Turning around I come face to face with a smiling Andrius. There’s a small smile on his face, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Feel better?” He asked quietly, his voice low.
“Yes,” I laughed.
“When are you going to bring it forward to the council?” He asked. The words are something I’ve never thought of. I shake my head and shrug it off.
“I wasn’t planning on it. It never occurred to me,” I said.
“You’re going to let him get off… Scot-free?” Andrius asked.
“I… I haven’t thought that far,” I whispered.
“What do your friends think? Don’t they think you deserve justice?” He asked.
“My friends think I deserve revenge,” I said.
“I think I’ll like your friends. If you don’t do anything, he’ll be free to do this again. You’ll let him live life freely without consequence for his actions?” Andrius asked.
“I won’t let him do anything. That’s a long way down the road and I don’t… my mind isn’t focused on that. I…” I trailed off.
“Are you still with him?” Andrius asked. I hang my head. “You’re still with him?!” He growled.
“I haven’t spoken to him yet. I’m going to leave him… I just… I don’t have the balls yet. I need you to back off. We barely know each other!” I said.
“I feel a connection with you. I want to help you,” he said huskily.
What do you even say to that?
“Come away with me. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe,” he said.
“I… uh…” I’m shocked and have no idea what to say. I want to say yes, but I know I shouldn’t say yes to going back home with the stranger. This is how girls get hacked away to bits. He is an alpha, but that’s what makes him more dangerous. I don’t really know him, but even as I list off all of the reason why I shouldn’t say yes, none of them are enough to make me want to say no. Before I answer he continues to speak.
“I am without a mate. I’m here on an approved leave to look for my mate. I feel a pull to you that I haven’t felt with anyone before. I am unmated and I want to get to know you more. You are tripped up by lingering attachments and I think some time on my pack lands could benefit you. You could get a taste of freedom away from him and I promise you won’t want to come back,” he said, pleading his case. He cups my face with his hand, his thumb sliding back and forth over my cheek. “Say yes,” he whispers.
“Yes,” I start. I trial off when he flashes me with a breathtaking smile that almost makes me forget my name. “Don’t get too excited,” I laugh. “There are a few things I need to do and I need some time. I’m not making you any promises, but I would like a week of freedom at your place. I’ve never left the pack territory and I think I’m due for an adventure.”
“I can give you an adventure,” he growled. A smirk stuck between cocky and goofy pulled at the corner of his lip. I couldn’t help it, I slapped his way too muscular arm. My hand bounced off, it didn’t make a difference. He threw his head back and a laugh I could feel low in my belly fell from his lips. I giggled at the silliness this alpha was showing me.
“I don’t need you to give me anything, but a taste of freedom. If I were a girl without a boyfriend, or best friends, or a mom I would probably leave with you and figure things out as I go, but I’m not. I want to be better, I want to be smarter. Besides, I need to makes sure that if I’m hacked into little bits I should at least have someone who knows where I am and where I’m going,” I said.
“That would be the smartest course of action, yes,” he teased.
Dumb Amia wouldn’t think about the consequences or if my mom would say yes. Dumb Amia wouldn’t think about Dylan, or Levi. She would want him to show her what a life outside of this hellhole would look like, uncaring of anything but herself. I didn’t want to be her.
The fact of the matter is that I do have my mom to think about, I do have a boyfriend to think about, one that I need to deal with, and I have Liz. We didn’t talk about everything that happened to us, but when shit hit the fan we talked. I wanted to talk to her more, I wanted to lean on her, I wanted to tell her about what had gone down between me and Levi.
Levi.
He cares for me and I care for him. There’s something between us, a spark that probably shouldn’t be ignored, but I’m not ready to explore that with him. I know he wouldn’t be okay with this. I laughed. He wouldn’t be cool with this at all, but that’s not his decision. It’s mine, and even though it’s mine, I still wanted to tell him about it. I wanted us to be as close as we used to. I needed him, wanted him in my life. I don’t want to be the girl with secrets she can’t tell anyone about. I don’t want to be the girl who hides things from those who matter to her.
He opened his arms and I walked into them without a second thought. I clung to him as he wrapped me up in his arms. Someone sped by us and yelled for us to get a room. I relaxed and he released me as I started laughing. I took a step back and he dropped his hand to the bottom of my back. I felt relaxed, the last few days had been hard to deal with, but I would face whatever came my way head on. His eyes ran down my body and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Gently, he grabbed my hair and pushed it back behind my ear. Our eyes met and I didn’t look away.