The Comments Told Me To Run, He Wouldn’t Let Me Chapter 02

Alden was four years older than me.

He was a genius.

I was an idiot.

After I turned four, I couldn’t stand being away from Alden.

I stuck to him at every meal.

I curled up next to him every night.

When he left for school, I’d shift into a rabbit, ride in his backpack, and hide inside his desk.

But I was still an evolved shifter, and shifting that often came with a cost.

My ears and tail stopped retracting.

To this day, I walk around with rabbit ears on my head.

At least I’m a lop.

My ears droop by nature.

When I’m scared, the fur just bristles a little.

“You don’t need my help anymore?”

The overhead light caught every angle of his face.

He repeated my own words back to me, dragging the last syllable out just enough to make my stomach drop.

His true form was a blue-ringed octopus.

Reserved by nature.

Cool and detached in everything he did.

In all the years I’d known him, I could count his smiles on one hand.

But right then, something about him sent every instinct I had screaming.

Every strand of fur on my ears stood straight up.

I made myself say it anyway.

“Yeah. You’ve done so much for me all these years, Alden.”

“I’m not a kid anymore. I can handle things on my own.”

“It’s not fair to keep leaning on you.”

“All right.”

“My little step-sister is all grown up. You don’t need me anymore. Makes perfect sense.”

“No reason to be upset.”

“I’m happy for you.”

He nodded once, then tossed his watch onto the table.

One tug, and the top buttons of his black shirt came undone.

My eyes snapped up.

I didn’t even have time to gasp.

He grabbed my wrist and pinned me to the bed.