Page 71 of Drown My Sorrow

I exchange a look with Keagan. Yeah, we haven’t talked about that yet. These surfers need to know about this water problem of hers.

“Because it’s like flying and falling. The power of the ocean isn’t something you can harness or bend to your will. No, when you take a board out into the ocean, you are riding her moods. You don’t try to capture her, you let her take you where you’re supposed to be.”

“That sounds pretty.” Aspyn looks out at the ocean thoughtfully.

“The ocean is incredible. It’s life. Do you know how to swim?”

Yeah, right. I haven’t even been able to get her near a body of water in all these years, let alone teach her how to swim.

“Nope.”

“I’ll teach you-”

“No!” Aspyn says sharply. “No, I, just no.” She stands up and walks off. Keagan glances at us and follows after her. With him around, I have no worries. She will be safe.

I refocus my attention on the alphas in front of me. “Aspyn’s father and sister died in a flood when she was a child. It’s a major fear of hers.”

Kelly is frozen. He looks bruised. I decide it’s a good look for him.

“Of course, I’d heard the rumours, I just didn’t realise it was now a thing-”

I bristle, not liking his words one bit. “And then she was thrown into the waters where she was injured.”

Gael rubs his hand across his mouth. “Far out. She would have been so scared.”

“She panics in the rain,” Shale says. “Aspyn gets so scared that she will try to run, even though she can’t. She will forget and just try her hardest to get away.”

“When did it happen?” Gael asks. “She wasn’t very old when I crossed paths with her, and it had already happened.”

“She was young. Fourteen.”

“Why isn’t she in therapy?” Kelly asks.

I roll my eyes. Typical rich boy answer. “You have to have money for therapy and live in a place that isn’t an island of hate.”

Ezy looks away. “So from what you guys have told us, her father and sister died, she was gravely wounded, and her mother abandoned her on her birthday, leaving her homeless and almost dead?”

“Yes.” I look at Kelly. “She also met her scent match when she was sixteen, but he rejected her publicly.”

Kelly stiffens. “I had reasons for that.”

“Yeah, you might have, but imagine how it would have felt to a girl who had lost almost everything,” I snarl at him.

“I have thought about it!” Kelly hisses.

“Beau!” Shale says sharply, and I press my lips together. After a moment, I realise even that isn’t enough, so I stand up and walk away from the group before I say something I will regret. I wish I could erase her past or make her future better.

She spots me and waves. It’s enough to make me forget the anger and fall into a happy zone. She’s so lovely.

As soon as I approach, she hugs me and then points across the street. Nat is sitting on someone’s lap, her tongue halfway down their throat. I am impressed. We’ve been here two hours, and she’s already found someone. The beta moves fast.

“I guess we only need two rooms, then.”

Aspyn snickers and grabs at Keagan. He lifts her up and twirls her around. She’s excited, this childlike joy that is something new and intoxicating.

Ezy joins us, and I find his eyes follow her everywhere. There’s caution but a fiery attraction. He can’t resist her anymore than we can.

She reaches out to him without thinking, and they both freeze. Part of me wants to rip them apart, beat him black and blue. He doesn’t deserve her, but this is Shale’s plan.

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