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.

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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.

have that moment

that wasn’t

in line to kill me if

broken and fragile to me. Truthfully, I’m pretty sure the fact that you’re here talking to me points to you actually being extremely strong and brave. You survived that bad

don’t think I’ve ever stopped to consider that I

to me.

is right. Just not in the way

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experiments were literally torture, but I can do

saying that makes it

I’d choose not to ever go through that, because I can’t exactly say what I’ve gained makes it

in greater danger from

to the new me, if I decide to look at

can sense that you’re special, Emily,” Ronan continues in a sincere voice. “In a way that no one in your family can probably see. But I get the feeling that’s also because you don’t want them

a way Aaron and Jessica

they just

caught up in their own drama–and I was gone for

spiteful way, I just mean in an oblivious

kind of way.

loss if they can’t see any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven that to yourself. You don’t need to

I’m speechless.

know what to say, but

you,” I say to him, emotion

he gets to his

hike these trails a few times a week,” he says. “Maybe I’ll see you around again sometime.”

hope

get to my feet, and we stand

I step forward and hug

but then hugs me