Tug Of War - Coming Back Soon

Chapter Nineteen

A heart to heart with Eliseo was not something Inaaya had expected to have. But in his books, it was the next step to her having a meltdown in front of him. With much persistence on his part and much reluctance on hers, Inaaya told him all about how his mate had caused her most recent panic attack.

Inaaya flinched at his smallest movements as the whispered left her mouth, afraid he'll lash out at any moment. Dielle was one person Eliseo didn't hear anything against, and here Inaaya was, telling him just that.

However, to Inaaya's utter surprise, Eliseo had patiently listened to her, his face bare of any emotions. Silence reigned in the clearing once Inaaya had finished. She rested her back against a tree, eyes fluttering closed. The silence was calming, lulling her to sleep. Emotions did take a toll on a person, after all.

"I'm sorry," Eliseo uttered and Inaaya's eyes opened in surprise, "for Dielle's behaviour. She shouldn't have said what she did. I'll speak with her."

Inaaya gave an awkward nod, floored at having an alpha apologise to her. She had learned enough about them to know they were usually a storehouse of dominance and ego. Had it been Dielle apologising to her, it might not have come as that big a shock to her as it had when Eliseo apologised. He was the last person Inaaya expected any sincerity or respect from.

Eliseo rolled his eyes and shook his head as if disapproving her childishness. Inaaya quickly schooled her features into a neutral expression— as neutral as her tiredness permitted.

It was several moments later that Eliseo spoke again. "Do you love him? Do you want to be with him?"

Inaaya bit her lip and gazed down at the sparse grass on the ground. Lazily, she picked at the grass while gathering her thoughts. Did she love him? Yes, the feeling was as near to love as it could be. Did she want to be with him? Yes. A definite yes. But could she be? Now that was another question altogether.

When she didn't answer, Eliseo continued. "You can say no and we can figure out the way forward from there. But if you think you can get passed him marking you in the cowardly way he had, then you need to say something. Make up your mind."

Inaaya sighed, looking into his blue eyes. It was just like Eliseo to insult Axel at every given opportunity. A part of her felt defensive over him calling her Axel a coward but she resisted the urge to tell him off. After all, hadn't she thought the same of Axel?

"It's not the marking I can't get over. It's the killing. I have nightmares of him decapitating a man and then coming for me, ready to tear my throat out," Inaaya muttered, eyes downcast and fingers digging into her bent knees. She brought her knees further into her chest and rested her forehead against them, hiding her defeated expression from Eliseo.

"You can't bear violence, then."

Eliseo's statement made her look up again. She rested her chin on her knees and moved a hand through her chaotic hair. A guilt was clawing at her chest. She knew her answer and she knew it wasn't one a sane person would give. But it was the truth.

Carefully choosing her words, Inaaya framed the truth as far from its bitterness as she could. "I can deal with his predatory nature. I guess I just can't deal with the barbaric visuals that come along with it. I begin feeling unsafe around him, which then triggers a panic attack."

Eliseo's head tilted to the left and his eyes narrowed infinitesimally. Inaaya felt small under his scrutinising gaze. Her back pressed against the bark as she rested her head against it. Unable to resist his silent, judging gaze any longer, she blurted, "What?"

With an unchanged expression, Eliseo straightened up and shrugged. "You can get rid of the visuals." At Inaaya's confused but piqued expression, he added, "Ask for Talisa's help."