Page 60 of Two Years Gone

I ran out of the room and down the stairs. I could hear him call after me, but I didn’t listen. I turned from the staircase to make my way through the kitchen when I crashed into someone.

I looked up, tears filling my eyes, and met the worried gaze of Alpha Daniel.

“Ella!”

Daniel looked up and back at me. I sniffed, trying to keep back my tears.

“Come on, my girl.” He wrapped his arm around me and led me to the backyard.

We walked away from the house in silence until we came to a large fallen tree and Daniel sat down on it, looking out at the open fields. I sat next to him and tried to collect myself.

Daniel turned to me.

“Are you alright?”

I nodded, but the heaving of my shoulders gave away my real feelings. Daniel put his arm around my shoulder and gave me a comforting squeeze.

When I had finished having a good cry, I looked up at him and gave him a warm, grateful smile.

“Thank you for sitting with me.”

“Any time dear,” he smiled.

“Now are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“I just… he…” I looked down, not knowing what to say.

Daniel rested a hand on mine.

“Ella, he’s my son, I know what an idiot he can be. You can talk to me.”

I looked back up at him with a small smile on my face. I missed having a father in my life, and for a moment my thoughts were taken to my dad and how he would comfort me in this situation.

“I made him angry. I didn’t mean to, I just said something I shouldn’t have, and it upset him. When I tried to talk to him again, he yelled at me, told me to go away.”

Daniel made a small scowl but continued listening.

“I shouldn’t have pushed him. But when he said that, I panicked. ‘Go away’ is just a step down from a rejection.”

Daniel looked at the evening sky, the light beginning to fade.

“I can see how that would have upset you. He was an idiot to let his frustration out on you in that way.”

I smiled.

“It wasn’t all his fault… He told me he needed a minute, but I pushed him, I wanted to explain.” I took in a ragged breath and the words caught in my throat: “I-I just didn’t—”

“Ella, it’s nobody’s fault. He was upset. You were upset. You both pushed and both said some things.” Daniel shrugged.

“I guess…” I looked out at the fields as the sky turned orange.

“Do you mind if I ask what you said to make him so upset in the first place?”

I grimaced.

“I asked him what we were doing. I told him I was nervous, that I had this sinking feeling he was going to change his mind about me again.”

Daniel’s eyes widened.