Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Sienna pulled her sleeve back down and worried her fingers together on the table. “I don’t think it was worth it. All the lying. For what? So I might have a few fake friends all these years? Fit in better?” She shrugged. “I think I would have been better off making friends with you and Rylee than pretending to be someone I’m not.”
Amber reached over and covered Sienna’s hands with one of hers. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard.” She didn’t feel angry. It wasn’t Sienna’s fault. Her parents had made this decision for her twenty years ago. They thought they were doing her a favor. Who could know? Maybe they had.
“Thank you.” Sienna eased her hands free and wiped a tear that slid down her cheek.
“When do you turn twenty?”
“A month after you.”
“Not much longer to wait then.” Amber offered her a smile.
Sienna took a deep breath and sat taller. “That’s not why I’m here. I mean I didn’t follow you just to share my secret.”
Amber cocked her head to the side. “Okay.”
“Do you…” Sienna licked her lips, hesitating. “Do you have any visions?”
Amber frowned. “Visions?”
Sienna swallowed hard, her face flushing. “Yeah, about the future. About life in the mountains.”
Amber slowly shook her head. “No. Do you?”
Sienna looked down, shrugging. “I guess. Maybe my mind is just conjuring up images.” She chuckled wryly as if to brush it off.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Something deep inside told Amber not to blow this off. She felt called to listen and be kind. “What do you visualize?”
Sienna kept her head angled toward her lap. “All kinds of things. My mate. His home. Other women with their mates…”
Amber’s breath hitched. “Rylee?”
Sienna lifted her head. “Yes.”
“You see her?” Amber’s heart started pounding.
Sienna nodded. “Yes. With a man with brown hair and hazel eyes.”
Unable to even blink, Amber leaned closer. “Is she…happy?”
Sienna smiled. “Yes. I can’t even know if my weird visions are real, but yes, he adores her.”
For whatever reason, Amber believed this girl.
“I was really hoping you were having the same experiences. Or maybe knew that Rylee had also. I’m so isolated with no other marked girls to commiserate with.”
“How long has this been happening?”
“A few weeks. The visions are getting stronger and more frequent. Sometimes I find myself staring off into space. I feel like I’m watching other people’s lives. Like a television show, but more like a camera inside their homes. Like I’m spying on them. I can’t hear what they’re saying. I can only see them. It’s kind of eerie and freaks me out, but it can’t be real, right?”
Amber reached for her new friend’s hand again. “There’s a lot about mating an Alpha Protector that we just don’t know. Maybe it’s normal.”
“Except it hasn’t happened to you, and you don’t think Rylee experienced it either.” Sienna winced.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not real. I’ve often felt like my mate was watching me from up in the mountains,” she shared. It wasn’t the same, and she’d always poopooed the sensation, but if it made Sienna feel better…
“You have?”
Amber shrugged. “It’s more like I felt like I could see movement far away, but in my head it was him. Rylee always thought I was a bit cuckoo.” She giggled, trying to lighten the mood.
“Well, I don’t think you’re cuckoo.” Sienna squeezed Amber’s hand.
“Do you see specific things? Like them at the dinner table?” Amber chuckled again. “Rylee is a picky eater. She’s always been worried her mate would force her to eat things she doesn’t like. It’s silly. I’m sure you don’t see things like that. But you said she’s happy. She wouldn’t be happy if he was forcing her to choke down foods. Just wishful thinking on my part.”
Sienna cocked her head to the side. “Funny you should say that. It explains some of my visions.” She shuddered. “It’s so odd. Rylee doesn’t eat with her mate. I thought maybe it was a custom or something. But I see other mates eating together. Just not Rylee and her mate.”
Amber searched Sienna’s face, finding nothing but honesty. “What does she do while he’s eating?”
Sienna grinned. “She colors usually.”
“Colors… That’s strange.”
“It’s soothing. For her and for me. I can’t explain it.”
“You’re having a lot of these visions, then?”
“Yes. I feel like I’m either losing my mind or I’ve become an inadvertent peeping Tom. Like I’m standing outside their windows, looking in their private homes. Except I’m not outside. I’m inside with them. It’s so frustrating. I really hope it’s my imagination.”
Amber shook her head. “I don’t think it is. In fact, you’ve given me peace of mind. I’m glad to know that Rylee is happy. It gives me hope for myself. Have you visualized any of the Alpha Protectors as mean?”
“None. Never. They’re all kind and caring. Overprotective. Doting. I don’t want to say too much, but if what I visualize is true, we’re both going to be happy.”