<h4>Chapter 324: Chapter 324</h4>


    ~Samantha~


    I couldn’t stay in that room.


    He was obviously trying to get under my skin. So he would im I was defending my friendship with Killian.


    "Come on." I took the twins’ hands. "Let’s go somewhere else."


    "Where?" Devon asked.


    "Anywhere but here."


    We left the medical wing. Walked through corridors that all looked the same. I wasn’t paying attention to where we were going. Just needed distance.


    "Mom, you’re squeezing too hard." Diana tugged at my hand.


    I loosened my grip. "Sorry."


    "Are you okay?"


    "I’m fine."


    "You don’t seem fine."


    She was right. I wasn’t fine. I was furious. Hurt. Confused. All of it mixing together into something that made my chest tight and my hands shake.


    Dominic’s words kept reying. The usations. The jealousy. The assumption that I was one step away from abandoning him.


    After everything. Aftering back. After choosing him over the safe life I’d built. After fighting beside him for weeks.


    He still didn’t trust me.


    Still thought I’d leave.


    Still saw Killian as a threat instead of an ally.


    "Sam."


    I turned around. Killian was following us. Must have heard us leave.


    "Not now." I kept walking.


    "I heard you and Dominic. The walls aren’t that thick." He caught up. "Are you alright?"


    "Do I look alright?"


    "No. You look ready to murder someone."


    "Good. That’s urate." I spotted a door leading outside. Headed for it. "I need air."


    We emerged into the garden. Early evening now.


    "Kids, go y with Purple. I’ll join you as soon as I can." I pointed to where the wolf was lounging in the grass.


    "But we want to stay here andfort you." Devon started.


    "Please. I need to talk to Killian. Just for a minute."


    They exchanged looks. Then ran off toward Purple. Left us alone.


    "He used me of having feelings for you." I said it t. "Said I was pulling away from him. Said I was one crisis away from leaving."


    "He’s scared. People say stupid things when they’re scared."


    "That doesn’t make it okay!" I turned to face him. "I just saved his life! Used every ounce of power I had to burn out shadow poison! And the first thing he does when he wakes up is use me of cheating!"


    "He didn’t say cheating."


    "He insinuated it! Don’t defend him!" I was yelling like he was at fault too. "I’m so tired of defending myself! Of proving I’mmitted! Of justifying every conversation I have with you!"


    "Then stop justifying." Killian seemed unbothered. "Stop defending. Stop trying to make himfortable with something that makes him ufortable."


    "What’s that supposed to mean?"


    "It means maybe he’s right to be worried. Maybe there is something happening between us." He took a step closer. "Maybe you do have feelings for me. And maybe that’s not a bad thing."


    "Killian, where is all of theseing from?"


    "I’m not saying act on it. I’m not saying leave him. I’m just saying acknowledge it. Stop acting like I’m just a friend when we both know it’s moreplicated than that."


    "It can’t be moreplicated than that!" I backed away from him. "I’m married! I have children! I can’t.."


    "Can’t what? Can’t feel something for someone other than your mate? Can’t be human?" Killian followed me. "Sam, you’re allowed to haveplicated feelings. You’re allowed to be confused. You’re allowed to care about more than one person."


    "Not when one of those people is my husband!"


    "Why not? Who made that rule? Who decided you can only care about one person at a time?" He was close now. "The mate bond is powerful. But it’s not the only bond that exists."


    "I’m not ignoring it. I’m trying to manage it."


    "Managing it by pushing me away? By pretending we’re just friends? By letting Dominic make you feel guilty for every interaction we have?" Killian’s voice was hard now. "That’s not managing. That’s suffering. And I hate watching you suffer."


    "Then what do you want me to do?!" I threw my hands up. "Tell me! What’s your solution? Leave Dominic? Abandon my children’s father for you? Rip apart my family because of a connection neither of us asked for?"


    "I want you to be honest! With me! With Dominic! With yourself!" He grabbed my shoulders. "Stop pretending you don’t feel anything! Stop lying about what this is!"


    "What is it then?! Tell me! What are we?!"


    "I don’t know!" His grip tightened. "But it’s not nothing! It’s not just friendship! It’s something more and you know it!"


    A sound from above made us both look up.


    Dominic stood in a window. Third floor. Staring down at us. At Killian’s hands on my shoulders. At how close we were standing.


    His face was murderous.


    "Oh no." I tried to pull away from Killian but it was toote.


    Dominic disappeared from the window. Secondster, the garden door burst open.


    He was in his hospital gown still. Barefoot. Looking half-dead but moving fast.


    "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WIFE!"


    Killian let go. Stepped back. Raised his hands. "Dominic, calm down."


    "CALM DOWN?!" Dominic crossed the garden in seconds. Shoved Killian hard. "I wake up from almost dying and find you putting your hands on her AGAIN?!"


    "We were talking."


    "You were touching her! I saw you!" Dominic shoved him again. Harder. "You were standing there with your hands on her telling her god knows what!"


    "I was telling her to be honest about her feelings!" Killian shoved back. "Something you’re apparently incapable of handling!"


    "You want honesty?! Here’s honesty! You’re in love with my wife! And I’m done pretending that’s okay!" Dominic pulled back his fist.


    I jumped between them. "Nobody dares to throw a punch!"


    "Move, Sam." Dominic’s voice was cold. "This is between him and me."


    "Nothing is between just you two! I’m part of this too!" I pushed against Dominic’s chest. "And I’m not moving! You want to hit him, you go through me first!"


    "Don’t tempt me!" But he lowered his fist. "You defend him! Always! Every single time!"


    "Because you’re being unreasonable!"


    "Unreasonable?!" Dominic’s control was cracking with disbelief. "He wants you! He wants my mate! And you’re defending him!"


    "He’s my friend!"


    "He’s in love with you!"


    "So what?!" The words burst out before I could stop them. "So what if he has feelings?! I can’t control that! I can’t control any of this!"


    "But you can control how you respond to it! You can control how much time you spend with him! You can control whether you let him touch you!" Dominic’s voice was shaking. "But you don’t! You let him get close! You let himfort you! You let him be there for you in ways that should be reserved for me!"


    "Maybe because you’re too busy being jealous to actually be there for me! Maybe because every time I need support you’re too busy using me of something! Maybe because Killian actually listens instead of assuming the worst!"


    "Of course he listens! He’s trying to steal you!"


    "I’m not an object to be stolen! I’m a person who makes her own choices!"


    "Then make one! Right now! Choose!" Dominic grabbed my hand. "Him or me!"


    "I can’t!"


    "Why not?!"


    "Because I don’t know!" The admission came out broken. "I don’t know what I feel! I don’t know what I want! I don’t know anything anymore!"


    "You don’t know." Dominic repeated it. Let go of my hand. "After everything. After years of marriage. Aftering back. After telling me you love me. You don’t know."


    "Dominic."


    "No. I get it. This is no longer confusing. You have feelings for him. You’re torn." He took a step back. "But I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keeppeting. I can’t keep wondering if today’s the day you finally choose him."


    "I’m not going to choose him!"


    "You just said you don’t know! That’s the same as choosing him!" Dominic’s voice broke. "You’re supposed to know! You’re supposed to be sure about us! But you’re not! You’re confused! And that’s killing me!"


    "Then what do you want me to say?! You want me to lie?! Pretend I’m not confused?!"


    "I want you to fight for us! I want you to choose me without hesitation! I want you to be as sure about our marriage as I am! But you’re not. You can’t. Because of him."


    "STOP!"


    We all turned. Devon and Diana were running toward us. Purple behind them.


    "Do you enjoy fighting all the time?!" Diana crashed into my legs. Wrapped her arms around them. "We don’t like it!"


    “Neither do we but your mother clearly wants us out of this marriage.”


    “Mom, is that true?”


    “Don’t listen to your father.”


    “Who do we believe?”


    “How about I put an end to this for good? Since you won’t leave him, he will have to leave you.” Dominic announced with a serious tone before he turned to Killian.


    "Killian, you’re going to keep your distance from my wife for a while."


    "Of course." Killian stepped back. "I’ll stay in the guest quarters and only speak when the Alpha permits it." He agreed with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.


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