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

wasn’t real..

than anyone–would be first in line to kill me

the fact that you’re here talking to me points to you actually being extremely strong and brave. You survived that bad thing you went through. And maybe these

definitely different, but I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to consider that I might be stronger for what

to me.

right. Just not in the way

www

can do things now that I

that makes it all worthwhile.

to ever go through

it puts me in greater danger from

to the new me, if I decide to look at it from a different perspective.

Emily,” Ronan continues in a sincere voice. “In a way that no one in your family

actually seen me- in a way Aaron and Jessica and Axel and everyone else maybe never will.

they just

simply so caught up in their own drama–and I was gone for ten years, so they’ve all moved on without

in a spiteful way, I just

kind of way.

their loss if they can’t see any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven that to yourself. You don’t need to prove it to anyone else,

I’m speechless.

to say, but I’m deeply touched by

I say to him, emotion catching in my voice.

he gets to his feel.

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

hope I do see him

feet, and we

I step forward

then hugs me back, and