Page 114 of Our Deceptive Heat

I find myself standing at my window, staring at the starry night sky far too often. Unable to sleep because the memories keep playing over and over. You’d think it would be the horrible memories that would keep me up. But it’s not, it’s the ones that used to make me smile. They are now a dull ache that won’t stop.

Kelly banned me from drinking after I spent a week drowning my sorrows.

So, now it’s just me and my thoughts and this damn paranoia.

This fear.

Because I’ll give in.

Because they might not love me.

Because I don’t want to hear that everything is over, and they’ve moved on.

I wrap my arms around myself and walk down to the shore.

It’s become a habit to walk the moon-drenched beaches, listening to the quiet swell and waves lapping at the shore.

The beach isn’t huge, but it’s long enough that it takes me an hour and a half to amble both ways.

I’m not paying attention.

I should have been, but tiredness and familiarity have me unprepared.

“Hello, Ryn.”

I stop dead, my heart exploding into a gallop, my throat seizing. My knees tremble, and I’m torn between running to him and running from him.

I straighten my spine. “Tyr.”

In the moonlight, he looks unreal. Like something from the depths of my imagination. Some fantasy where he comes and begs my forgiveness and makes all the wrongs go away.

I stalk past him. He reaches out and tries to grab my arm, but I jerk out of his grip and glare at him.

“We have nothing to say to each other, so keep your damn hands to yourself.”

“Ryn.”

I shake my head. “Just leave me the hell alone.”

“Just hear me out!”

I walk faster, and when he jogs after me; I veer towards the shadowed shape standing on the path in front of us.

“Ezy?”

He turns and spots me, then Tyr.

The normally calm and chill alpha transforms into someone extremely dangerous as he steps between us.

“You want to stop that now,” he growls.

Tyr tries to shove past him, but Ezy is quick and bumps his big chest into Tyr’s slightly smaller frame.

“No, man, she doesn’t want to talk to you, and alphas don’t get to intimidate omegas on my watch.”

“I’m not-”

“She said no, and you’re still pushing. Isn’t that the definition of intimidation?”

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