Chapter 11 #2
"We know you work harder than anyone on this ranch and never complain.
" Reid's voice was steady now, building, listing off observations like he'd been collecting them, saving them for this moment.
His dark eyes never wavered from mine, intense and sincere.
"We know you talk to the horses when you think no one's listening—soft and sweet, like they're the only ones who've earned your trust. We know you named that filly Hope, even though you tried to hide it, because Sawyer heard you whispering it to her when you didn't know he was there. "
My hand came up to cover my mouth, trying to hold in the sob that was building in my chest.
"We know you're scared of kindness because you're waiting for it to be taken away.
" Reid's voice cracked slightly, emotion bleeding through his careful control.
His hands twitched at his sides like he wanted to reach for me but was holding himself back.
"We know you flinch at sudden movements and unexpected touches.
We know you check the exits every time you walk into a room—Nolan noticed it the first day, the way your eyes mapped every door and window before you'd let yourself relax.
" He paused, swallowing hard, his throat working visibly.
"We know someone hurt you badly enough that you learned to survive instead of live.
And we know that despite all of that, you're still here.
Still trying. Still letting yourself hope, even when it terrifies you. "
The tears were flowing freely now, streaming down my face, and I couldn't stop them.
"So no, we don't know everything." Reid's voice was soft, gentle, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
He took one more step, close enough now that I could feel the heat radiating from his body, close enough to touch if either of them dared.
His dark eyes glistened with moisture he was clearly fighting to contain.
"We don't know your past. We don't know your secrets.
But we know you, Aster. The woman you are right now, in this moment.
And that woman—" His voice broke, just slightly, before he steadied it.
"That woman is exactly who we've been waiting for. "
I was sobbing now. Ugly, gasping sobs that shook my whole body, that I couldn't control no matter how hard I tried. I pressed both hands to my face, trying to hold myself together, but I was falling apart at the seams.
"I don't—" My voice came out muffled, broken, barely recognizable. I shook my head, tears streaming between my fingers. "I don't understand. No one has ever—why would you—"
"Because you're worth it." Reid's voice was fierce now, burning with conviction, all the careful control stripped away to reveal the raw emotion underneath.
His dark eyes blazed as he held her gaze, his whole body leaning toward her like he was fighting gravity itself to give her space.
"Because every single one of us has looked at you and seen something worth waiting for.
Worth fighting for." He paused, his voice dropping to a rough whisper.
"Worth being patient for, however long it takes. "
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Could only stand there, crying, as the walls I'd built over nine years crumbled around me.
"What if I say no?" The question came out small, fragile, barely louder than a breath.
I lowered my hands from my face, my pale green eyes meeting his dark ones, red-rimmed and swollen but searching.
Searching for the catch, the trap, the moment everything fell apart.
"What if I can't—what if I'm not—what if I try and I mess it up and I ruin everything? "
"Then nothing changes." Reid's voice was immediate, certain, carrying the weight of a promise carved in stone.
His expression softened, something vulnerable flickering behind his steady gaze, and his hands finally uncurled completely, palms open at his sides.
"You keep your job. You keep your place in the bunkhouse.
You keep working with the horses, visiting Marley in town, mucking stalls with Sawyer in the mornings.
" He paused, his jaw tightening slightly.
"We won't pressure you. We won't make things awkward.
We'll step back, give you space, and that will be the end of it. "
I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing, no words coming out. He was giving me an out. A real one, not a trap dressed up as kindness. He was offering me the freedom to say no and mean it.
"Why?" The word scraped out of me, raw and desperate, my voice rough with tears and confusion. My hands were shaking, my whole body trembling. "Why would you do that? Why would you offer me everything and then just... let me walk away?"
Reid was quiet for a long moment, his dark eyes searching my face. When he spoke, his voice was soft, barely above a murmur, carrying a weight that made my chest ache.
"Because what you need matters more than what we want.
" The words came out low and rough, scraping against something raw in his throat.
His dark eyes glistened, and I realized with a shock that he was fighting his own emotions, holding them back with the same iron control he applied to everything else.
"Because if you can't choose us freely, then having you wouldn't mean anything.
You're not something to be taken, Aster.
You're someone to be chosen. And that choice has to be yours. "
I stood there, shaking, tears still streaming down my face, feeling like I was standing on the edge of a cliff and looking down into something vast and terrifying and beautiful.
The Alphas. All four of them. They wanted me. Not for what I could do for them, not for what they could take from me, but... just me. The broken, feral girl who'd stumbled onto their ranch with nothing but a backpack and a desperate hope that maybe this time things would be different.
They'd been watching. Noticing. Collecting little pieces of who she was like treasures they were saving for this moment.
"I need time." The words came out rough, unsteady, but stronger than I expected.
I looked up at Reid, meeting his dark eyes, and something in my chest shifted—not breaking, but opening.
Like a door that had been locked for years finally creaking open.
"I can't—I can't give you an answer right now. It's too much. I need to think."
Reid nodded, a single dip of his chin that carried more weight than a thousand words. His expression was patient, understanding, and there was something in his eyes that looked almost like pride.
"Take all the time you need." His voice was soft, steady, carrying the warmth of an unspoken promise.
He took a step back, giving me space, his hands sliding into his pockets in a deliberately casual gesture.
His dark eyes held hers with gentle intensity.
"There's no deadline, Aster. No pressure.
When you're ready—if you're ever ready—we'll be here. "
I nodded, not trusting my voice to work properly. My hand came up to wipe at my tear-stained cheeks, the gesture rough and impatient. Reid turned to go, his boots scuffing against the straw-covered floor. He paused at the stall door, one hand on the frame, and looked back at me over his shoulder.
"For what it's worth—" His voice was low, rough with emotion, his dark eyes holding mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.
His profile was sharp against the fading light, all strong jaw and silver-threaded hair and patient, steady presence.
"We've been waiting a long time for you.
However long you need to decide... we can wait a little longer. "
Then he was gone, his footsteps fading down the stable aisle, leaving me alone with Bella and Hope and the weight of everything he'd just said.
I sank down into the straw, my back against the wall, and let myself cry.
I didn't sleep that night.
I lay in my narrow bunk, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing through everything Reid had said. Not just the offer—though that was overwhelming enough—but everything else. The details. The observations. The proof that they'd been paying attention in ways I hadn't even noticed.
Nolan had seen me put myself between him and Bella. Sawyer had noticed how I anticipated what he needed during the birth. Kol had registered that I gave him a second chance when most people wouldn't. Reid had watched me for three days straight, had seen the hope and fear warring on my face.
They knew I talked to the horses. They knew I named the filly Hope.
They knew I checked exits and flinched at sudden touches and was terrified of kindness.
They knew me. Not everything—not the ugly parts, the shameful parts, the parts I kept locked away even from myself—but they knew the person I was trying to become. And they wanted her anyway.
The thought was terrifying. Overwhelming. Too big to fit inside my chest. Underneath the fear, underneath the panic and the doubt and the voice in my head screaming that this was a trap, that it had to be a trap...
Underneath all of that, there was something else.
Hope.
The same thing I'd named the filly. The same thing I'd spent nine years trying to crush before it could take root and grow into something that could be ripped away.
Hope that maybe, just maybe, this was real.
I pressed my hands to my face, feeling the tears leak out between my fingers, and wondered if I had any bravery left.
The answer, when it came, surprised me.
Maybe not bravery. But something close to it.
Something that looked a lot like hope.