6. Cillian

If Jackson hadn’t interrupted me, I don’t know if I would have had the self- control to leave it at a kiss. Without Vez there to give me guidance, I feel like a rogue firework. I could head off in any direction. I had no clue if I’m doing the right thing.

It felt right. There was no doubt about that. I wasn’t lying when I told her she was the only thing to break the numbness. Since being found by Franz and Zeke on that vile wooden floor, I have been in a state of chaos. Her sweet face, how often she blushes cuts through the panic. Every time she apologised for something meaningless, my heart lurched.

The ordeal of getting through today has been immense. I don’t even think the grief has sunk in, having to spend the whole day dodging disaster. From the instant the packhouse loomed into view, I have been a ball of worry. Jackson’s first words to me, a hushed whisper as he led me upstairs, were about the lack of mind link.

“Alpha, no disrespect, but what’s going on with your head?”

“W