Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

Holden

T he warmth of the cookies seeps into my hands as I carry the plate down the hall. Fresh from the oven, the chocolate chips are still melted and gooey, and I hope they put a smile on Chloe's face.

She deserves a little cheering up after all the chaos of the last twenty-four hours.

As I approach her open door, an unfamiliar male voice comes from inside her suite, and my steps slow in confusion.

"I love you!"

My feet freeze in the doorway, my heart breaking at the scene before me. A blond man bends to kiss Chloe, and instead of pushing him away, her sweet giggle cuts through me like a knife.

I recognize the man from photos I've seen of Aurora Storm on her book tour. Her agent, Grady, arrived, and he brought with it a declaration for the woman I've fallen in love with.

The sight is like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I turn and rush away, desperate to escape the pain threatening to consume me.

On the way back to the kitchen, I berate myself for ever believing I had a chance with Chloe. She deserves someone without complications—someone like the man who helped build her career. My grip tightens around the plate of cookies, knuckles turning white.

When I step through the swinging door, Dominic glances up from where he sits at the island, surprise flickering across his face.

He frowns as he spots the treat still in my hands. "Everything okay?"

"Fine," I lie, the word cracking. "I just… I don't think Chloe wants what I have to offer."

Dominic studies me for a moment, as if he can see right through me. "Are you sure?"

Not trusting myself to speak, I shake my head.

Dominic slides from his stool to come over. "Hey, what happened? Why didn't you give Chloe the cookies?"

"Take them." Throat raw like sandpaper, I thrust the plate toward him. "I have work to do."

Dominic frowns but accepts them. "Talk to me. Something's clearly wrong."

"Chloe…" I swallow hard, struggling to force the words out. "I walked in on her with Grady. Her agent. He confessed his love, and they kissed."

He drops the plate on the island with more force than necessary. "There must be a reason."

"There is. She accepted his confession." I choke back a sob, my heart trying to rip its way out of my chest. "Why wouldn't she, after everything we've put her through? Nathaniel was right. This is the wrong time for an Omega to join our pack."

"No, something else is going on." Dominic turns toward the door. "You need to go back and talk to her. Don't assume things."

"Maybe I was never really in the running," I whisper, unable to meet his heated gaze. "I'm not good enough for her."

"Enough of that!" Dominic bangs his fist against the counter. "We're figuring this out. Nothing is set in stone."

"There's nothing to figure out." My shoulders curl inward. "The choice is made. We should give her what she wants."

He turns back to me, desperation in his face. " You are what she wants, and if you don't fight for her… Holden, please, go back and make sure you properly understand what you saw."

Before I can protest, he spins me around and shoves me toward the door. I stumble forward as it flies open, and the solid wood slams into my face.

Falling backward into Dominic, I clutch my throbbing nose.

Horrified, Chloe rushes to my side. "Holden, I'm so sorry! That stupid door is so mean to us! Let me see. Are you bleeding?"

Dazed, I allow her to pull my hands away and examine the damage.

Relief sweeps over her face. "No blood. Should we ice it, though?"

"It will be fine." The pain in my face starts to fade. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you still be with Grady?"

"Oh, sugar." She cups my face. "This is the worst part of romance books. The misunderstanding. The ‘darkest night'. The ‘all is lost'. But this is real life, and we can skip all that drama, okay? Grady only kissed me because money excites him."

"Jesus, Chloe, can you phrase that a little differently?" Grady steps through the doorway with more caution than Chloe showed.

She puffs her cheeks at him. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"Well, you're not not wrong. And since we're being petty right now…" He strides forward and extends his hand to me. "You must be Holden, who Chloe's been gushing over and writing about in her diary with little hearts and everything."

"Yes, I'm Holden, and this is my bondmate, Dominic." In a fog, I shake his hand before the rest of what he said registers, and my head snaps toward Chloe. "You wrote about me in your diary?"

"I did not!" Her face turns bright pink. "I don't have a diary!"

"If you check her laptop, I guarantee you'll find a fanfic about you." Grady releases my hand to smirk at Chloe. "A smutty one."

With a gasp, she slaps at him. "Shut your mouth right now, Grady Garfield Finch! You're dead to me."

He lifts his chin. "You deserve it for calling me a money-kissing fiend."

My brain short circuits, and I sway on my feet. "You have a fanfic written about me?"

Chloe turns back to me and grabs my fingers. "I'm so sorry I sexualized your ears and your baking. It will never happen again."

"Oh my god!" I snap out of it and bounce our joined hands. "Aurora Storm wrote fanfic about me. Dom, did you hear that?"

He pauses with a chocolate chunk cookie halfway to his mouth. "I heard."

I turn back to Chloe. "Can I read it?"

"It's only fair, since it's about him." Grady walks over to grab a cookie and takes a bite, then groans. "You weren't kidding. I don't want to be subjected to whatever nasty story you concocted about this baker, but you're not wrong about him being a wizard."

Her lips part in a shocked breath. "How did you know? Have you been snooping into my files again?"

Dominic turns to Grady. "Am I right to assume you're planning to stay the night?"

"Definitely." Excitement brightens his face. "I have some paperwork to file."

Chloe snorts. "Freak."

"I've been waiting for this for years . I'm submitting it today before you change your mind!" He lifts the plate of cookies. "Can I have these?"

Dominic glances at the island, where two dozen more sit on cooling racks. "Yeah, I don't think we'll run out anytime soon. I can show you to a room, then come back and brew a pot of coffee or tea, if you'd like."

"Coffee would be amazing." Grady pats Chloe on the head as he strides for the door. "I'm happy for you."

They leave together, Grady's questions about the wi-fi drifting away until I stand alone in the kitchen with Chloe.

"So…" I say, suddenly unsure how to talk to Chloe again. It's like the awkwardness of our first meeting all over again.

"So…" She squeezes my hands. "Grady is just a very good friend, one who will be with me for the rest of my life. I love him, but it's not romantic. He's like family to me. The only real family I've had since my sophomore year of high school. We're a package deal."

Hope unfurls once more. "Does this mean there's a package on the table?"

Uncertainty enters her eyes. "I want to say yes, but…"

My shoulders slump. "Dominic."

"And Nathaniel," she reminds me. "Also, I have my own issues to handle."

She straightens her spine. "But I am handling them. Grady is going to speak to my publisher about accepting the advance for the trilogy in the Fairy and Dragon universe."

I reach out to tuck an escaped strand of pink hair behind her ear. "Is that what you want?"

"It's what I need if I'm going to cut my mother off." She inches closer to me. "I want to stop being scared. I deserve happiness and a family."

"You do." With a light tug, I pull her into my arms. "I want so much for my pack to be your family."

She snuggles against my chest. "Me, too."

The bond hums between us, tingling with the desire to complete.

Stopping it at this point will destroy me, but with so many hurdles in the way, how can we find a solution that keeps all of us whole?