Page 12 of Feeling the Heat: Part Two
It only rings twice before he’s answering and,oh god, Imissed his voice so much it hits me right in the chest, knocking the breath out of me.
“River, are you there?”
“Y-yes,” I croak, throat tight. “You called?”
“I did.” Ambrose’s voice has a bite to it that raises my alpha’s hackles and makes it clear this isn’t a social call. Not that I expected it to be. “Listen…” he continues hesitantly. “It’s time for you to come home.”
My phone almost slips out of my hand, and I press it closer to my ear, thinking maybe I misheard him. “W-what?”
“I know you wanted your space, and I’m not pathetic enough to beg you to stay again on my behalf, but we need you. Come back.”
Is someone sick? Injured? A million thoughts of why he’d be saying this flood my mind, but none of them explain why they’d need me. I gave up and ran away from my pack—something Dr. Mike has helped me realize was incredibly hurtful and selfish (though those are my words, not his). I fucked things up with Camille by bonding her and crossing the line at work, and then instead of fixing it, I made things even worse by running away.
In the end, it doesn’t matter. If they need me, I’m there, no questions asked. Even if I’m not prepared to make amends properly. Even if I’m terrified I’ll fuck everything up again. I’m done running from the people I love.
“Okay.” My voice is surprisingly steady. Certain.
The line is silent for a long time before Ambrose speaks. “Okay? That’s it?” He sounds incredulous, and I don’t know if it’s because he wants me to say more or he doesn’t believe me.
“Whatever you need, I’m there. I’ll pack a bag when I get home and head over tonight.”
Another long pause. “You’re not going to ask why?”
“I want to know, but you can tell me when I see you. Right now, all I need to know is that you need me.”
For the first time since I left, I open my end of the bond. I don’t expect Ambrose to let me in on his end, but I need him to feel how important this is to me. How much I love him. How sorry I am. How I’m learning not to hide.
There’s a soft rush of an inhale from the other end of the line, and I feel him. Even after I’ve been a horrible mate to him, he lets me in. He’s so worried, and hurt, and sad. But also surprised, and relieved, and a bit hopeful.
“River…it’s Camille.”
Hearing him say her name makes my chest ache. I fight the urge to unlock the bond to her, knowing that doing so would be wrong, even if my alpha is desperate to make sure she’s not in distress.
“Alright,” I say, hoping he can feel that I want to help her.
“I’ll give you the full rundown when you get here, but Jackson went to speak with her because he was worried, and she told him you got her fired.”
My stomach clenches hard. “Yeah, because someone must’ve found out about us being intimate. Because I bonded her.” I thought I’d already told them this. If I could go back in time and urge myself to slow down and figure out our jobs before touching her, I would. Though I don’t think that version of me deserved her. I still don’t, but at least I’ve learned enough to try.
“No, she said you got her fired because you didn’t want her as part of our pack. That you outed her as an omega to HR.” Ambrose doesn’t sound like he’s accusing me, but he also doesn’t sound like it’s out of the realm of possibility. I hate that I lost the innate trust we had. I’ll do whatever I can to earn it again.
“I didn’t! I wouldn’t. I promise I didn’t tell anyone. I needto talk to her.” The last time I saw her replays in my mind, her words from that day reshaping and taking on new meaning. “Fuck, I can’t believe she thought I…” I trail off, stomach churning.
Yes, I can believe it. Why wouldn’t she think that? I did nothing to prove to her I wouldn’t.
Again, the need to reach into my bond with her swells inside me, and I shove it down with a groan. “How will I be able to make this right?”
Ambrose sighs, but there’s another flicker of hope. “You work with your pack. You trust us to find a solution. You own up to your actions and be the alpha I know you are.”
I thought I was completely drained from therapy, but I tear up.
Ambrose has always seen the best in me. In the past, it scared me. I was worried I’d do one too many wrong things and shatter his false concept of who I am.
Maybe that’s why I broke us.
Fuck, another thing that Dr. Mike is going to give me a smug smile about when I bring it up next week.
“Okay,” I say, voice hoarse from emotion. “I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed, but I’ll try as hard as I can.”
