Chapter 33 #2
But this is the first time I’ve ever felt it. The one and only time I’ve ever looked at an Alpha and felt an intense rush of desire. My body is reacting to being close to him, and all I want is to give in to those feelings. It’s overwhelming, and I don’t know how to make it go away.
“You look healthier,” he admits, with some reluctance. “I’m glad you’re back on your feet.”
His tone doesn’t quite match his words, and I don’t know why.
Clearly, he cares, so I’m not sure why it sounds like he doesn’t.
“I like it here,” I find myself telling him.
“It seems like a good place to be.”
Again, his tone doesn’t match his words.
He sounds disappointed while agreeing with me.
Then, he goes quiet, and we stand there in silence.
I don’t know what else to say, and I’m a little afraid of what might slip out of my mouth if we’re alone together for much longer.
If he wanted to make sure I survived, he did that.
What more does he want?
“If there’s nothing else …” I start, trailing off when I realize I’m not sure how to end the sentence without sounding rude.
He nods slowly, like he understands.
“I’m glad you’re doing so well. It was nice to meet you properly, Robin.”
He stands there, hands in his pockets, with a strange expression on his handsome face, and I can’t help but wish we had something more to talk about.
I’m not sure what possesses me exactly, but I take a step forward and hug him, one hand on his chest, the other going around his arm to his back.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I tell him, explaining the hug as I rest my head against his shoulder, wishing I didn’t need to move away.
His right hand moves up to hold the left one that’s resting on his chest.
The instant his skin touches mine, I get a jolt of memory that’s strong enough to make me gasp.
In the seconds after Colleen pushed me into the hallway, he stepped through the front door.
I stumbled into his arms in that moment. He caught me, and he held me steady.
The same concern was in his eyes that day, too.
He knew I needed help without needing to be told.
I didn’t understand exactly what was happening, so I should have protested, but I let him lead me out of the house, without the slightest bit of hesitation.
From the moment we met, I knew he was only going to protect me.
I trusted him before I had any idea who he was or why he was in the place I thought of as my home. Something inside me just knew he wasn’t like all the other Alphas I’d ever met.
I step back quickly, letting go of his hand.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asks, his tone finally matching his words.
He’s worried about me, and it shows.
He reaches out for me, his hand moving to my arm.
“Are you okay?”
I nod slowly, managing at least that much.
I can’t find the words to speak.
I’m too overwhelmed.
I’m only having these feelings for an Alpha I’ve barely spent any time with because it feels like he cares about me. That’s got to be why. There’s no other reason that makes any kind of sense.
I’m not an Omega.
I don’t have an Alpha true mate.
“I’m fine,” I whisper, when I can finally find the words.
He frowns, but he drops his hand from my arm.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
“Sorry,” I murmur. “You did nothing wrong. I … wasn’t expecting my memories to come back when we hugged. They’ve been hazy. It’s a little disconcerting whenever it happens.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I hope I didn’t upset you.”
“Robin?” Lana’s voice floats through from the other room.
I glance at the open doorway and see her standing there.
For a few intense moments, I forgot she was staying close by.
She looks vaguely concerned. She probably heard everything.
“I think it’s time for Mr. Falcone to leave,” she says. “You’re due a break if you need to take one. Please don’t think you need to rush back to work.”
“It’s just Falcon,” he tells her, quietly.
When I look back into his eyes, I find him watching me intently.
It still feels like there’s more to be said, but I don’t know what.
He doesn’t seem to want to leave.
And if I had a choice, I wouldn’t want him to go, either.
It doesn’t matter how much we know about each other, there will always be a connection between us. If he’d never stepped into my life, I might still be living a lie, close to death without even knowing it.
He’s the reason I’m standing here now, alive and well.
If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have let them take me.
“You’re leaving?” I ask.
“It’s probably time,” he admits, with a soft sigh.
I don’t want him to go, but I have no right to ask him to stay.
So, I take a breath, and then I tell him what needs to be said.
“Thank you. For everything you did for me. You saved my life.”
It sounds so dramatic, but it’s only the truth.
He smiles briefly in response.
It’s the smallest twitch of his lips, but it gives me another flashback of memory that only makes me crave more. He smiled at me like that as he laid me down on the hospital bed when we got here.
He said something then.
It was barely a whisper, but he was close enough that I heard it.
“You’re safe now.”
Those three simple words were like a spell being cast over me.
The way he whispered them was enough to make me believe them.
I forgot that for a while when I was alone here, but I can see how right he was.
“I’m safe now,” I confess, still feeling it.
He smiles brighter, and I wish I could ask him to stay.
“That’s all I wanted to hear,” he says.
“You’re ready to leave?” Lana asks.
He nods.
This is it. He’s going away, and this time he’s not going to come back.
He got what he came for. He found out the girl he saved survived.
“Stay safe,” he tells me, before he lets Lana lead him out of the room.
I stand there in the laundry room, holding onto the memories he sparked inside me.
I want to cry because he left, but I’m grateful I got the chance to thank him.
I’ll remember him forever now, and he’ll likely forget me.
That’s okay. I never want to forget the man who saved my life.
I don’t expect him to remember a Beta he once helped.
Pulling myself together emotionally takes a few minutes.
I leave the laundry room after I’ve dried my eyes.
I’ve barely started my first shift at the academy.
The night is far from over.