Page 45 of Nursing the Alpha
I would have known his scent anywhere.
My pulse roared in my ears as my eyes darted to the doors, scanning frantically. And there, just stepping onto the car at the far end, was Flynn.
His tote bag slung over his shoulder, curls damp from the misting rain, a book clutched loosely in his hand.
He looked tired. Pale. His lips pressed into a thin line like he was trying to hold himself together.
God, I’d missed him.
The second his eyes met mine, Flynn froze.
It was subtle. Just the slightest hitch in his step, his fingers tightening on the strap of his tote, but I felt it like a shockwave.
For one fragile moment, he didn’t move. I let myself hope—stupid, reckless hope—that he might stay. That he’d give me one chance to explain, to beg, to tell him all the things I’d rehearsed in my head on endless sleepless nights.
But then he turned.
Quick and sharp, like he’d been burned.
And he stepped into the next car without so much as a glance back.
My stomach dropped.
“Flynn, wait!”
I shot to my feet so fast the seat rocked under me. A few nearby passengers startled, their curious eyes following me as I pushed through the aisle, but I didn’t care. My pulse thundered in my ears as I barreled into the next carriage.
He was ahead of me already, weaving betweencommuters, his shoulders hunched and his head ducked low.
“Flynn, please,” I said, my voice breaking on the plea. “Just talk to me. One minute. That’s all I’m asking.”
His pace didn’t falter.
“Leave me alone,” he said flatly, but I didn’t miss the tremor in his voice.
The words sliced straight through me.
God, I wanted to obey. I should have. I knew it. But my legs kept moving, driven by something deeper than reason.
“I need to explain,” I said hoarsely. “I was wrong, I know I was, but please just let me?—”
An alpha near the doors turned, knitting his brows as his eyes flicked from me to Flynn and back. He shifted his weight deliberately, stepping forward so his broad frame blocked the narrow aisle.
“He bothering you?” he asked, his voice low but edged like a warning growl.
Flynn stopped but didn’t turn. He clenched his fingers tighter around his tote.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
The word felt like a physical blow.
The other alpha’s jaw tightened. He squared his shoulders, his scent sharp and territorial as he took a step toward me.
“You heard him. Back off.”
Every muscle in my body tensed. Old instincts screamed at me to hold my ground, to snap, to fight.
But then I saw Flynn.
