Memories Drift
Chapter 6
They’re looking at each other the same way Daxon and I looked at each other before he changed, before his wolf turned possessive
and cruel.
She’s beautiful, my wolf observes with surprising calm. He looks happy. She makes him happy.
I push the thought of Daxon deep down. I’m here for a change, to get better. I don’t love him anymore–I can’t. All 1 feel for him is hate and the phantom ache of what I and my wolf lost that night in the bathroom. I also feel something I don’t allow myself to say….
Fear.
I don’t ask Tristan about the picture. If I want him to stay out of my business, then I shouldn’t pry into his either. And besides, there’s no need asking. Even a blind wolf would know they’re in a relationship and they love each other.
I look within myself, searching for the jealousy, the anger, the possessiveness that Daxon’s wolf always insisted was natural. But I’m not angry, and I’m not jealous. Surprisingly, I’m glad that Tristan isn’t as miserable as I am. Because no one should be in the state that
I’m in.
You’re healing, my wolf says with quiet pride. Slowly, but you’re healing.
Tristan shows me to my room, giving me a tour of the small house. “Pick any room except the last room,” he says, gesturing down the
hall. “That one’s…”
He doesn’t finish, but I understand. That’s where he sleeps. Where he sleeps with her. The woman in the pictures who has claimed the heart I once thought might be mine.
It’s better this way, my wolf says. He deserves happiness.
I choose the room farthest from his, a small space with a window that looks out onto the garden. It’s painted a soft blue, with white curtains that flutter in the breeze from the slightly open window. It smells like lavender and safety.
“Thank you,” I tell him, and I mean it. For the room, for the rescue, for not asking questions I’m not ready to answer.
He nods, hovering in the doorway like he wants to say something else. Finally, he settles on, “There’s food in the kitchen. Help yourself to whatever you need.”
I didn’t know when I slept off. When I woke up, the house was empty, but there was a note on the kitchen counter in Tristan’s familiar handwriting: Had to go to work. Help yourself to anything you need. Won’t be gone long.
I looked at the time and realized it was already late, I’d slept for hours. I haven’t slept that long for months. Usually, I wake up every hour or two, listening for footsteps, for the sound of a door opening, for the signs that meant I needed to run.
You felt safe, my wolf says with satisfaction. Finally,
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18:24 Fri, Jan 2 d
Chapter 6
安倍
1 helped myself in the kitchen, finding ingredients for a simple meal. As I cooked, I caught glimpses of the life Tristan had built. Photographs on the refrigerator, a woman’s coffee mug by the sink, the utensils were all in her taste.
There’s also a photo of him and Orion from what looks like a recent fishing trip, both of them grinning and holding up their catches.
My brother looks happy. Older, more settled, but genuinely happy in a way I haven’t seen since before our parents died. He’s built a life here, a family. He has Sarah and their children, friends who love him, and a business that might be that’s thriving, though I know
nothing about what he does.
Did he and Tristan continue our parents business? Did they sell it? I have no idea.
I looked at the time again–10 PM. Tristan wasn’t back yet.
I don’t sleep immediately. Instead, I switch on my data connection and open a new social media account with a new name. I use my mother’s maiden name instead of my surname so Daxon won’t be able to find me. He’d made sure I deleted all my accounts before, cutting me off from everyone I’d ever known. But now, if I’m planning to pick up my life, I have to start somewhere.
Small steps, my wolf encourages. We’re taking small steps.
I hear Tristan’s bike drive in when I look at the time, it’s already past 6 AM. Maybe he had a party or something. Maybe he was with her, explaining why a prodigal broken she–wolf from his past is suddenly sleeping in his guest room.
It doesn’t concern me, I tell myself. But my wolf huffs with disbelief.
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love this so far I am really enjoying the story line and the characters and I can not wait to see where it is going.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
