Page 18 of Accidentally Forever

His posture shifts slightly, his hands tucking into the pockets of his slacks, but there’s nothing casual about the way he looks at me. "I do care, Violet," he says, quieter this time, like the words are something meant only for me. And fuck if that doesn’t make something tighten in my chest, something I don’t have time to pick apart. "But those rumors in there? They aren’t ones to be taken lightly."

My jaw clenches, because I know he’s right. I know this isn’t something I can just ignore. But I don’t want to deal with this. Not when my entire world is narrowed down to one thing—getting Sofie home, making sure she doesn’t drown in this heat that’s clawing its way through her.

Still, when he gives me that expectant look, the kind that demands more than I want to give, I exhale sharply, rubbing my temple. "I didn’t think anything of it before today, but yeah, something was weird with one of the paintings."

His expression sharpens instantly. "Weird how?"

Frustration claws up my throat, presses against my ribs. "I don’t have a fucking degree in this," I snap, the words slipping out before I can stop them. "I don’t have training beyond what Xavier drilled into me to make a sale. But I do know that wet paint isn’t supposed to smudge on something that’s supposed to be decades old." I shrug, defensive even though I shouldn’t be. "I didn’t ask questions because asking questions gets me in trouble."

Puma studies me for a long second, his dark eyes flicking over my face. "That’s why you didn’t really want to sell it to Lance and Hawk."

"Yeah."

A slow, deviant smile spreads across his lips. "I guess I’m going to have a talk with your boss."

A laugh rips out of me before I can stop it. "Good fucking luck with that."

The predatory look in his eyes is the kind of look that sends a warning through my veins, a silent promise that Xavier doesn’t even realize what is coming for him. Oh, Xavier is fucked. I leave Puma, dashing the rest of the way to the car, relief flooding through me when I catch Sofie still asleep in the back seat.

Her skin is still flushed but she’s resting as I slip into the front seat and take off down the street. There’s a billion things rushing through my head that my knuckles turn white around the wheel.One thing at a time,I tell myself. Get through Sofie’s heat and then we figure out this complicated connection to the Ashford pack.

Chapter twelve

SOFIE

My body aches, every muscle sluggish, weighed down by something deeper than fatigue. The heat is still there, simmering low in my belly, dulled but not gone. Lance’s knot helped immensely, his citrus scent still lingering around me, keeping the real heat at bay. But none of that is what makes my chest tighten. It’s Violet.

She’s gripping the steering wheel like it’s the only thing keeping her together, fingers wrapped so tightly around it that her knuckles have turned bone-white. Her jaw is clenched, her throat working as she swallows hard, her breath uneven, barely controlled. She’s trying not to cry.

I shift in the backseat, pushing past the exhaustion, past the soreness, past the way my limbs tremble from the aftershocks. I have to reach her. Have to say something. Have to tell her—I don’t even know what.

I should have said something sooner. Should have told her how bad it was getting, how much I was struggling, how this thing inside me was unraveling faster than I could keep up with. The outcome could have been worse. So much worse. And I hate that she had to be the one to handle it. That she had to clean up my mess. That she had to let him in when we both swore we wouldn’t.

But I can’t be mad that he was there. Not when the only thing keeping me from drowning was the way he held me.

My fingers press against my chest, an unconscious attempt to steady the storm raging beneath my skin. Violet wipes a hand across her face like she’s angry at herself for slipping, for letting the cracks show even for a second.

It was supposed to be just us. Just me and her against everything. But now? Now there are Alphas in our orbit, pulling at the space we carved out for ourselves. And yet I know, deep in my fucking bones, that we both need more.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice hoarse, barely audible over the steady hum of the engine.

Violet’s breath stutters, her grip on the wheel tightening. “Sof, don’t.” I open my mouth to say more, but she cuts me off before I can even try. “You have nothing to apologize for,” she snaps, her voice frayed at the edges. “This isn’t your fault.”

I bite my lip, staring down at my lap, swallowing against the lump in my throat. She exhales hard, fingers twitching, then glances at me through the rearview mirror, her eyes shining with something fierce, something unwavering.

“Even with the entire fucking universe against us,” she growls, her voice filled with a conviction that makes my breath hitch, “I’m not leaving your side.”

By the time Violet has me tucked in bed, rushing around, gathering things I don’t understand, my heat is no longer staying away. “Vi, what—what are you doing?” I reach for her weakly, hating that she’s everywhere but at my side. A whine pulls from my throat as my body heats, slick coating the inside of my thighs. At least the cramps haven’t restarted. “Vi!”

She stops and looks toward me, scrambling toward the bed. Violet drops to her knees, frantically running her fingers through my hair. “Baby, we’re going to this little place I found. It’ll let us rent an Alpha and I can still be in the room to make sure you’re okay. It’s the safest option I found.”

God, she’s thought of everything. I can see the pain in her eyes but there’s nothing else we can do. “Okay.”

“Okay?” It’s almost like she thought I wouldn’t agree.

“As long as you’re right there, I’ll be okay. We just have to get through this and then we can figure everything out.” My words are threatening to slur as my heat looms, dragging me under that needy haze but it won’t be just for a spike this time. It’ll be for real.

Violet kisses my forehead and then returns to packing a bag with every necessity we could ever need for the next few days. It feels like she’s preparing for war and maybe in some part, that’s exactly what this is. Especially when my thoughts start drifting, my body growing unbearably hot. I can’t seem to focus on anything as heat pulses through me. This time when the cramp tears through me, the only thing I can do is curl up into a little ball.

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