Page 74 of Stalked By the Alphas
“Eat slowly,” he advises as he sits across from me. “Your stomach might be sensitive after, you know.”
I nod, not needing a rehash of my purge last night and take a cautious spoonful. The warm broth soothes my throat and settles comfortingly in my stomach. We eat in silence for a while, the heaviness of everything unsaid hanging between us.
“Noah and Zach want to see you,” Carter says eventually, his voice careful. “When you’re ready.”
I tense, my spoon freezing halfway to my mouth. “Oh.”
“You don’t have to see them if you’re not ready,” he adds quickly. “They understand if you need more time.”
I lower my spoon, staring into my bowl. “I... I don’t know what to say to them. To any of you, really.”
Carter nods slowly. “I know. There’s a lot we need to talk about. But it doesn’t have to be now.”
I look up at him, studying his face. There’s concernin his eyes, but also something else. Guilt? Fear? I’m not sure.
“After what happened…” I trail off, unable to finish the sentence.
Carter’s expression darkens. “They won’t hurt you or anyone else ever again.”
A chill runs down my spine at his words and the cold fury in his voice. I know I should be horrified, but all I feel is relief.
“I know, but you… them…” I say quietly. “It was…”
“Necessary. We know about your past, Hazel. When you were a child at Leah’s party.”
His words slam into my chest, and I choke on my saliva. “H-how? I never told anyone.”
“You did. You told Noah while you were drunk one night years ago. He kept the secret safe, but all this time, he tried to find out who it was. He eventually received a phone call from Leah, and things became more clear.” He clears his throat and avoids my gaze.
I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. The room spins slightly as I try to process this information. “Noah knew? All this time?”
Carter nods grimly.
“Fuck,” I mutter and look down. “I don’t remember telling him.”
“I know.”
“He had no right to tell you!” I snap, shoving my soup away.
“He didn’t want to. But aren’t you glad that hedid?” he snaps back, his alpha side showing when he growls and stands up abruptly.
I shake uncontrollably as his growling affects me. He notices and visibly calms himself. “None of that matters. What’s done is done. Those men will never hurt you again.”
He storms off as if he is the one who has been wronged, and I hear the front door open and slam shut a second later.
He left me.
Panic hits me, and I look around frantically, hoping no one will jump out of the shadows at me.
Moments later, the front door opens again and closes more quietly this time.
“I’m sorry,” he says from the kitchen doorway. “I shouldn’t have yelled, and I definitely shouldn’t have left you.”
“It’s okay,” I stammer.
He sighs sharply. “No, it isn’t, Hazel. I am your protector. I always fucking have been. We all have. But we can’t even seem to do that right.”
“You don’t need to be my protectors,” I say with a frown. “That’s not your job.”
