Page 25 of Tiger Born

Did I do something wrong? Yes. You exist.

I messed up so bad.

With me?

Yes.

Misty’s lip trembled as she shoved open the door of her apartment. She closed it behind her and pressed her shoulder blades against it as a sob escaped her.

She’d just had her heart broken by Chris a few months ago, and today was the first day she’d forgotten about him. Until now. This rejection felt so familiar. She dragged air into her lungs as she slid down the door and wrapped her arms around her bent knees as tears streamed down to her cheeks.

She didn’t want to be a mistake. This shouldn’t hurt like it did, because she’d only just met Dame again, but her chest burned like there was fire inside of her.

Today had been too much.

Today had been way too much.

Dame wasn’t the only one who had made mistakes.

Chapter Six

“Fuck!” Dame yelled, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.

He’d been working so hard to keep his emotions in check. So hard. Mom’s funeral, and then Marsden returning after all this time, and all the complicated feelings with that, Stellan was too fucking much, and now Dame had lost his head with the Rabbit. With Misty.

His chest felt like his heart was being ripped from it. The look of hurt on her face had gutted him.

The Rabbit was never supposed to be a human!

Dammit. Stellan’s tiger couldn’t do anything right.

And you know what? Dame wasn’t any better. Mars was right. Out of all the females in the world, he’d lost his mind with the Rabbit.

God, what was he doing?

He didn’t even know where he was going. The gas light came on and pissed him off even more. Dame drove right out of Salt Lake City and aimed for a gas station on the outskirts. There was a straightaway of highway that just looked like middle-of-nowhere, and as he was filling the tank of Marsden’s truck, he stared out at the rolling hills. He wished he could see the pretty scenery, but all he could see was the hurt in Misty’s eyes when he’d told her she was a mistake.

The lever clicked, telling him the tank was full, and he pulled the nozzle from Marsden’s truck and replaced it in the cradle where it belonged.

There was some dumb cartoon playing on the checkout screen of some penguins running away from a tiger.

He huffed a breath and shook his head. He hated being a Cat. Always had. The tiger inside of him had ruined his life, and the tigers inside of his brothers had detonated the family line completely.

Screw his stepdad for what he had done.

Screw his mom for standing by and allowing it.

Screw her for staying with him after.

His face crumpled, but he didn’t cry. He closed his eyes tightly so it would keep the emotions inside. He didn’t want to fall apart. He didn’t want to think about anything. If he was being honest with himself, he just wanted to be near Misty. She made all the mess inside of his head go away.

Of course he’d lost his mind and marked her.

She was the only thing in his life that had felt good since the tiger was born. She was a lifeline. She felt big. Of course she felt big. He’d been orbiting her for years with this protective drive to keep her safe, because keeping her safe kept his brother safe. He inhaled deeply. Marsden might be right, but he also didn’t understand. He wasn’t here. He hadn’t helped Dame and Stellan at all. He didn’t understand how lonely this life was, and he didn’t understand how damn good it felt to not be lonely for a little while.

Of course he’d marked her. She was glue, and he was some broken thing.

He looked at the screen of his phone, hoping for a text that couldn’t be there. He didn’t even have her number yet. Why were his feelings so big? He didn’t even have her number, and he was sitting here wishing for a long life with her.