Chapter 22 She Deserves Us
Finley
I stepped out of the corridor, leaving the door close behind me with a soft thud. The cool night air hit my face, and I welcomed it, hoping it could clear my head. The tension inside had been unbearable—Tyra’s pointed words, Phoebe’s silence, and the undeniable shift that came the moment the truth surfaced.
Phoebe, my mate.
Shoving my hands deep into my pockets, I walked toward the dorms. My boots crunched against the gravel, each step punctuating the chaos in my mind. I couldn’t think of her as Phoenix anymore. She’d always been Phoebe, hadn’t she? Even when she was pretending to be her brother, the signs were there—the stubbornness, the fire in her eyes. I wasn’t blind.
But now that Tyra had practically laid it all bare, there was no ignoring it. No pretending I didn’t know. And worse, no pretending I didn’t care.
\[Be honest with her, Finley. She’s your mate. You can’t keep holding back your desire forever.\]
Lexus’ voice echoed in my mind, but I ignored him. Everything was spinning too fast already, and his constant chatter wasn’t helping. Phoebe was different. I didn’t want to ruin what we had by letting my feelings overwhelm hers.
I stopped at the courtyard fountain, the faint trickle of water breaking the silence. The academy grounds were still and peaceful, but I felt none of it. My mind was a mess of questions.
Why hadn’t she told me? Did she think I wouldn’t understand? Or did she not trust me enough?
Rubbing the back of my neck, I stared at the rippling water. Part of me wanted to confront her, to demand answers. But another part knew it wasn’t that simple. She had her reasons, and who was I to push her if she wasn’t ready?
Still, this changed everything. Not just because I knew, but because Tyra knew too. And Tyra seemedn’t the kind to let something like this slide quietly.
But the real issue wasn’t Tyra.
I sighed, leaning against the fountain’s edge. What are you afraid of, Finley?
I already knew the answer. It wasn’t her lie—it was the fact that I’d been falling for her all along. And now, I didn’t know what to do with that.
When I finally made it back to my room, the halls were empty. The flickering lights cast long shadows, adding to the quiet unease of the night. All I wanted was to collapse and stop thinking, at least for a while.
Pushing open the door, I froze.
Someone was inside.
The figure stood in the dim light, its back to me. For a moment, I thought I was imagining things. But then he turned, and I felt a surge of recognition.
“Adonis?” I said, my voice sharp but quiet.
He stepped forward, and I noticed what was missing—his glasses. Without them, I already knew it was ‘him’. Sharper, more composed. Not the laid-back guy I was used to, but someone I couldn’t quite place.
“You’re late,” he said, leaning casually against my desk like he belonged there.
I frowned and shut the door behind me. “What are you doing here?”
Adonis smirked, crossing his arms. “Checking on you. Looked like you needed it after the circus back there.”
I kicked off my shoes, dropping them by the door. “I’m fine.”
“Sure you are,” he said with a tone that grated on my nerves. “Because walking out mid-drama screams fine.”
I scowled. “What do you want, Adonis?”
He tilted his head, studying me like I was some puzzle he intended to solve. “The best question is, what do you want?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Adonis pushed off the desk and took a slow step toward me. “You know who she is now. You’ve known for a while, haven’t you?”
I said nothing.
I tensed as Adonis stepped closer, his words digging into the raw corners of my mind. He always had this infuriating way of cutting through everything, peeling back layers I didn’t want anyone to see. My silence must have been answer enough for him, but it wasn’t just him I was holding back from—it was myself.
He nodded, as if expecting my silence. “So, what’s the plan? Pretend nothing’s changed? Wait for her to come clean? Or are you actually going to do something about it?”
My jaw tightened. “This isn’t your business.”
Adonis raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it? You think you’re the only one who cares about her? Newsflash, Finley, you’re not. But unlike you, I’m not just standing around, pretending I don’t know what to do.”
I stepped closer, glaring at him. “You don’t know what’s going on. She has her reasons, and it’s not my place to force anything.”
Adonis met my gaze without flinching. “Maybe. Or maybe you’re just scared.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
“I’m not scared,” I said, though it sounded weak even to me.
He snorted. “Right. You’re not scared of losing her, of messing up whatever fragile thing you two have. You’re just frozen because doing something means admitting how you feel.”
His words hung in the air, heavy and unyielding.
Finally, he sighed and stepped back toward the door. “Look, I’m not here to fight. But if you care about her, don’t waste time. She deserves someone who isn’t afraid to step up. Think about that.”
Adonis wasn’t wrong, and that was what pissed me off the most. I had known. I’d felt it in every glance, in every slip of her disguise, and yet I’d stayed quiet, caught between wanting to protect her secret and my own fear of what it meant for me.
He paused, his hand on the doorknob, then added almost as an afterthought, “She deserves us.”
And with that, he was gone.
I stood there for a moment, the silence in the room deafening. His words echoed in my mind, refusing to be ignored.
She deserves us.
Dropping onto the edge of my bed, I rested my elbows on my knees. Adonis wasn’t wrong. I’d been sitting on this for weeks, too afraid to make a move. Too afraid of what might happen if I said or did the wrong thing.
But was that fair to her?
Phoebe deserved better than my hesitation. She deserved someone who could match her strength, her fire. And maybe it was time I gave her the chance to show me what she was capable of.
Tomorrow, I’d talk to her. And this time, I wouldn’t let my fear get in the way.