I hate him.
But I hate that part of me that still believes him.
That’s when the door creaks open behind me, and I flinch so hard my shoulder strikes the wall, thinking he’s followed me.
I glance up in the dimly lit room and spot Brody slipping inside. He shuts the door gently, and his expression changes when he sees my face, but he doesn’t rush toward me or ask five questions at once. He crosses to the opposite wall and leans there, giving me space while making it clear he isn’t leaving.
“Hey,” he says softly.
“I just needed a minute.” My voice sounds scraped raw, and that nearly starts the tears. “I’m fine. I mean, I will be. I just need my body to stop behaving like I’m being chased through the woods.”
“Take ten minutes,” he says. “Take an hour. Nobody out there gets to decide when you’re ready.”
The words loosen the thickness inside me, but before I can answer, the door opens again.
Corey steps in, glances from Brody to me, and the grin he entered with disappears. He shuts the door with his heel, then perches on the edge of a catering trolley, close enough to stay with me but not close enough to crowd me.
“Is this where everyone interesting disappeared to?” he asks, his tone deliberately light. “Because your aunt just cornered me beside the bar and asked whether I eat carbs. I think she might have been hitting on me.”
A shaky laugh catches in my throat despite everything. “She asks everyone that.”
“She looked deeply disappointed when I said yes to carbs. I may have ruined whatever future she was planning for us.”
Brody’s mouth twitches, but his attention stays on me.
The door opens a third time, and Jakob fills the frame. He takes in my wet eyes, the way I’m gripping my own arms, and the two men positioned around the room. Then he steps inside, draws the door closed, and rests against it with his arms folded.
“Are you hurt?” he asks.
The question is so direct that I blink. “No.”
“Did he touch you?”
“No. He just…” My throat tightens again. “He cornered me and started saying all the things he always did. That everyone is laughing at me. That this isn’t who I am. That I’m performing because I could never actually be happy.” I rub my hands over my arms, trying to erase the crawling sensation Louis left behind. “And I told him to fuck off, which should feel amazing, but it doesn’t. I’m still shaking, and I’m furious that he still does this to me. And I’m sure you three don’t need to worry or see me like this, as I know it’s not part of our deal.”
Jakob pushes away from the door. “I’ll be back.”
My head lifts. “Where are you going?”
“To have a conversation with Louis.”
Corey slides off the trolley. “I’ll come. I’m excellent at clarifying consequences.”
“No.” The word comes out sharp, and all three of them stop. “Please don’t. I don’t want a scene or a fight. I don’t want him turning this into another story where I’m unstable and brought three Alphas to threaten him.”
Jakob’s jaw tightens, but he stays where he is. “Then I won’t touch him.”
“That wasn’t as reassuring as you intended,” Brody says.
“I can be very clear without touching anyone.”
Corey nods thoughtfully. “It’s true and very unsettling.”
Another laugh escapes me, and Corey’s expression softens as if that was all he was trying to earn.
Brody crosses the room slowly, stopping within reach rather than taking it for granted. “Do you want us close?”
I nod before embarrassment can interfere.