Chapter 16
FLETCHER
I was healing, slowly. My ribs still ached when I twisted wrong, and my shoulder lit up with fire if I moved too fast, but it was better than it had been. Adam made sure of that.
He was so gentle.
Too gentle.
Every night, he tucked me in like I was something breakable. Kissed my forehead like the moment was sacred. Like I was sacred.
And god, I wanted to believe in it so badly.
I wanted to melt into it, let myself pretend that his tenderness meant something more.
That maybe I could have the kind of happily-ever-after my foster sister used to whisper about when we curled up under the blankets with her love stories, hiding from the noise and the fists of the world.
But I knew better.
Adam was meant for someone else.
There was a storm brewing inside of me. My skin felt too hot, too tight, like I didn’t quite fit in my body anymore. My thoughts were sluggish and sharp all at once. And that warmth… It wasn’t from Adam’s arms around me, even though I was nestled against him like I belonged there.
I didn’t. Not really.
It was early, but I couldn’t sleep anymore. I couldn’t lie still with the ache in my belly growing stronger, with the fantasy in my head getting more dangerous by the second.
In Adam’s arms, I could almost believe I was his mate. That I was safe. Loved.
But reality didn’t care about fantasies.
Adam stirred behind me, the rhythm of his breathing changing. His voice, soft and laced with sleep, murmured, “Fletch? You okay? You’re really flushed.”
I forced a breath. Too fast. Too shallow.
Then his hand was on my forehead, and I winced. His touch was too much. Everything was too much. I squeezed my thighs together and bit back a whine.
“Damn.” He sat up in bed, his tone suddenly heavy with concern. “You’re burning up.” He frowned. “Maybe we should go back to the doctor.”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly.
He didn’t buy it. “It could be an infection—”
“It’s not.”
Adam sat there beside me, his slim brows furrowed in worry. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. Not when everything inside me was screaming and slick and wanting.
Wanting him.
“How do you know?” he asked gently.
“I just do, okay?”
But he kept pushing. He wouldn’t drop it, and the pressure broke something in me.
“For an Alpha, you sure are clueless!” I snapped, sitting up and tugging the covers around myself like a barrier. “I’m going into heat, okay?”
The silence hit hard. Adam blinked, stunned. “Oh.” That’s all he said. Oh.
I hugged myself around my middle. The illusion of happiness was shattered, just like that. I’d held it together as long as I could, but the warmth building in my gut wasn’t going away—it was only getting worse.
“I’ve…never actually been around an Omega in heat before,” Adam said quietly.
I stared at him. “What? Surely you’ve dated.”
He gave this dry, tired huff of a laugh. “Yeah. The Omegas my father sets me up with. Never a second date. And the people I’ve slept around with? It was never like this.”
Never like what, I wanted to ask. I shook my head. This was spiraling fast. I needed to get out of here before I did or said something I regretted.
“I… I should probably go back to my room,” I muttered, already swinging my legs off the edge of the bed. “It’s going to be a rocky week.”
Adam frowned. “Fletcher, you know I won’t hurt you.”
“Yeah, I know, but…” My voice cracked. I clenched my jaw and forced a slow breath through my nose. “I don’t want to mess up a good thing, you know? When sex gets involved, things get tangled. And I—”
He kissed me.
His hand cupped the side of my face, turning mine to his, and I froze—but he didn’t. His lips caressed mine, warm and gentle and achingly real.
The world spun out from under me, my heart thundering in my chest. This wasn’t happening. This was part of my fever dream. I was still asleep, wrapped in the throes of my heat. This couldn’t be real.
When he pulled back, his hand was still on my face, and he looked at me like I was the only person in the world.
“My feelings are already involved,” he whispered. “It’s too late.”
I stared at him, stunned. How? When? My inner-feline purred so loudly, wanting nothing more than to rub against his mate and let ourselves fall into Adam’s strong arms. Let him take care of us in our time of need.
But…
“This… This shouldn’t happen,” I uttered, pulling back. My throat tightened around the words. Everything inside of me was screaming as I stumbled out of bed, nearly falling flat on my ass and taking the bedsheets with me.
“You don’t understand… It can’t. I’m not the kind of Omega an Alpha like you needs in your life, Adam. I’m sorry.” I choked on the words.
Adam’s expression collapsed, and in that moment, I hated myself for the hurt I saw there.
Unable to take any more, I spun on my heel and fled.
I escaped out the bedroom door and down the hall. I didn’t stop to see if he would follow. I didn’t want to. I couldn’t.
I made it to the guest room—my room—slammed the door behind me, and collapsed onto the bed. The sheets were cold. Stale. A bitter reminder of what I’d just thrown away.
With a sob, I pressed my face into the pillow and let the tears come, hot and silent.
Damn it.
I’d ruined everything.