Page 79 of Puck My Life

“But you don’t trust us?”

“You have lives and girlfriends and dreams-”

“DON’T YOU KNOW THAT YOU’RE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALL OF THAT?” he roars. “YOU, VAE! You are the world we revolve around. You are more important than any trophy I could ever earn on the ice, any game, any dream. No omega comes close to you; no beta can touch you. You are my Hook. I love you. I don’t know about being in love, but I love you more than anything else, and I have been dying trying to figure why you have been wanting to leave, killing myself trying to figure out how to make you stay.”

My eyes fill with tears. I reach out to him, but he takes a step back. “Deacon!”

“I need to think. I’ll be back.”

He turns and storms out of the house, slamming the door behind him. I sit down heavily on the kitchen chair, putting my head in my hands and start sobbing. Raynor has disappeared, too, leaving me completely alone.

“Vae, it’s going to be okay, Vae. It will be fine.”

Mal picks me up and cradles me in his arms, holding me while I cry.

“No matter what you decide, it will beokay.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Vae, you don’t have to be sorry that we are blind idiots who can’t see what’s plain in front of our faces.”

He rocks me while the emotions sweep through me. Doubts and confusion mix with anger and frustration. Everything feels so out of control, but there’s relief that my secret is out. Finally,

“I have to get ready.”

“For what?”

“I need to go.”

Mal reluctantly opens his arms and lets me go. I stand up and avoid looking at him as I grab my bag, phone, and keys and leave.

Everything in me wants to stay with him.

But, now more than ever, I can’t. I need to think. Because Deacon brought up some points that never occurred to me.

Did I ever tell them that I needed more?

Deacon

PAST

Vae puts a cupcake on the table in front of me.

I scowl at it and sweep it away from me. “I can’t eat that, Vae.”

“But it’s your birthday.”

“I ate too much junk last night. I can’t afford the extra calories.” I dismiss it and her and turn back to setting up the new phone I bought for myself.

She shrugs and walks out of the room.

“Do you think Vae is going to be okay if we do it? If we actually bond an omega?”

I close my eyes, wishing I’d eaten the cupcake. I’d almost forgot that whole conversation with our latest flavour of the month. We’d never bond her, but the conversation had come up.

“She’ll be fine. Vae is always fine. It’s not like she’s the one who will be bonded.”

A plate crashes to the floor behind me.