The Awakening Aidan - By Abby Niles Page 0,74

had passed since he’d been forcing his beast away from Jaylin as she’d lain helpless on the bed. When he came to, and had felt her throat between his teeth, he’d thought the beast had won. “All I remember are those last minutes on the island. I don’t understand how that can be.”

“None of us really grasp what the flash does. All we know is if a healthy shifter is close to the flash when it goes off, the beast becomes rabid and tries to emerge, but the effects wear off pretty quickly once the flash is over and the human side is usually able to maintain control. In this instance, you were holding the Splycer and received the full impact of the flash.”

“My beast was determined to get out. I’ve never fought it as hard as I did that night. It was torture. It broke my body with a single-minded focus to get out and kill Jaylin.”

Trevor nodded. “This is only speculation, but we think the combination of the flash making your beast rabid and the following struggle for domination severed the connection between you and your beast.”

Aidan rubbed his eyes, stunned at the implication Dr. Klaus was making. “Where my beast won, and I left my mate helpless.”

“Listen to me.” Trevor placed a hand on Aidan’s shoulder and squatted before him so they were eye to eye. “The animal we’ve dealt with all week was not a shifter’s beast. There was no human in it. We think that once the beast emerged, it put your human side in some kind of comatose state. With you gone, the beast lost its humanity and became an animal. You’re connected to it now. The two of you are one again.”

“Are we?”

How could he ever be sure this wouldn’t happen again?

He’d lost time. A week’s worth of time. He could’ve done anything, hurt anyone, and he would never have been the wiser. He pinned Liam with his gaze, knowing if anyone in this room would be honest with him, it would be him. “How did I treat Jaylin this week?”

Liam inhaled deeply, but returned his gaze, unflinching. “You were most aggressive toward her.”

“Was there any other instance where I tried to hurt her?”

Liam’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent. He didn’t need to speak. Aidan had his answer. There was no guarantee Jaylin was safe with him any longer, no guarantee that when he saw her again he wouldn’t turn into a savage animal and try to finish what he didn’t succeed in doing today.

There was no guarantee that one day he wouldn’t turn on her again.

“Okay then.” Aidan nodded, making a choice that made his beast roar. While that should’ve comforted him, let him know that his beast was one with him once again, the rage emanating from it only solidified his decision. He’d never put Jaylin in harm’s ways. If that meant protecting her from him, then he would.

He would finally honor her wishes and give her what she’d wanted from the start—he’d let her go.

Chapter Thirteen

Jaylin tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she sped down the winding road toward Aidan’s cabin. She could kill Trevor. Had the man lost his ever-loving mind?

How could he let Aidan just leave like that?

When she’d posed that exact question to Trevor, his response had been the classic excuse of, “He’s a grown man. He can do what he wants.”

What a load of crap.

He should’ve been monitored. For at least a day, hell his entire life, then maybe he’d finally relent in seeing her.

Her shoulders slumped, the anger leaving her as the sadness she tried not to focus on took its place. She wasn’t mad at Trevor. She might as well accept that now.

She was scared that even though Aidan had returned, she’d still lost him.

He’d refused to see her, had left without so much as checking to see if she was okay. When he hadn’t returned to her, she’d tried to barrel into the other room, only to have Britton stop her—the big oaf. While he’d intercepted, Aidan had escaped.

Well, she wouldn’t stand for it.

If he didn’t want her anymore, then he’d have to look her in the eyes and tell her. And it was very possible Aidan no longer wanted anything to do with her. As she’d stormed through the office on her way out to her car, hell-bent on finding him, Trevor had stopped her in her tracks with a final warning, one that still made her cringe.

“You need