Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 157

There was a reverence in how he worked through it. Never once did he tug too hard or let my strands tangle. He made sure every last piece was completely dry.

It wasn’t until the tears fell from my cheeks that I realized I was crying. Knox caught sight of me in the mirror and froze. He quickly shut off the hairdryer and turned me around. “What’s wrong?”

I wrapped my arms and legs around him like a monkey clinging to a branch. “I love you.”

“And that makes you cry?”

“It’s been so long since someone has taken care of me like this.” My voice hitched as I struggled to get the words out.

He burrowed his face in the crook of my neck. “Sen.”

“I can’t tell you what it means to me. I can feel how much you love me.”

Knox carried me into the bedroom and set me on the bed, kneeling between my legs. His hands slid along my jaw, cupping my face. “I do. More than I can put into words.”

“I’m sorry I held back. I didn’t realize it until I was in that cell. I’m the one who kept our bond from forming. I didn’t

mean to-”

Knox silenced me with a kiss. It was full of tenderness and all the things we struggled to find the words for. “It’s okay. We found our way to each other. And sometimes fighting so hard for something makes us appreciate it even

more.”

I pressed a hand to his bare chest. His steady heartbeat thumped against my palm. “I promise to never take you for granted. To never waste a moment we have together.”

His lips brushed against mine again. “Every moment with you is a gift.”

My eyes burned, more tears straining to get free. But I forced them down. I’d felt like a leaky faucet ever since I’d made it out of that basement. No more. I wrapped myself around Knox and held on.

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that. I didn’t hear the door open or footsteps. It was a throat clearing that had me releasing Knox.

Concern lined the planes of Anson’s face. “You okay?”

I stood, crossing to him. Anson opened his arms and I sank into his embrace. “I’m okay.”

Anson struggled to keep his hold on me gentle. “I’m not feeling like that’s the whole truth.”

12:23 C

Screw My Childhood Sweetheart–Hi Alpha Brother Marked Me First!

Chapter 157

“Anson,” Knox said, his voice low.

“Just needing some extra hugs. I want to make sure you’re all real.” I tried to infuse levity into my tone but knew it came across forced.

I started to release Anson, but he held tight to me. “You hug me as much as you damn well want.”

I smiled against his chest. “Love you.”

“So much it scares me sometimes.”

That fear was a living and breathing thing. Especially when we’d come so close to losing one another.

“We’ll fight our way back to each other. Always.” I echoed the words Knox had given me earlier, holding tight to their promise.

Anson’s lips skimmed over my hair. “How about we don’t lose each other at all?”

A soft laugh escaped me. “That sounds like a good plan to me”

He rubbed his hand up and down my back. “You guys better get dressed. Mason wants a meeting.”

A little of the levity and reassurance I’d found in Anson’s arms slipped away. “Is everything okay?” I pulled back, searching Anson’s face for answers.

“I have no idea. He’s been on the phone since you guys went upstairs.”

I ignored the twisting sensation in my stomach and hurried to my closet. I went for comfort, pulling on a favorite pair of sweats, a T–shirt of Caspian’s I’d stolen, and a cozy hoodie. By the time I was out, Knox had grabbed clothes from his room as well. He held out a hand to me. I linked my fingers with his and let the buzz of our connection soothe the worst of my worry.

No matter what, we’d face what lies ahead together.

Anson led the way down the hall and towards the stairs. Low voices drifted up from the living room. Four sets of eyes swung to us as we appeared.

River scanned my face. He did his best to hide his worry, but knew it was there. Since our entire bond was complete, I could feel him more. Sense his emotions in the same way he could sense mine, and I had a feeling his connection to me was stronger as well. “Feel better?”

“Knox gave me a full spa treatment.“.

Vaughn made a scoffing sound.

Knox glared at him. “No need to be jealous now.”

Chapter 157

“Beauty parlor isn’t on my top list of things to do,” he bit back.

“Enough,” I cut in, staring at Vaughn. “We’ve all been through a lot these past few days. Let’s remember we’re all on the same team here.”

A muscle in Vaughn’s cheek ticked and he looked away.

I rounded the couch and crossed to him. He retreated, but I was faster. I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “A team. That includes you.”

“I’m not a great team member.”

“Well, maybe it’s time to learn.”

“Maybe.”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his shoulder. There were so many words Vaughn wasn’t ready to hear from me. So I said them silently, sending invisible promises through that one touch.

When I straightened, my gaze met Mason’s. He looked older in that moment. Tired. His pack had suffered blow after blow recently, and it all rested on his shoulders. One look and I knew even more had been heaped onto him.

“I spoke with the Quad. We have a problem.”

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