Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chloe

I sniffle and swipe at my nose with my sleeve before throwing my toiletries on top of the jumble of clothes tossed into the open suitcase on my bed.

The shampoo catches the edge and bounces out, rolling off the mattress. Frustration stings my eyes as I chase after it, catching it next to the foot of the settee where Holden and I had shared such a wonderful morning. Now, the fireplace lies cold, and the folded blanket draped over the back appears untouched, like it was all a figment of my imagination.

Bottle in hand, I straighten, then sway when my head swims. My face feels tight from the tears I've already shed and that are on the cusp of spilling over again. Outside the French doors that lead to the private patio, the fairy lights in the garden shut off as dawn lightens the sky.

How did so much happiness and sorrow happen in less than a day?

A knock on the door makes me jump, and Holden's gentle voice calls out, "Chloe? Can I come in?"

Heart aching, I hesitate before walking over to open the door.

He stands out in the hall, concern etched on his face. Relief sweeps through me, and my body shakes with the need to be in his embrace, followed by a sense of crushing loss.

Nathaniel made it clear that what happened between me and Blake was not acceptable and that I never had the right to dream of belonging in Holden's arms.

When I remain silent, blocking the doorway, he searches my puffy face. "Can we talk?"

I nibble on my lip before moving back toward the bed, leaving the door open.

Taking that as an invitation, he steps inside and closes the door as he takes in the disorder of my room. "You're packing?"

If I face him now, I'll give in to the desire to seek comfort from him, so I focus on shoving my belongings into my suitcase. "I can't stay here. Dominic… He's… He's one of the people who bullied me in high school. I can't be around him."

"I'm so sorry, Chloe." The vanilla cake emitting from Holden takes on a distressed, burnt sugar scent. "I had no idea you were the one Dominic told us about."

My head whips up. "He told you what he did?"

Holden hugs his elbows as if he needs comfort as much as I do. "When our bonds were forming, we were open about our pasts. Dominic was a bit of an ass to begin with, but once he got away from his family… He's been working on coming to terms with his past. I had no way of knowing you were part of that."

" Coming to terms ," I scoff, yanking up the top side of my suitcase, only for the clothes piled inside to spill out. "Well, good for him for putting it behind him."

"I won't excuse how he treated you when you were kids." Holden's arms slowly wrap around me. "All I can tell you is that Dominic isn't the same person he was when we first met."

At first, I stand stiff within Holden's embrace. Then a sob chokes out of me, and I collapse against him, turning my face into his neck.

He holds me close, rubbing my back. "I'm so sorry for what you went through, but I promise you're safe here."

The warmth of his body envelops me, igniting a desire to remain in his protection forever. How can I feel like this when Dominic's presence has already extinguished all hope?

"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again," Holden whispers, his breath warm on my temple. "There has to be a way through this. Please don't leave."

Head lifting, I blink away the tears. "But how can I stay? Nathaniel doesn't want me here, and Dom…"

Helpless uncertainty tightens Holden's face, but before he can answer, a sharp knock on the door startles us apart.

"Chloe, can I talk to you for a minute?" The hesitance behind Dominic's question makes it clear he's well aware that his presence is unwelcome.

I freeze, his voice dredging up the happiest and most painful times of my childhood.

Holden's jaw tightens, his focus flicking from me to the door, his pheromones intensifying as his emotions flare. "Do you want me to handle this?"

My mind races, torn between the desire to confront my tormentor and the fear that doing so will only bring more pain. Deep down, a small part of me longs for closure, for the chance to finally stand up to him and reclaim my power. At the same time, my pulse spikes with remembered humiliation, and it becomes hard to breathe.

"I can't face him," I whisper, tears welling at my weakness.

The knock comes again, more insistent this time. "Chloe?"

Shoulders pulled back, Holden strides toward the door.

As he opens it, I glimpse Dominic hovering on the other side, his black hair now braided on the top in some semblance of order. Pleading fills the gray eyes that fix on me over Holden's shoulder.

I spin away, tears threatening again.

"Can I talk to Chloe?" Dominic asks, his voice strained.

Ice coats Holden's tone. "She doesn't want to see you right now."

"Please, I just need to apologize." The desperation behind the words begs forgiveness, but the past can't be so easily erased.

Instead of letting him in, Holden steps out into the hall, forcing Dominic back as he closes the door.

A moment later, their muffled argument rises.

My hand lifts to my lucky shamrock necklace, trying to draw strength from it as I strain to hear their exchange, but the solid wood muffles their voices.

Paralyzed, I can't force myself to move. Guilt, sorrow, and anger churn inside me as I grapple with my decision to refuse Dominic. Coming here was supposed to be about deciding my future, so how did it become about my past?

Dominic's plea rises from the other side of the door. "Chloe, please listen to me!"

Holden's murmur follows, attempting to diffuse the situation. He's torn between loyalty to his packmate and wanting to protect me, and it isn't fair when I'm the outsider here.

My vision blurs as I struggle to repack my suitcase, but my trembling legs won't stand for it anymore, and I slide down to the floor. Overwhelmed by everything, I bury my face in my hands and sob beneath the weight of memories, reliving my heartbreak all over again.

The door opens, and footsteps rush over to me. "Oh, no, don't cry like this." Holden pulls me into his embrace. "You'll make yourself sick, cupcake."

I cling to him, seeking the comfort of his vanilla sweetness. He's the cupcake here, not me. The heat radiating from his body helps ease my tears, and they fade into hiccups.

"I wish I could fix this for you." His arms tighten around me, and anguish laces his voice. "I'm so sorry. "

"Don't." I sit back and wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. "None of this is your fault."

The light from the lamps on the nightstand turns Holden's golden-brown curls into a halo, and through the blur in my vision, he looks like an angel. My heart clenches with longing and fear. I want to stay with him, but I'm not sure I'm strong enough to forgive Dominic.

As if he can read my thoughts, heartbreak fills his eyes. "Let me help you up."

With infinite tenderness, he cups my elbows, draws me to my feet, and guides me over to sit on the edge of the bed.

The softness of the mattress comes as a welcome relief, and I sink onto it. When he releases me to move the suitcase off to the floor, I miss his touch, craving the warmth and reassurance it brings.

"Thank you," I whisper.

He settles beside me and takes my hand, squeezing it in a gesture of support. I glance down at the way his hands dwarf mine. Hands capable of creating so many wonderful meals and desserts that have brought me so much joy. Hands that could never hurt me.

"Hey, look at me," Holden urges, his words soft yet commanding.

I lift my head to meet his eyes, picking out the flecks of gold in their depth.

He squeezes my fingers. "We're going to figure this out."

My vision blurs. "I don't know if we can. I think…I made a mistake coming here."

Sorrow furrows his brow, and he cups my face, his thumb brushing away my tears. "It wasn't a mistake. None of us expected this when you arrived, but that just means that what we've found is so much more precious."

The tenderness of his touch draws me in, craving the warmth of his skin. Tingles of awareness rush through me, and despite everything, my pulse quickens as my focus drops to his mouth.

Slowly, he leans in, his scent filling my senses. My lashes flutter down, giving myself over to the feelings threatening to consume me.

Holden's breath tickles my cheek, his fingers pushing back into my hair, cradling my head like I'm more fragile than glass. The air between us charges, and when his soft lips brush over mine, it sends a shock of desire through my body.

With a gasp, I wiggle closer, needing to narrow the distance, to?—

A knock at the door breaks the moment, and Holden curses with frustration as he straightens. "I swear, if that's Dominic again, I'm going to punch him."

"Chloe?" Blake's voice comes with another rap of knuckles. "Sweet girl, can I come in?"

Holden huffs as he stands. "He sounds worried."

My heart sinks, and bitterness replaces the vanilla taste of Holden's lips.

Based on what I heard of the fight earlier, Blake had approached me knowing his bondmate, Nathaniel, was adamantly against bringing an Omega into their family. Were Blake's feelings toward me ever genuine? Or was this all a cruel ploy on his part to bed me since I was leaving soon?

I feel so foolish for considering signing on for another trilogy I don't want to write just to see if I was a good fit for this pack.

Holden's expression softens as he watches me struggle. "Do you not want to see Blake, either?"

I shake my head, trying to hold on to my resolve despite the way my body still aches from taking his knot. "No, not right now."

I can't bear the thought of facing him, not when confusion and hurt already threaten to overwhelm me.

Holden nods, turning away to hide his disappointment, but not before I see it. A pang of guilt goes through me for causing him pain.

But I need time to process everything, and if I have both Holden and Blake asking for me to stay, I might waiver for the wrong reasons.

Holden moves toward the door, his steps slow and deliberate, tension tightening his muscles. He cracks open the door to speak to Blake without letting him in. "Now's not a good time."

"Just let me in for a second to explain," Blake argues, misery in his voice. "If I can just?—"

"You've done enough for tonight." Holden cuts him off, his tone resolute. "Go to bed. We can talk in the morning."

Based on Holden's stiff posture, Blake refuses to leave. When the standoff continues, he finally relents, his heavy footsteps thudding away.

Holden returns to stand in front of me, a hint of hope in his expression. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

Every part of me wants to agree, to cuddle up in his arms and let him soothe the pain and confusion. But I can't allow myself that indulgence. "No, I need alone time to think."

Holden's shoulders slump, but he nods like he expected my answer. "I'll sleep in Sprinkles's room down the hall, so I'll be close by."

"Don't do that," I protest, imagining Holden cramped in the princess tower. "I'll see you in the morning."

A small, bitter laugh escapes from my lips. "It's not like I can leave the resort, anyway. I'm trapped on this island."

Holden crouches in front of me, catching my fingers. "You're not trapped. If you still want to go home after breakfast, I'll drive you down to the dock myself."

At his acceptance, I sniffle back a fresh threat of tears. "Blake said he'd go down to the cabin to search for some missing things. Can you ask him to also bring back my box of presents from my fans? And the items from the desk? If they survived the storm, I'd like to have them."

"I'll tell Blake." He offers me an encouraging smile. "He'll jump at the chance to find it for you."

A wet chuckle slips out. "I appreciate that."

Holden rises and leans over to kiss me on the cheek. "I'll be right down the hall."

With one last worried look at me, Holden leaves, the door clicking shut with a finality that cuts through me like a knife.

Left alone with my thoughts, I pull the quilt around my shoulders, seeking comfort from the hint of pheromones clinging to it. I breathe deeply, inhaling vanilla, cider, and woven through them, floral notes of my own.

The combination both comforts and torments, reminding me of what could be and what may never come to pass.