#Chapter 40: A Way Out
Karl

The sting of rejection pulses through me, acute and raw, as I distance myself from Abby’s place.

My footsteps echo through the quiet city streets, the usual hustle and bustle of the nightlife seemingly

dimmed tonight. Each step aligns with the rapid beat of my heart.

I can’t shake the feel of her, the nearness of our last moment.

Abby looked beautiful. She clearly put a lot of effort into her appearance today; her hair and nails

looked freshly done, she was wearing makeup, and a gorgeous dress.

A few years ago, I might have been bothered by the way that she dressed tonight. But lately, for some

reason I’ve been finding myself attracted to it. She’s se xy, always has been, but is somehow even

sexier now.

But what pi sses me off more than anything is that she was dressing like that for another man who

doesn’t even show any interest in her despite the ring he put on her finger. What gives? Why won’t she

just leave him already?

Shoving my hands deep into my pockets, I aimlessly kick a small rock ahead of me. Its journey,

haphazard and unpredictable, mirrors the state of my own emotions.

“She wanted me,” I find myself mumbling aloud, holding onto the raw intensity of our almost-kiss.

My wolf stirs within, a familiar presence anchoring my thoughts. “She did,” he rumbles in agreement.

“But she held back. If you’d just be patient and let her come to you, she’d see the depth of our love”

“I did let her come to me,” I reply. “She’s the one who called me tonight. But at the end of it, she still

can’t stop thinking about that pr ick.”

My wolf growls in annoyance. “Give her time.”

The anger is right there, bubbling at the surface. “Time? And for what? For Adam?” I snap, frustration

bleeding into every word. “Who leaves their fiancée high and dry like that? Especially when she clearly

so much

in the distance snaps me back momentarily,

again. “She’s changed. She’s not

intricate, more nuanced. You

her tonight?” I spit. “The lengths

The words come out more as a growl. I don’t keep

should, but say them out loud, unable

wolf muses, a soft chuckle punctuating my thoughts. “She resisted you. That

something.”

the growl that rises in my throat, frustration evident. “She wants me.

every dam n second.”

calm in his rebuttal, his wisdom clear. “Wanting and acting on

heart. She’s cautious now. You can’t simply push and expect her

halt, drawing in a deep breath, letting the cold air fill my lungs. It’s hard to

what my wolf says.

murmur, the weight

the change. Be genuine. Earn her trust,” my wolf advises,

assert and when to

to my apartment

solitude of my own space. But I

Abby, of what I need to do.

in agreement, its presence a

from over.

evening shadows stretch long against the hardwood floors of my apartment,

gentle flicker of a solitary candle on

in contemplation, my fingers mindlessly caressing the

time and countless brooding sessions—much

my mind.

very mention of his name leaves a sour taste in

I’m tempted to intervene. But tonight, it’s not just Abby or Adam that burdens

the table beside me,

Swiping

“What’s up, Gianna?”

she starts, a hint of hesitation evident in the tone of her

know.”

I urge, straightening

seen around your foster brother’s residence. There’s talk that

his coma,” she

like to admit. My foster brother’s reawakening would

My grip tightens unconsciously around

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