Page 60 of Shattered Trinket

I can tell she doesn’t want to let me go, but Valley distracts her long enough that she eventually does, and I quickly slip out of the room, my steps hurried as I make my way back to my office. Once I make all the necessary calls to my patients and inform my boss that I’ll be taking a leave of absence for a few days, I leave the hospital in a rush to get home, making a mental list of everything I need to pack the entire drive. Nerves threaten to consume me as I shove things into the two duffle bags on my bed, my brain still trying to comprehend that this is happening.

Once both bags are packed tightly, I heave them onto my shoulder and take in the sight of the disheveled sheets and comforter on my bed. I don’t hesitate, quickly yanking them off the bed and gathering them into a tight bundle in my arms, content that I have everything, and practically racing back to mycar after anxiously locking the doors. With a rush of adrenaline, I quickly fling everything into the back seat and leap into the car, backing out of my driveway with only one thought circling around my mind on an endless loop.

Shechoseme.

Twenty-Two

Cozette

I can’t stop fidgeting the entire drive back home.

I’m in heat.

Something I didn’t think was possible, and yet, here we are. Nerves over what’s to come threaten to consume me, but what’s even more nerve-wracking is that I still have to tell Mama about Jeremiah. She hasn’t asked about him yet, but I know she wants to, and I know I need to be honest with her. Everything is just happening so fast, my life snowballing ever since Ripley brought me home all those months ago.

It’s both frightening and exciting, and right now, I’m struggling to determine exactly which emotion is the strongest.

Before we left the hospital, the nurse gave me something that she said would help with the fever and other side effects for a few hours, so I’m lucid for the moment and I know I need to tell Mama about him while I can. When we pull into the driveway and park, neither of us jumps to get out, and I take a deep breath, staring out the windshield at the beautiful home she and her alphas created together. A home that’s become mine, with people inside that I’ve grown to love more than I can even comprehend.

“His name is Jeremiah. The other alpha that’s my scent match,” I finally say, glancing over at her.

She gives me an encouraging look, making herself comfortable as she patiently waits for me to get this off my chest. I huff out a laugh and close my eyes, terrified, but also so relieved to not have to hide him anymore. I lean my head back against the headrest and stare up through the moon roof.

“When I was with Victor, I found out quickly that he rarely did his own dirty work. Jeremiah was just one of many alphas that he outsourced, but he was different.”

I pour my heart out to her, recounting every detail of mine and Jeremiah’s first encounter and the countless secret visits he made to take care of me. The day he had to leave after refusing Victor and how scared I was that I’d have to watch him die. How, the moment he found out I was safe, he made it a priority to come here and check on me. And at last, I confess that he almost had a hand in Ripley’s abduction, but I avert my eyes, afraid that she’ll despise me.

I get it all off my chest, nearly gasping for air when I’m done, but suddenly, a weight is lifted off me that I haven’t felt in months. The relief of unburdening myself and openly expressing my feelings about the alpha who unknowingly stole my heart isindescribable. Despite my fear of being hated by the woman I’ve come to view as a second mother, I also experience a profound sense of calm and unexplained happiness.

I suck in a breath when I feel her hand wrap around mine, and I can’t help but turn and look at her with wide eyes. She cradles my hand in both of hers as she looks at me with unshed tears in her green eyes, which make mine burn.

“You have gone through unimaginable things in your short life, Cozette, and for that, I am truly so sorry. You deserve love and happiness. You deserve people who will cherish and care for you. And from the way you speak of this man, it sounds like he does cherish you. He’s been looking after you for a long time now, and although I’m not exactly thrilled to know he was almost responsible for what happened to Ripley, I can’t exactly hold a grudge against him for it, either.”

My lower lip wobbles at how accepting she is and has been since meeting me.

“But what about the others? How can I ask them to accept not just one, but two new alphas that they’re unfamiliar with? Especially when one of them isn’t a scent match, and the other has a murky past.”

“They’ll get over it,” she says simply with a shrug, like it really is that simple.

I shake my head, when suddenly a cramp seizes me that has me closing my eyes and groaning. A bead of sweat glides down my back and I struggle to catch my breath as my body puts off some heavy pheromones that engulf the interior of the car.

“Enough talking for now. We’ll figure everything out after you get through this. Let’s get you inside and up to your room. How about a cool bath to help with the fever before it settles in fully?”

My throat feels tight, so instead I just nod my head and we exit the car. Mama’s gentle touch supports me as we make our way inside and up the stairs. When we finally reach my bedroom,she carefully seats me on the edge of my bed and then quickly disappears into the bathroom, where the sound of running water soon fills the air. Then she’s back to help me into the bathroom. She turns her back as I undress and when I sink into the cool water of the large tub, I shudder.

Once I’m fully immersed in the water, she comes to sit on the edge of the tub and helps wash my hair, almost lulling me to sleep until my middle is wracked by another killer cramp that has tears building in my eyes until they fall.

“I want Jeremiah. Will you call him? Please?” I whimper out, leaning my hot face against the cool ceramic of the tub for relief.

“Of course, sweet girl. Where’s your phone?”

I tell her where it is and what name she’ll find him under. Other than a raise of her brows, she remains silent and swiftly exits the bathroom to retrieve my phone. When she comes back, my mind becomes a foggy labyrinth, leaving me speechless and yearning for something I can barely comprehend. All I know for certain is that I need my alpha. I need my Ghost.

I can barely understand anything Mama says when she has the phone pressed against her ear, and when her nails dig into my scalp soothingly, all I can do is shut my eyes and breathe through the heat scorching my skin and the empty aching feeling in my core.

Twenty-Three

Jeremiah