Page 43 of Saved By The King's Gamma

His words make my breath hitch, a mixture of longing and fear rising inside me. I do want him. I want to feel something other than pain, want to feel connected to someone who doesn’t see me as broken beyond repair. But at the same time, the fear lingers—fear of not being enough, of never being whole enough for him.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I lean up slightly, closing the small distance between us. My lips brush against his hesitantly, barely a whisper of a touch, but it’s enough to make my heart race. He doesn’t move at first, like he’s afraid to do anything that might scare me off.

Then, slowly, almost warily, he kisses me back.

His lips are warm and gentle, moving against mine with a softness that makes my chest ache. It’s not like the rough, possessive kisses Kade used to force on me. This is different—tender, patient, like Gannon is giving me all the time in the world to decide what I want.

For a moment, I let myself get lost in it, in the warmth of his touch and the way his hands stay respectfully on my back, not pulling me closer, just holding me steady. And for that brief moment, I don’t feel broken. I just feel… me.

But then reality crashes back in, and the weight of everything I’ve been through presses down on me like a heavy stone. Panic flares in my chest, and I pull away quickly, breaking the kiss.

“I—I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “I can’t?—”

Gannon doesn’t say anything, just gives me a small, understanding nod. He doesn’t try to pull me back or ask for more, and I’m both grateful and guilty for it. Grateful that he doesn’t push, guilty because I know he deserves more than someone as damaged as me.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he says softly. “As I said, you don’t owe me anything, Abbie. I told you, I’ll wait.”

I nod, but the guilt doesn’t go away. I hate that I want more but can’t give it to him. I hate that I’m still so afraid, still so stuck in the past.

But Gannon doesn’t seem disappointed. If anything, he looks… relieved. Like he’s just glad I didn’t run away completely.

He drags me closer to the edge overlooking the forest below and I rest my chin on his shoulder taking it in, his hand moves soothingly up my back, never wandering and I relax against him.

“How long can we stay out here?” I ask.

“As long as you want, if you’re too tired to walk back I can carry you,” he says and I turn my head to look at him, he presses his lips to my forehead.

“Do you want to stay longer?”

I sigh, turning my gaze back to the view. “Yes,” I murmur. “It’s beautiful here.”

“Just like you.” He presses his face into my neck. He inhales deeply before pulling away and resting his head back on the rocks with his eyes closed and I watch his face. He has long lashes that brush his high cheekbones, making me jealous. He has a straight nose and nice full lips making me wonder why he even bothers wasting his time with me when he could have any girl he wanted. After a few minutes his lips quirk in the corners.

“Are you going to look at the view or watch me the entire time?” he chuckles, opening his eyes and my face heats. An embarrassing squeak leaves me, and I avert my gaze. He chuckles again, tucking me closer but closes his eyes once more.

20

Two days have passed, and I never thought I would be so relieved for Kyson to be out of the castle. He has been driving me up the wall, constantly watching my every move and forcing vitamins down my throat. It has only been a week since we found out about the pregnancy, and he’s already becoming overbearing. He had explained that one week in human pregnancy equated to three or four weeks for Lycans and that Lycan pregnancies only last three to four four months max. But if it’s only been a week, I dread to think about what a fortnight will bring. Nevertheless, there is a silver lining to his absence – Abbie will be returning tomorrow. The prospect of her company brings a welcome relief to the monotony of castle life, especially since Kyson has forbidden me from helping Peter, the stable boy, or assisting Clarice. I might die of boredom before he gets back.

When I wake up to find him off on business, I’m relieved. This relief is short-lived, however, when I find out, he assigns me a babysitter in the form of Liam. Liam is… let’s just say… eccentric. Despite his disturbing sense of humor, he has a way of entertaining Dustin and me, who doesn’t seem to mind his presence, either.

“My Queen,” Liam greets as he walks into the room. I roll my eyes playfully and scoot to the edge of the bed upon seeing him enter. In his hands are the dreaded vitamins and a green, chunky-looking smoothie Kyson has been making me drink three times a day. The concoction tastes absolutely dreadful. “Bottoms up,” Liam says, holding out the glass of green sludge and the pills.

“I think I’ll pass on that,” I reply with a smirk.

“Your Royal Pain in the Ass instructed me to ensure you drink this lovely concoction that looks like snot and baby shit, My Queen,” Liam says as if he is getting some sort of pleasure out of making me drink this. “It can’t be that bad,” he adds, thrusting the cup toward me.

“Have you tasted it yourself?” I ask.

“No, but I watched him make it before he left, and he was very insistent that you drink this lovely glass of vileness,” Liam explains.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him or my stomach,” I reply, cringing at the thought of the taste. It’s a flavor that’s hard to forget.

“Just take a sip, and I can say I witnessed you drinking it.”

I raise an eyebrow at him; he will have to pin me down to get me to drink that.

“If you can stomach it, then I’ll give it a try,” I challenge. Liam sighs, holding the glass up.

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