“Are you going to help us?” an annoyed voice asks. My eyes snap to the pretty blonde standing beside Oliver. She smirks at me before wrapping her arm around his waist. “My boyfriend made the reservations. It’s under Fritz.”
“Welcome to Gino’s,” I say with a fake smile plastered on my face. “One second, please.” I turn and rush to the back where the restroomsare without a second thought. I know Greg is going to be pissed, but no punishment he could devise would compare to the ache I felt seeing Oliver with another girl.
His girlfriend.
I push open the door and head straight for the sink to splash cold water on my face. I stare into the mirror and glare at my reflection.
This is all my fault; I was an idiot for thinking I could just walk back into his life after a few months and expect him to have waited for me. Of course, he moved on; he had no way of finding me, and I made sure of that.
A foolish part of me thought that us being a scent match would make him wait for me, at least for a little while. But here we are, a month later, and he already has another girl hanging all over him. Maybe that night didn’t mean anything to him, and the things he said were all bullshit or just in the heat of the moment.
I alternate between anger and sadness until a knock interrupts me. I whine, annoyed by the distraction, but then Oliver walks in, looking ridiculous yet sexy in his suit and tie.
I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but then the sexy jerk cuts me off. “Fuck Savvy, I’ve missed you so much.”
I can’t contain the whine that escapes from my lungs or the tears spilling from my eyes. His words should comfort me, but they're clouded by the image of seeing another girl clinging to him. My body ached; I was both mentally and physically exhausted but seeing him with her was just too much. I crumble to the floor, wishing I could wake up from this nightmare.
Oliver
My alpha snarls in the back of my mind as we watch our mate crumble to the floor. I shut the door and lock it, before dropping to my knees and gently wrapping my arms around her.
She digs around with her nose, searching for my scent to comfort her, but instead of the reaction I received before, her whole body tense up, and she pulls away.
“Her smell is all over you,” Savvy whines, struggling to free herself from me. “Let me go, Oliver; I’m going to be sick.” She scrambles away, pressing herself against the wall. Pulling her knees up, she wraps her arms around herself, her body trembling.
My alpha is raging; he wants me to storm out of the bathroom and tear Valerie apart for upsetting his mate. I almost give in to the urge, but Savvy’s soft whimpers hold me back. Instead, I rip off my jacket and march it over to the trash can before heading to the sink to scrub every exposed part of my body. I need Savvy to talk to me, but she won't unless I can rid myself of Valerie’s cheap perfume and beta scent.
When I'm done, I glance over at Savvy. She has stopped crying but is now watching me warily.
I drop down in front of her to ensure we are at eye level without getting too close. I wait for her to meet my gaze, needing her to see the truth in my eyes. When she finally makes eye contact, I take a deep breath and tell her everything- how much it hurt when she left andhow I never stopped looking for her, as well as the guys asking me to join their band and their pack.
About Jane taking care of me all these years when my terrible dad couldn’t be bothered. How he beat me when he was in a bad mood and got away with it because he was a cop. I worried that he would hurt her if he ever found out how close I was to Jane.
How Valerie wasn’t my girlfriend, that she was blackmailing me with Jane’s safety. My safety.
That you are mine, and now that I found you again, I’ll never let you get away. I don’t say that out loud when I tell Savvy how deep my feelings for her go; I want it to be perfect. Not on the bathroom floor.
Savvy had slowly inched her way closer to me, and by the time I was done, she was sitting on my lap, stroking my chest with her small hand.
“You need to go back out there, Ollie,” she says after a moment of silence. “We’ve been here for way too long. She’s probably already suspicious.”
“I don’t fucking care,” I growl, pulling her tight against me. “I can’t go out there when you’re right here. I’m scared that if I blink, you’ll disappear.”
“I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to,” she admits. “I’ve missed you so much, and I don’t want to fight it. I have my own monsters hiding in my closet, and I was too scared to involve you in my messed-up life. You being so brave and telling me about yours makes me want to be brave too.”
My alpha is pleased with her calling me brave. “Tell me everything, Savvy.” She shakes her head. “Not now Ollie, when tonight is over,I’ll tell you everything I promise, but right now you have to go back out there.” She slips out of my hold, jumping to her feet and I reluctantly follow her movement.
I stand in front of her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, before leaning in and kissing her softly. “Don’t disappear again, Little Ember; it would break me completely.” I stroke her cheek, and she leans into my touch, letting out a little sigh of pleasure.
“Savannah Jordan,” she whispers. “My name is Savannah Jordan.” She reaches into my pocket and grabs my phone, holding it up to my face to unlock it. A few seconds later, she hands it back, and I see she added her number to my contacts.
I dial the number and hear a faint vibration coming from her pocket before hanging up. I pull her flush against me, kissing her with more force than before. When we finally pull apart, she brings her fingers to her lips, a small smile on her face.
“You need to go,” she says, pushing me towards the door, and I reluctantly let her. We walk out into the busy dining area, and I scan the crowd for Valerie, spotting her in a booth at the back of the restaurant.
“Shit, you guys are in my section,” her face pales when she spots Valerie. “Go ahead, and I’ll be by to take your order in a couple of minutes.” I squeeze her hand, and she gives me a small smile before heading back in the direction we just came from. I walk over to where Valerie is sitting, her eyes shooting daggers in my direction.
“Where the fuck have you been?” she grinds out when I finally sit down across from her. “It’s fucking embarrassing sitting here on my own.
