"I had a brother. Older, smarter, perfect in every way according to our parents.
And me? I was the screwup. The one who couldn't get anything right.
" His voice was matter-of-fact, but I could hear old pain underneath.
"I watched him nearly destroy himself trying to be what everyone expected.
Addiction, depression, the whole spiral.
And you know what saved him…at least for awhile? "
I shook my head.
"Finding people who wanted him for who he actually was, not who he was supposed to be.
People who saw his damage and didn't run.
Who said 'okay, you're broken here, let's work with that instead of pretending you're not.
'" Levi met my eyes steadily. "That's what pack is supposed to be, Daphne.
Not people who want you perfect. People who want you, the real you. "
The words settled over me like a blanket, warm and heavy and impossible to ignore.
"I'm not good at that," I whispered.
"You're better at it than you think." He smiled gently. "You were pretty real on Friday with Garrett. And just now, when you asked for help instead of insisting you could do everything alone. That's progress."
"That's terrifying," I corrected, fidgeting and not trying to give into my urge and run away.
"Yeah, that too." His expression turned more serious.
"Look, I know we're moving fast. I know this is overwhelming.
But can you just... think about it? About whether you want to explore this, see where it goes?
You don't have to decide anything today.
Just don't close the door completely because you're scared. "
I looked up at him, this Alpha with his easy grin and unexpected depth, offering me patience when I expected pressure. "And if I can't do it? If I try and I just... break?"
"Then we'll be there to help pick up the pieces." He said it simply, like it was obvious. "That's what pack means."
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to find a text from Lynn: Call me ASAP. Market gossip is WILD today. You okay?
I showed the message to Levi with a rueful expression. "This is going to be everywhere by tonight."
"Probably," he agreed. "Does that change anything?"
Did it? Everyone already thought I was being courted. The gossip was already spreading. Trinity had already done her worst, and the town had largely taken my side. The damage—or perhaps the opportunity—was already done.
"I need time," I said finally. "To think. To figure out what I actually want instead of just reacting out of fear."
"That's fair." Levi stepped back, giving me space. "Take all the time you need. We'll be around. That and I assume you may want to meet the last one of us and get to know us slowly before you make a choice. We are fine with just friends first. "
I bit my lip and gave a nod. I climbed into my truck, started the engine, and sat there for a moment watching him walk back toward the market. Watching the way people greeted him easily, how he fit into the community's fabric with an effortlessness I'd never managed.
But maybe that was okay. Maybe I didn't have to fit the same way he did.
Maybe there was room for different kinds of belonging.
The drive home was quiet, my mind churning over everything that had happened.
Trinity's accusations, Eleanor's support, Levi's patient offer, the town's surprising acceptance.
It was too much to process, too many variables to control.
But as I pulled up to my cabin and saw the familiar garden stretching out before me, I felt something settle in my chest. This was still mine.
My sanctuary, my peace, my carefully cultivated life.
Nothing that happened today changed that.
Except... maybe it had changed me. Just a little.
Just enough to wonder if there might be room in my carefully controlled world for something unexpected.
As I unloaded the truck and carried my remaining goods inside, I caught myself looking down the road again. Toward the property where four Alphas were building something new. Toward possibility and risk and the terrifying chance of connection.
I wasn't ready to say yes. But maybe—maybe—I was ready to automatically say no. That felt like progress. Terrifying, uncomfortable progress, but progress nonetheless.