Bad Love an Alpha’s Regret by Elise Sinclair

Chapter 313

He holds out his hand and I take it, shaking.

His grip is firm and cool, and there’s something almost comforting about it.

“I’m Emily,” I tell him in return.

His smile deepens. “That’s a pretty name.”

I laugh at this.

Ronan might be too charming for his own good.

“I think it’s pretty basic myself, but you’re welcome to your opinion.”

He gives a quick, friendly laugh.

“So, Emily, what has you out here looking so down on a day like today?”

I take a slow breath, working out how I can explain without sounding crazy.

“Something bad happened to me, something traumatizing,” I begin, choosing my words carefully. “Something that went on for a long time. I finally got out just recently, and now my family are treating me like I’m fragile and broken. Maybe because I am.

7

But I don’t want to be. And I can’t stay with my family, I can see that. It’s just not going to work. They’ll hate me when the realize the truth of everything that happened to me. Except I don’t know what to do, and don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Ronan nods, listening with sympathy and understanding.

And I realize it’s something no one has bothered to do since I got home.

They all just assume they know what happened to me, and what they should do about it.

did have that moment with Axel earlier…

that wasn’t

he–more than anyone–would be first in line to kill me if or

You survived that bad thing you

definitely different, but I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to

to me.

is right. Just not in the way he probably

www

experiments were literally torture, but I can do

makes it

I’d choose not to ever go through

me in greater danger from people like

me, if I decide to look at it

sincere voice. “In a way that no one in your family can probably see. But I get the feeling that’s also because you

a way

they just

simply so caught up in their own drama–and I was gone for ten years, so they’ve all

don’t mean in a spiteful way, I just mean in an

kind of way.

you,” Ronan says conspiratorially, leaning forward a little. “It’s also their loss if they can’t see any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven that to yourself.

I’m speechless.

what to say, but I’m

I say to him, emotion catching

as he gets

few times a week,” he says.

because I hope I do see him again.

get to my feet, and we stand there

forward

then hugs me back, and it’s nice.