Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 120

I scrolled through my texts. There was still nothing from my dad. Reaching out felt like exposing a wound for reinjury. But I missed him, the man he used to be anyway. My fingers hovered over the keyboard.

Me: I hope you and Mom are doing okay.

I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘I love you.’ There was too much hurt there. All I could give was this one olive branch.

I stared at my phone, but there was no response.

Caspian put on his blinker, pulling off the two–lane road onto a private drive.

I scanned the area around us. There were green rolling hills and forest in the distance.

‘It’s beautiful.”

Caspian nodded. “Nice and quiet.”

“That has to be calming, right?”

Caspian pulled into a small, half–full parking lot. He maneuvered into a space and shut off the engine. Turning in his seat, he took my hand. “We’re with you. Every step of the way.”

I linked my fingers with his as Caspian’s thumb swept back and forth across the back of my hand. “You have me too. If you ever need

to talk…”

‘I know.”

Neither of us made any motion to move from this spot.

‘I’m scared.” I spoke the words so softly, they were barely audible.

‘I would be too.”

There was something about Caspian not brushing my fear aside with simple reassurances that helped. It was as if we were looking the situation dead in the eyes, not pretending that it wasn’t hard as hell.

‘I’m scared she won’t be in her right mind, and I’m scared she will be.” If she had all her faculties about her, what might she reveal?

‘We won’t know until we go in there.”

I stared up at the stone building. It looked to be at least three stories, and it had the feel of an old manor house–luxurious but also a little creepy. “Or we could sit here all afternoon and pretend we went inside.”

“We could do that too. But I have a feeling you wouldn’t be too happy with yourself when we got home.”

“Why do you have to go and make a perfectly reasonable point like that? It’s rude.”

Caspian chuckled. “I apologize.”

Chapter 120

“You should.”

Caspian leaned forward, crossing the distance between us. He took my mouth in a gentle kiss. His tongue teased and coaxed. It was a kiss of comfort and reassurance, yet it sparked a fire low in my belly. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine. “You can do this. Whatever the reality is inside those walls, you’ll deal.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”

“Ready?”

“Nope, but I’m doing it anyway.”

He squeezed my hand. “That’s my girl.”

I released my hold on Caspian and pushed open my door. I didn’t give myself a second to hesitate and immediately headed for the double doors at the front of the building. Caspian jogged to catch up, beeping the locks to his SUV as he went

I pulled on one of the doors, but it didn’t open. A voice came from a speaker I hadn’t seen on the building. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Senna Blake. I’m here to see Abigail Carson.”

“Please hold your identification up to the camera.”

I riffled through my bag, pulling out my driver’s license. I held it up to the camera as I glanced at Caspian. “Is this normal?” I

whispered.

He shrugged. “It’s a facility for shifters. They don’t want anyone wandering in off the street.”

‘We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

The door buzzed.

‘Please proceed to the reception desk,” this disembodied voice instructed.

Caspian pulled the door open, and I stepped inside. My gaze swept the room. It was a bizarre juxtaposition. There were historic letails like ornate wood moldings and gleaming hardwood floors–everything about the décor spoke of wealth–yet the two people behind the massive desk wore scrubs and had earpieces.

A man who appeared to be in his mid–twenties looked up. “Welcome, Ms. Blake.”

Senna, please.”

Senna. I’m Max. After I get you checked in, I can take you to see your mother.”

swallowed but nodded. I handed him my ID.

‘I’ll need your identification as well,” Max said to Caspian.

Caspian handed his over and Max made photocopies of both licenses. “Please sign these waivers.”

I quickly scanned the text, blanching slightly at waiving the right to sue for bodily harm. I didn’t let myself reconsider, I simply signed. We handed the sheets back to Max and he motioned us forward. “Let’s go see your mom.”

Max pressed his hand against some sort of palm–reader security system. The door buzzed, and he pulled it open while pressing

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Chapter 120

something else on his earpiece. “Two visitors in Hall A. Proceeding to the conservatory.”

Caspian’s hand found mine as we walked down the hall. The entryway had been completely silent other than the second receptionist clicking away on a keyboard. This space was anything but. There was yelling, screaming, crying. Each room had an industrial–looking door with a small window in it, and every so often, a face would press up against the glass

One man snarled, pounding on the door. I pushed closer to Caspian.

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