Chapter 57
Tori’s anger whipped around her like a tornado. Bits of ss scratched and sliced my skin. Just as I
reached out and grasped the thrashing emotion, it slipped from my fingers. An invisible wall mmed
down between Tori and I, cutting off my connection to her emotions. I took a staggering breath and tried
to calm my own nerves before opening myself up again. Instead of forcing it, I let each sensation brush
by me, letting each one go.
The whirlwind that was Tori’s anger resumed, swirling around strands of my hair and in between my
fingers. I let the anger wash over me, delving deeper. Underneath the anger was the distinct, sharp
sting that reminded me of hurt. I scolded myself for a minute. Of course, she was hurt, I had left without
a word, leaving the phone she had gotten me on the bed. Tori had been my first friend in such a long
time, and I repaid her by constantly refusing to trust her. Hidden even deeper was an emotion I hadn’t
anticipated; understanding. While her anger was like a blistering fire, the understanding she felt was
like the ocean–cool, crisp waves dashing the heat of the mes.
She stopped a few feet in front of me, her chest heaving with emotion. I could see each one y out in
her eyes, gritting my teeth against the wave of exhaustion that settled in my bones. I noticed how Alec
and Kade took a few steps away from the two of us, neither one dared to interrupt what Tori was about
to say. Her face was as red as her ming hair, her mouth opened and closed but words refused to
form.
“You–” She sputtered, her incredulous eyes shing from me to Alec and Kade. Giving me onest
emotion clouded look, she turned her eyes to the twins. “You brought her back.”
“She chose toe back.” Alec murmured, and I couldn’t help the grateful look that came across my
face. “We wouldn’t ever force her.”
“So, you chose toe back?” Tori snorted, cing her hands on her hips in her typical fashion. I had
seen this look on Tori’s face when she scolded one of Grace’s friends for bullying me. “That’s ironic
considering you chose to leave in the first ce. Do you have any idea how that made me feel? None
of us knew what had happened to you! I thought we were friends, Aurora. You could have trusted me.”
The anger in Tori’s voice quickly gave way to hurt, which hid that underlying tone of understanding.
From those three emotions, I knew that Tori would forgive me. She would undoubtedly make me grovel
and earn her forgiveness, but she understood why I had left. I could feel the twin’s unease at the anger
in Tori’s tone, but neither stepped in. I appreciated them keeping their distance, knowing I needed to fix
this myself. If I was supposed to have this great destiny, I couldn’t let Alec and Kade jump in to fix all of
my problems. I made this mess, and it was time I owned up to it. Tori, Alec and Kade, were the most
important people in my life at the moment. I had hurt each one of them, and would willingly pay the
price to fix that.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I wasn’t thinking about who I would hurt, I just needed to leave.” I sighed,
feeling nothing but guilt as her emotions battered me. Even with the blinding anger she felt, she was
still concerned for me. I knew that if I let myself dig deeper into her emotions, I would feel the tiniest
shred of happiness. She was d I hade home, that I found my way and decided to stay with Alec
and Kade. I had no idea what this meant for our friendship, but I wasn’t willing to give up quite yet.
“Everything–everything wasing down on me. First Melissa and Frank, then Grace, and then
Garrett showed up dropping the biggest bombshell of my life. I didn’t believe him at first, when he told
me what I was. I had no idea that you could actually help me, Tori.”
“I know you didn’t, Aurora.” Tori sighed, letting out a sharp breath. “I understand why you left–goddess,
I do. Just because I understand, doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Anything could have happened to you out
there! You could have been caught by someone other than Alec and Kade. You might think you don’t
have people who care about you, but you do.”
“I was nearly caught.” I admitted, ignoring the wary nces I received from Alec and Kade. I wanted to
trust Tori, to rebuild the bridge I had nearly destroyed. Trust wasn’t something that came naturally to
me, but it was something I was willing to work on. I didn’t have any immediate family I could trust, but I
knew the family I chose would be much stronger than that of shared blood. I trusted Alec and Kade
without even noticing the shift in my emotions, and I wanted to do the same for Tori. “If I hadn’t shifted
for the first time–well, I wouldn’t be here now. Alec and Kade found me in time, but I learned my lesson.
I let people scare me off instead of trusting the three of you. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
The happiness radiating from the twins was enough to wipe the sting away that Tori’s anger had left
behind. I could taste Kade’s surprise, as though he was still finding it hard to believe that I hade
back. Alec felt the same, random rushes of awe coursed through him when he looked my way. I could
feel Tori’s anger diminishing, leaving behind a dull throb that spanned my forehead. Even though her
anger was beginning to fade, I could still feel her caution. She wanted to trust me, but I knew it wouldn’t
come easy. I wasn’t sure how the twins managed to trust me, but I had a feeling the mate-bond was
coming into y. At the mention of my almost capture, Tori’s face hardened. A fierce surge of curiosity
and worry bubbled through her, mixing with the understanding and sliver of happiness she felt.
“You were almost captured?” She sputtered, whipping around to face Alec and Kade. “Why wasn’t I told
about this? Do you have any idea who did it or what they wanted?”
“We have one of them in a cell.” Kade raised his hands in surrender, “We were nning on questioning
him tomorrow, but if you want to take the reins–“
“Not helping.” I murmured to Kade, flushing at the sly grin that formed on his face.
“I’m just saying. With that anger, you might get some answers out of the guy.” Kade chuckled, making
Tori scoff and roll her eyes. Even though Kade managed to take some of the fire out of Tori’s eyes, she
refused to back down. How Tori managed to stand her ground to not one, but two Alpha’s, was beyond
me. Yet, she refused to even flinch as she stared into the eyes of Alec and Kade.
“Perhaps you should tell her, doll.” Alec shrugged, giving me a look that made my legs weak. His look
was one of absolute trust, one that told me he and Kade would follow me to the ends of the Earth if I
asked. “Whatever you choose to do, we’ll stand by it.”
Alec’s words left me enough room to pick and choose what I wanted to tell Tori. I could easily tell her a
couple masked men had tried to kidnap me, but I had learned my lesson by not trusting her. I wanted to
mend that bridge, to regain the friend I had nearly lost. Keeping more secrets from her would only
prove I didn’t trust her. If I was going to do this, I needed to be all in.
“It’s a long story. One I’d rather not tell in public, but if you’re interested–I wouldn’t mind exining
everything.” I told her, hoping she could feel the sincerity of my words, and the weight of what I was
willing to tell her. Tori seemed to grasp my understanding as a determined look crossed her face, the
thick guard she kept around herself lowering.
“Alright.” Tori exhaled, and I could visibly see her shoulders rxing. “Come to my house tomorrow,
around noon. Dad and Mom are visiting my Aunt, so they won’t be around to hover. If I don’t see you
tomorrow, I’ll hunt you down, Aurora. Not even Alec and Kade will stop me. Also, this is still yours.”
Tori ced something cold in my hands, and I looked down at the cellphone she had given me a
couple months ago. The battery was full, and I wondered why she had kept it for me. I could see the
reluctance in her eyes as she walked away, resuming what she had nned for the day. As Kade
wrapped his arms around my waist, and Alec ced a lingering kiss to my forehead, I realized
something. Alec, Kade, and Tori were the first people to care about me in such a long time, and I knew
that if I allowed it, the three of them would be the family I never had.N?velDrama.Org ? content.