Filed To Story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
“Are you sure you’re really okay with me being here?” Emme asked once the car was off. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. We have plenty of time to share our pasts, and if you’re not ready, I’m happy to sit out here and wait. Therapy is usually done in private for a reason.”
“Have you been to therapy before?” I asked, wondering if she spoke from personal experience.
She shook her head. “Nah. I wished many times for someone to talk to, but it would have been a waste using a human therapist. What do they know about our world and struggles? But I also couldn’t use a shifter one, not while avoiding the cities.”
At one point in time, I’d considered her weak and untrustworthy as she ran from the cities and her mates. But now that I could look at her situation without the cloak of my own trauma clouding my judgement, I recognized the strength it must have taken to keep herself safe.
To live amongst humans.
To suppress her wolf and her true self.
“I’m sorry you went through that,” I said, hoping she’d hear the sincerity in my tone. “I think you’re pretty fucking brave and amazing to have fought for your freedom the way you did. I wish I had half your strength.”
Physically, I was a thousand times stronger than her, but mentally she had me beat. Hopefully one day I’d be the bear she needed and deserved-more than a broken shell of a shifter. And until I dealt with my trauma, I would fight not to taint her with my darkness.
Not ever again.
EMME
Despite my every intention to remain impartial to Finley, I was already softening toward the bear. This new version of him was open and caring as he shared his pain and trauma, rather than using it to turn words into weapons.
Earlier when I’d reached out and grasped his hand in the garage, I’d been seconds from hugging him. It was only the worry that pushing too fast could set us back which stopped me-along with a small fear of his rejection. Though, for the first time, I didn’t expect that to be the case.
When he got out of the car at therapy, I locked the vehicle and followed him. Driving such a magnificent piece of machinery should have been a highlight today, but everything dimmed beside Finley. The way he’d talked about his pack and me
… there was no car on Earth that could compare.
“We’re a few minutes early,” he said as he held the glass door open for me.
We stepped inside to find the space decorated in a very neutral palette, with just a few ferns scattered around to add to the tranquil and calming environment. “Good morning, Alpha Finley,” the shifter behind the front desk called. “Dr. Karen is almost finished up and will be with you shortly.”
She beamed at Finley, exuding the sort of warmth that was rare to experience from a stranger. She looked older than us-if she was human, I’d estimate her to be in her late fifties. But as a shifter, she could be closer to a hundred. Her hair was a deep chestnut, with just a few strands of gold highlights, and her dark brown skin matched her eyes.
I’d never met anyone with such a genuine smile, and I wanted to walk closer and bask in all that maternal warmth. Or at least what I assumed was maternal, as I’d never had a real mother to compare it to. If I didn’t get myself together, this poor receptionist was about to become the recipient of all my mommy issues.
Finley caught and squeezed my hand, drawing me toward the padded chairs along the wall. “She has a way about her, right?” he murmured near my ear, and I barely contained the shiver that traced down my spine.
“Her smile rolled me,” I said as I breathed shallowly through my mouth to counter his scent.
If I thought the receptionist had rolled me, Finley flattened me dead.
His chuckle was low and warm. “Her name is Katya, and her family is one of the original founders of Golden Claw. She’s ancient-not even I know her age, but she’s beloved in this city. It’s actually because of Katya that I chose this therapist.”
Curiosity had me wondering if her age was the reason she exuded peace-I’d never met any older shifters before-or if it was her family line. Either way, it was curious to experience.
Finley and I sat in comfortable silence, our shoulders pressed together, as we floated in Katya’s calming presence. A few minutes later, the therapist appeared in the reception area, leading out a blond wolf shifter.
“I’ll see you next week, Caroline,” she called, waving off her previous client before she turned to us. “Finley and Emme. I’m so happy to see you both. Come, let’s get started.”
It didn’t surprise me that she knew my name, as I expected Finley had spoken of me, but she said it like we were already old friends. I’d also noticed her leave off the alpha on Finley’s name, but he didn’t show any sign of annoyance. This wasn’t his first session, and I would guess they’d already established their wants and needs in greetings.
When we followed the therapist down the hall, I tried not to react to Finley’s heat and energy sending tingles down my spine. I’d spent a long time denying my attraction for him, but I had always been drawn to the bear. It was a combination of lust, anger, need, want, and obsession. A true fucking obsession.
Even when I’d been doing everything in my power to ignore him, the obsession never went anywhere.
As hurt as I’d been with Finley, my heart and wolf had already forgiven him, especially with him showing up every damn day and putting in the work.
Filling the chasm.
“Welcome back, Finley,” Dr. Karen said as she gestured for us to take a seat in a pair of plush chairs on the other side of the coffee table, “and welcome to you, Emme. I’ve heard a lot about you so far, and I am so pleased to see you here. I’m Dr. Karen of the Whipsnar pack, but please call me Karen. We’re not formal here.”
“Thank you, Karen,” I said, sinking into the soft cushion. “It’s lovely to meet you too.”
She took a seat on the other side of us. I couldn’t figure out how old she was, but I got the sense she had a few decades on us. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a loose bun at the back of her head, her olive skin was flawless, and her large blue eyes were framed behind dark-rimmed glasses. I eyed them for a beat, wondering if I’d ever seen a shifter with glasses before, and she laughed as she adjusted their frames on her face.
“I have a slight issue with focusing on smaller text after a few hours,” she explained, somehow noticing my confusion. “It’s rare in shifters but can affect eagles. It’s related to our switch between beast and normal vision. I quite like them though.”
I found myself smiling at her easy-going manner. “They do suit you.”
“Well, thank you,” she said as she settled back in her chair. “In regard to therapy today, I will catch you up quickly with what’s been happening during our sessions. We’ve had quite a few sessions so far, delving into the earlier years of Finley’s life. He wanted me to discuss with you our very first session.” I swallowed roughly, and hoped they couldn’t hear the way my pulse raced. I had no idea what she was about to say, and that made me nervous.
“I explained to him that the sort of deep trauma that Finley deals with isn’t ‘curable,'” she said with a nod, “in the sense we understand the word. It’s a part of who he is now, but I also explained that I’m confident he will learn how to healthily channel his pain and move forward to a brighter future. That’s what I’m here for, to provide him with the tools he needs to deal with triggers and regressions.” She pulled her focus from me and met Finley’s gaze. “As we discussed, you will most likely need years of therapy, maybe even a lifetime. But it won’t always be this raw and hard for you.”