0024
Dane
She had gone back to her protective state. Barely talking and when she did, it was either 'yes', 'no' or that phrase that I hate,
'I'm fine'. She had completely shut down and I can't even figure out what it was that I had said. I had only told her the truth. Was the truth too much for her?
In my office, Raven stares at me. "Are you sure you didn't do anything?" she demands.
"She was chatting to me and now, nothing."
"I just spoke the truth. I reminded her that she wanted the deal, that she came to me. I told her that I didn't want anyone else touching her."
"Why did you even make the deal if she is already your mate?"
"She doesn't know."
"You are an idiot!" She snaps as she drops down in the chair. "I don't even know what you could possibly be thinking. Out of all the brides you have had, why do you have to try and push away the one that I actually like? Scratch that, the one who is actually your mate?"
"Raven!"
'I agree with her!' Aero spits
"I'm not trying to push her away." I snap
"Well you are doing a damn good job!"
'You don't know why she is upset either!' I remind her, "And you need to watch your tongue."
"I'm talking to you as my brother, not my Alpha!" Raven scowls. "I bet even Aero agrees with me that you are an idiot!"
I give her a warning glare to tone it down.
"She isn't like us." Raven tells me. "She wasn't raised like us. And you seem to be missing the point."
"And what's that?"
"She wants to be wanted. She's not upset, she's scared."
"I would be able to scent it if she was that scared."
"What if she is in a permanent state of fear? Since before you first met her. What if that is contributing to her strange scent?"
"Thank you for your input, Raven. I will figure it out."
She rolls her eyes at me and leaves the office.
'Just claim her.' Aero mumbles. 'She is our mate, just claim her. Let her know that you have only agreed to this deal because you already know she is our mate.'
Ignoring him, I head upstairs to check on Neah. She had spent so long, pretending to be asleep last night, that I still expected her to be curled up in bed now. Instead, I hear the shower running.
Pushing the door open, I keep my eyes off the shower, hoping it would make her feel a little better. "Neah, I'm going to be out of the house alot today. You are more than welcome to stay put or go over to the hospital and hang out with Raven."
She doesn't answer and when I look up, I see that she isn't in the shower. But sat on the floor behind the bath. Her bare knees pulled up to her chest as she rested her head on them. Her eyes are closed, her lips parted a little. She was asleep and this time, she wasn't faking it.
She hadn't even fully stripped before deciding that taking a nap behind the bath was a good idea.
Quietly turning the shower off, I squeeze in behind the bath and lift her off the floor.
Her head rolls back over my arm, exposing her neck.
I was so tempted to mark her and claim her but I just about manage to push the thought aside as I put her in the bed.
It wouldn't be fair to do that to her while she was asleep.
Moving away, Neah suddenly grabs my hand. "Stay." She sleepily whispers, tugging me towards her.
Kicking off my shoes, I slide into the bed behind her. Pulling her back flush against my chest. Trying to ignore how her naked ass was pressed against my cock.
After a few moments, she shuffles away. Rolling on my back, I sigh, grateful that I had some morals.
Leaving her to sleep, I head outside to find Eric kicking a ball around with his sons but as soon as he sees my face, he tells them to go to their grandparents
"Have you told her?" He asks quietly as his boys run across the grounds, racing each other.
"No."
"I take it she still isn't talking to you, then?"
"No."
He nods. "Remind me, why haven't you told her? That dickhead is dead. She has no tie to anyone, she's yours to claim."
"It's complicated." I mutter
"I get that, but...." He pauses. "You wouldn't be able to hide it if she hadn't been bound. Or is it because of this apparent Lycan thing? Because Wolves have done alot worse and shacked up with humans"
"About that," I mutter, getting the subject off of Neah. "Has Devon said anymore?"
Eric shakes his head. "I told you, he won't speak to me. I don't know why."
"I literally can't find anything on them. I spent hours searching every database. How can something like that exist and there be no record of it?"
"I take it that it has something to do with Moonshine hiding. And the rules that Neah spoke of."
"I need to speak to him." I mutter
Eric comes with me to the dungeon, hitting the bars to wake up the guy who called himself Devon.
"You said you were removed."
"Good morning to you too." He yawns sleepily, scratching through his dark hair.
There was no denying that there was a strong resemblance to Neah. "Yes, I told you, I was placed in adoption."
"Then how did you find the pack? If you were three, there is no way you would be able to remember where to find them. You wouldn't have known where the pack was."
"It's a Lycan thing."
"You are saying you can find them?" Eric asks. "Even though you were kicked out the pack."
"Yes."
"How?"
"We are.....connected. The same way I know my sister is here. You lot have the ability to link one another, right?"
"How did you find them?"
He shrugs his shoulders. "I can't explain it. It's like if there were other Lycan packs out there, they would be able to find Moonshine too."
"Are there other packs?"
"No. Why do you think Trey is so keen on keeping the pack hidden? Our kind are dwindling. The ones you saw at Moonshine are the last of their kind. My sister is the last Alpha." His blue eyes pause on mine. "You still haven't told her."
"It's none of your business."
"She's my sister." He argues
"You don't even know her."
"Do you?" He mutters sarcastically. "You are in love with her and yet you won't admit it."
"Shut up!" I growl.
'He makes sense'. Aero tells me and I see Eric cocking an eyebrow at me.
Devon holds his hands up, "I'm just saying, how do you think she will feel about you keeping this from her? A secret that has been kept from her, her whole life?"
"You know you are lucky to be alive."
"I know. But so is Neah. Have you not stopped to wonder why Trey was keeping her alive?"
"Why?"
"Now that is something I don't know. I've been trying to figure it out for years. Binding her abilities doesn't even make sense. If he had brought her up differently. She would be just like them."
"You said he didn't believe in a female Alpha."
"I did, but then why keep her alive? You have to admit Alpha Dane, something doesn't quite add up."
"And you could be making all this up to keep yourself alive."
"I could, but even you can see that what I'm saying makes sense."
'Do you believe him?' I ask Aero
'I don't know.' He replies. 'He has no reason to lie and yet at the same time, he has every reason.'
'If I kill him and Neah finds out.... She will never want to be with me. If he's a liar and is plotting an attack with Trey. Then I would be stupid to ignore it.'
There was only one thing for it, to tell Neah the truth, but would she be able to handle it?