All Chapters of My Alpha, My Ruin: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

“What you’re feeling right now is a childish infatuation, kiddo. Don’t worry, you’ll grow past it.”I stared at my reflection in the mirror, jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached, as those words which had broken my heart seven years ago echoed through my mind for the hundredth time since I came home.Grow past it my ass.It’s been seven years.Seven years since Gabriel had crushed my eighteen-year-old heart with those words, and here I was—still completely, pathetically, hopelessly in love with him. If anything, the years apart had made it worse.I had tried… so hard in college to make this aching for him go away. I went on different dates, flirted with different men, but none of them were him.None of them would ever be him.My bedroom door burst open, pulling me out of my thoughts.“Amara!” Mom practically flew across the room, and wrapped me in a bear-tight hug. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m so happy you’re finally home. For good this time. And graduated! My baby graduated! Can you believe i

I turned slowly, dreading what I’d find.Marcus stood by the doorway, holding a bouquet of sunflowers, and wearing a wide and eager grin. He looked nothing like Gabriel.That was the first thing that came to my mind, as I stared at him.Where Gabriel was all sharp edges and commanding presence, Marcus was… soft. Pleasant-looking in that generic, forgettable way. Brown hair instead of black. Hazel eyes instead of storm gray. Average height, average build. Wearing khakis and a polo shirt like he was headed to a country club.Irritation washed over me so intensely I had to dig my nails into my palms to keep from saying something I’d regret.“Amara!” Marcus’s grin somehow widened. “It’s so good to finally meet you properly. I mean, we met when we were kids, but that doesn’t really count, does it? Uncle Gabriel’s told me so much about you. I brought flowers—sunflowers, because your dad mentioned they were your favorite.”They weren’t. Peonies were my favorite and Gabriel knew that.“That’