Page 67 of The Alpha's Chosen Fate

What if Briggs wasn't prepared for that?What if we never got the chance to—

I shook my head, trying to dislodge the catastrophic scenarios playing out in my mind.It didn't work.

No one had come to lock the door and I considered slipping out to find him, to talk some sense into him before it was too late.

Rieka snapped at me so I let the idea go.

Dawn arrived slowly.I stood at the window, watching the sun climb higher in the sky, until my eyes burned and my vision blurred.

Finally, I forced myself to turn away and made my way downstairs.

The cabin was quiet.The guards on duty must have remained outside.

In the kitchen, I busied myself with making coffee, trying to occupy my hands and my mind.I was so preoccupied I barely acknowledged the fact I hadn’t been locked in last night.

The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity.And still, there was no sign of Briggs.

Until, suddenly, there was.

The front door opened.Footsteps, slow and purposeful, came into the kitchen.

I poured him a cup of coffee and slid it across the island.His lungs expanded, pulling his shirt tighter across his chest.

After a long pause, he came around to me and nuzzled the top of my head.“Thank you,” he breathed into my hair.

My tongue was too thick to reply.

Briggs kissed my forehead sweetly, grabbed my offering, and went to his study.

Chapter 21

Ivy

Briggs and I walked side by side in quiet unison.The breeze blowing through the trees provided a tranquil backdrop to our excursion.

It had been two days since he opened the envelope, and neither of us had mentioned it since.

There’d been a shift in the aftermath, more subtle than the change between us after I found out why he’d rejected me.

He hadn’t locked the door.

Our walks became hikes.

We didn’t speak more than one or two words when necessary.

Astonishingly, the whole not speaking thing held no air of animosity.It was more of an acceptance of coexisting in peace.

Today we took a different trail, around the ridge to the south of the territory.We came around a sharp bend in a narrow ravine and were halted by a large boulder blocking our path.

Briggs took a running leap, effortlessly landing atop the rock.Though blessed with a dual nature, I couldn’t jump quite as high.

“Here,” Briggs offered.

I looked at his outstretched hand.Climbing up and over on my own would require very little effort.

I didn’t need his help.Still, I reached for him.

Instead of the sharp zing of electricity that usually happened when our skin made contact, a comforting warmth from his hand enveloped mine.It spread up my arm and through the rest of my body.

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