Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 164

I was surprised at how much the physical contributed to the mental. Cara talked about how important balance teamed to be within fær bond and within her own body. Her strength and endurance needed to grow to keep up with her gift.

Sports had never been my forte, but I’d always been fond of those Olympic training montages they showed during coverage of the games. Id need to channel some of that grit if I had a prayer at succeeding.

A flood of anxiety swamped me as Abigail’s words played in my mind. The one of your blood will help you rise to untold power. Or take the breath from your lungs. I swallowed against the lump in my throat as my grip on my pen tightened.

The chair next to me scraped against the floor and I jumped. So much for my ninja skills developing simply by reading the pages of a journal.

Anson looked down at my research. His brows lifted as he scanned the items on my list. “That’s a hell of a workout.”

I closed the notebook. “The more I read, the more I realize how important the physical piece of this is.”

His lips pressed into a firm line.

“What?”

“I just don’t want you pushing yourself too hard, too quickly. You’ve been through a lot in the past couple of weeks. Your body needs time to

heal,”

I did my best not to bristle at Anson’s concern. I knew it came from a good place, but I didn’t have time to waste. “Super healer, remember?”

“It’s more than just healing injuries. You need rest and to let your mind heal too.”

I swallowed down the growl that wanted to surface. “Time is the one thing we don’t have. We have no idea when Kaleb is going to make another move. I have to be ready.”

My heart rate kicked up as I heard Abigail’s words echo in my brain yet again. They’d been on a constant loop since we’d left the hospital.

Anson’s hand closed around mine as he loosened my grip on the pen. It clattered to the table. “Talk to me, Sen.”

My eyes burned, a combination of fatigue and tears trying to break free. “What if I’m like him?”

Anson stilled. “What?”

“He’s my father. Half of my genetic makeup is from him.”

Anson grabbed hold of my chair and turned me to face him. He pulled me in close, his legs going to the outside of my own. “You are nothinglike

him.”

“The prophecy. It says I could help him reach untold power.”

“Or you could steal the breath from his lungs.”

I stared down at my hands. Hands that had the power to kill. That had killed. “I can do horrible things.”

Anson framed my face with his hands. “You can do amazing things. You can protect yourself. Protect others. There is no one on this planet that I would trust with this power more than you.”

A single tear slipped free and Anson swiped it away with his thumb. I leaned into him, my head dropping to his shoulder. Anson’s arms went around me, his fingers traveling up and down the ridges of my spine. “There is so much light in you. There’s a reason fate gave you this gift.

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Chapter 164

Trusted you with it.”

“I’m scared I’ll make a wrong choice of won’t be ready, and herause of me, he’ll win.”

Anson’s fingers came up along the column of my neck, finding that spot he loved. “This isn’t on your shoulders alone. We’ve learneÄ KIERO time, we’re stronger when we’re together. Lean into that. Lean into us. We want to help you

“She said it has to be me that ends him.”

Anson’s hand tightened the barest amount on my neck, his jaw locking. “That might be true, but you won’t be doing it alone. You aren’t alote

anymore.”

Hints of anger bled through Anson’s words. I pulled back, taking in the same heat lacing his green eyes. “I know I’m not.”

“Do you? As soon as we got home, you holed up with these damn journals and didn’t say a word. You locked us out.”

And that had hurt him. He had lived his life so isolated before the bond formed, with a mother who hadn’t even cared that he’d moved out of their home, and a father who hadn’t wanted anything to do with him. And I had dug a knife into those wounds today.

I moved on instinct, all but launching myself at him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to push you out. I should’ve realized-

Anson didn’t cut me off with words. He stole anything else I was going to say with his mouth. A kiss that was a mix of anger and need. And I

took it all.

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