Page 27 of Crystal Luna
“I was hoping we could figure that out together. I thought we could try to sort through how you felt in that moment. Maybe we can trigger the half-shift.”
Alpha Heath was very patient with her. He listened as she recounted that morning, wanting to know all the details—big and small. He knew most of it already, but wanted to hear it from her point of view. And though he tried to hide it, she could feel how opposed and angry he was with Marvin and Rayan.
It made her feel safe in a way she hadn’t for years. Someone had hurt her and Alpha Heath stood up for her. She couldn’t help but feel special.
After she finished telling him her side of the story, he asked her to cycle through the different emotions she felt.
She closed her eyes, zeroing in on the fear. The raw, visceral emotion of being sent back to the Crystal Wolves.
All that did was give her a knot in her stomach.
Before she could move on to the next one, she heard Alpha Heath sigh softly. “I’m sorry, Velora. Mia and Curtis are waking up.”
She opened her eyes, sadness and regret flickering in Alpha Heath’s before he hid his emotions once again.
“How about we continue tomorrow?”
She agreed, but felt bad for taking up so much of his time and added, “Only if you don’t have anything else you need to do.”
He stood up, stretched his legs, and motioned for her to follow him. “I wouldn’t offer if I did.”
She rushed to keep up, worrying her bottom lip as she followed him into the woods.
“May I request a favour?” he asked, his eyes curiously taking her in.
The knot in her stomach tightened. In her past, favours tended to turn into demands quickly.
“When you prepared Evelyne’s care package you baked a cake with Curtis and Mia and they haven’t stopped talking about it. Would you mind writing down the recipe? I would love to try and make it with them.”
“Okay.”
“You don’t have to,” he said as he took her hand to help her over a fallen tree on the path. “If it’s a secret recipe I don’t want to overstep.”
Her heart fluttered as her skin touched his. She would’ve been able to do it without his help, but the small act of kindness made her feel even safer—made her feel taken care of.
It was only when she caught him watching her that she remembered he’d asked her a question. “It’s no secret.”
His hand dropped hers as soon as her feet hit the ground, and she missed his touch instantly. “I’m not a great baker, but I think Curtis has his mother’s cooking skills. I’m hoping it’s the same for baking.”
“He did enjoy it.”
“He was always with her in the kitchen.” There was a lilt to his voice, one that let her hear all the pain he still felt. “I was never of great help, so I used to watch from a distance.”
“My mom taught me,” she offered as a distraction. She would have loved to know more about his mate, but she didn’t want to push.
“My father never thought much of a man in the kitchen—an archaic belief if you ask me. So by the time I met Laureen I was a lost cause.”
It seemed that he didn’t want to stop talking about his mate, so she leaned into the conversation. “She did leave her imprint on Curtis. Cooking came naturally to him.”
“He helped me a lot when she died. No matter what, he always made sure we ate together.”
The pain in his voice was now so present it brought goosebumps to her skin.
“Evelyne has always let him help. He didn’t enjoy it as much for a while, but I think he’s starting to fall in love with it again.” He sighed and stopped by the edge of the woods. She met his gaze, his eyes glossy with unshed tears. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need.”
“After everything you’ve been through, I’m surprised you’re still so gentle.”