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.

have that moment with Axel

wasn’t

in line

thoughtfully. “You don’t seem 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 thing you went through. And maybe these might seem like empty words, but I’m sure if you look inside yourself, you’ll see that you came out stronger for it.”

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

to me.

is right. Just not in the way he probably

www

were literally torture, but I can do things

makes

I could go back and have a choice, I’d choose not to ever go through that, because I can’t exactly say what I’ve

me in greater danger from people like

there are benefits to the new me, if I decide to look at it from a different

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

a way Aaron and Jessica and Axel and everyone else maybe never will.

just not care?

gone for ten years, so they’ve all moved on

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

kind of way.

see any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven

I’m speechless.

say, but I’m deeply touched by

you,” I say to him, emotion catching in

he gets

hike these trails a few times a week,” he says. “Maybe

hope I do

feet, and we stand

step forward and hug him.

then hugs me back,