Chapter 18
Athena’s POV
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For the first time in months, I sleep without nightmares.
Tristan holds me through the night, just like he used to when we were younger. Back when he was still just Orion’s best friend, the older
boy who treated me like the little sister he never had.
Back when everything was simple and safe, before my world turned upside down twice over
made the mistake of thinking he could love me the way I loved him.
–
first when our parents died, then when I
That night five years ago still haunts me sometimes, but I’ve learned to lock those feelings away where they can’t hurt me again.
Now, lying here in his arms again, I can feel those dangerous feelings trying to resurface. But I force the emotions down, lock them away
where they can’t hurt me again.
He’s made his position clear. He sees me as a sister, as family, nothing more. And I need to accept that, need to be grateful for the
familial love he’s offering instead of yearning for something that will never be mine.
His arms around me feel like a fortress against all the demons that usually come crawling out of the darkness when I close my eyes.
His steady heartbeat against my back is a lullaby that drowns out Daxon’s voice, his breathing a rhythm that keeps the panic at bay.
When I wake up, sunlight is streaming through my bedroom window, and for a moment, I’m disoriented. I haven’t slept past sunrise in… I
can’t even remember how long.
My internal clock has been permanently set to fear for so many months that peaceful sleep feels foreign, almost wrong.
But then I remember why I slept so well. Tristan is still holding me, his face inches from mine, and his dark eyes are already open,
watching me with an expression I can’t quite read.
There’s concern there, yes, but also something else. Something that looks like determination mixed with barely contained rage.
He doesn’t say good morning. He doesn’t ask how I slept. He just reaches over to the nightstand and picks up a glass of water and two small white pills.
“Pain relief,” he says simply, offering them to me. “For your head.”
I do have a headache, though I hadn’t realized it until he mentioned it. The aftermath of last night’s breakdown, probably.
taken the will.
18:26 Fri, Jan 2 d
Chapter 18
The sudden distance feels intentional and strategic. Like he’s creating a safe space for whatever conversation is coming next.
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My stomach clenches with dread because I know what he wants to hear. I can see it in his eyes, in the set of his shoulders, in the way he’s positioned himself like someone preparing for battle.
When I don’t say anything, just stare down at my hands folded in my lap, he raises one dark eyebrow. The gesture is so familiar, so achingly reminiscent of the boy I grew up with, that it makes my chest tight.
“You know this is the time you start spilling everything, right?”
His voice is gentle but firm. There’s no accusation in it, no anger directed at me, but there’s an underlying steel that tells me he’s not going to let this go. Not this time.
I feel the familiar panic rising in my throat. “Tristan, please don’t…..”
“Don’t what? Don’t care about you? Don’t worry when my sister has nightmares about someone named Daxon who apparently hurt her so badly she’s still begging for mercy in her sleep?” His voice cracks slightly on the last words, and I can see how much my pain is affecting
him.
The word ‘sister‘ hits me like a physical blow, and not just because of the weight of responsibility it carries. It’s that same word he’d used five years ago, the same dismissal that had shattered my heart into a million pieces.
“Please don’t tell Orion,” I whisper, the words tumbling out in a rush. “Please, Tris. I can’t… he can’t know. Not yet. Maybe not ever.”
Tristan is quiet for a long moment, studying my face with those perceptive eyes that have always seen too much. Finally, he sighs and runs a hand through his dark hair.
“I can’t promise you that, Ath. Orion loves you. He has a right to know when someone has hurt his sister.”
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18:26 Fri, Jan 2 d
The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate
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.
