Chapter 34
I’ve been waiting all day for Sienna’s reply, and though her response was delayed, it didn’t disappoint. I pause on the stairs, laughing at the string of ridiculous GIFs.
Sienna:
Caspita! I’m so glad you’re okay! I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if Alpha hadn’t found you.
You must’ve been so confused. And good thing Sophia was there and knew what to do.
Which, speaking of Sophia, what are your thoughts on her?
I’ve met her once before and thought she was nice, but super intimidating.
Also, any updates on Alpha? Did he say anything about last night? I NEED to know everything!!
P.s. I miss you and promise to come visit this weekend! There’s been a lot going on with the vampires and wolves, but I’ll tell you more about it when I see you!
I shove my phone back into my pocket, deciding to reply when I have time to send a voice memo.
“Hey,” Kole chimes from the bottom of the staircase. “I was just coming to escort you to dinner. Sophia convinced Thane to use the secondary dining room tonight.”
“Oh, I didn’t even realize there was another one.”
“Thane doesn’t like to use it because the table is round, which doesn’t provide him a point of superiority.” I laugh, because that sounds just like him. “Oh, I’ve decided what I want in exchange for helping protect you from my brother earlier…”
“What?” I crane my neck to look at him. “You didn’t help! You joined forces with him.”
“Only after I tackled him for you.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine, what do you want?”
“I want to take you ice skating tomorrow.”
I stop walking and turn to him. “Ice skating?”
He shrugs with an innocent smile. “There’s a pond a couple hours away that’s perfect for it.”
“I didn’t take you for someone who ice skates,” I say, running my eyes down his powerful build.
“Well, it’s not like I’m out there doing triple axels and flying camels.”
“Now that’s a view I would love to see.”
“Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll attempt a two foot spin.” He motions for me to take the lead down the second set of stairs and follows behind.
“You know, I’ve never been ice skating before.”
“Really? Well, that’s even better then!”
“Oh, so you can laugh at me when I fall on my ass?”
Kole gasps with his hand over his heart. “I would never do such a thing!”
“You’re right. How could I possibly think you would do something like that after being a perfect gentleman today?”
He whirls around, stopping in front of me. “You needed to be taught a lesson on what happens to those who try to pit us against one another.”
Kole’s expression is teasing, but there’s a hint of seriousness to his tone that I don’t miss. Whatever has happened between the two of them has made their bond strong, and although Thane is the Alpha, I can tell Kole respects him despite the title.
“I guess next time, I’ll just have to kick Thane’s ass myself.”
“Good luck with that,” Thane growls from behind me. I whip around to find his face an inch from mine with a devilish look that has my heart jumping.
“Good,” I purr, keeping my composure—at least on the outside. “Keep underestimating me.”
I brush past both of them before they can make any more comments and slip into the secondary dining room.
It’s half the size of the main one with a round white table in the center and gold accents that break up the white walls.
The vibe is much more modern and inviting, the complete opposite of the main dining room we usually eat in.
Sophia strides in behind the brothers, and I quickly turn my attention to one of the paintings in an effort to avoid her.
The painting that hangs on the far wall is of a small pond, surrounded by purple-blue flowers, and along the back edge sits a willow tree mirrored by its reflection.
Even without the artist’s signature at the bottom, I can tell this isn’t Thane’s work.
“Hey, so uhh… I want you to know that I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with Thane.” Sophia steps beside me, but I keep my eyes trained on the painting.
“And yet you ran and told him I had that book the first chance you got.” There’s a bite to my words that I don’t suppress. She may be some werewolf warrior, but I refuse to be walked all over.
She turns her back on the painting, forcing me to look at her. “It’s not what you think. I promise.”
“Then what is it? Why would you feel the need to run off and tattle to your Alpha?”
She sneers at that last part, but I don’t regret saying it. “He’s your Alpha too, human.” I roll my eyes, turning my attention back to the painting. “How dare you dismiss me when I’m trying to apologize!”
She reaches for me, but Thane intercepts her, throwing her against the wall with a vicious growl.
“Yield,” Thane snarls with his forearm pressed against her collarbone. Normally, I find his overprotectiveness irritating, but right now I’m finding myself a little turned on.
Sophia looks both pissed and rattled by Thane’s response. I doubt she’s on his bad side too often, but no matter who you are, that’s a bad place to be.
“Apologies, Alpha,” she says through clenched teeth. It’s a forced apology, but Thane releases her, taking a step closer to me.
“Dinner’s ready!” Kole practically sings from the other end of the room, and I turn around to see that he’s already set the table.
Thane presses his hand against my lower back to guide me away and pulls out the chair closest to us. I take a seat, ignoring the backflips my stomach seems intent on doing.
Thane and Kole spent the whole dinner trying to ease the tension between Sophia and me, though I’m not even sure why I’m so angry with her. After everything Thane has done to me, her tattling is hardly of consequence. Maybe I’ve just reached my threshold of taking shit.
What is it about that damn book anyway? It’s not like it’s some book of werewolf secrets. What do they really think I’m going to do with it?
Honestly, I should probably just let it go. Sophia is important to them, and there’s no point in making the next couple of days she’s here uncomfortable. The ceasefire can start tomorrow, though. Tonight, I have a bubble bath with my name on it.
Earlier, Kole set my phone up with music and gave me a pair of headphones to use, which I was more than thrilled about.
Other than Halloween night, I can’t even remember the last time I listened to music.
It’s one of those things that I’ve forgotten about over time.
I got so used to the silence over the past three years that it wasn’t until Halloween that I realized just how much I missed it.
While I wait for the bath to fill, I send Sienna a voice memo with all of the events of today.
I figure she won’t reply right away, so I switch over to the music and slip into the clawfoot tub.
The water burns when I first get in, but by the time I’m submerged beneath a blanket of bubbles, it feels like heaven.
The song Hunger by Ross Copperman starts playing through the headphones, and I close my eyes, letting the sound of it transport me into a memory.
I was fourteen and had just gotten into a yelling match with my foster father for spending money on booze instead of food for the younger kids.
I’ve never thought of myself as maternal, but I felt a responsibility to take care of the little ones the way I wish someone had taken care of me.
It was downpouring that night, but I didn’t care.
I ran out of the house all the way to a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, where I spent two hours tucked away in a chair by the window, watching the rain flood the street.
My music was set to a random playlist when the song came on. I had never heard it before, but it awoke something in my soul. I never really allowed myself to get lost in the fantasies of true love, but as the song played in my ears, I found myself dreaming of such a love.
A love that couldn’t be extinguished by time or troubles.
One where someone would look at all of my broken parts and not run the other way.
Where I would feel safe and seen for the first time in my life.
While the lyrics spoke to me, a couple had been standing beneath the awning.
I watched as they bolted out into the rain toward their car, only when they reached it, the woman fell into the man’s arms, tossing her head back with laughter.
Instead of urging her into the car, he pulled her in and kissed her like it was their last moment on earth.
I thought love like that only existed in movies, but as I watched them, I found myself silently wishing that a love like that would find its way to me.
For just a moment, I let myself believe that everything bad in my life was just the universe’s way of balancing the scales.
That everything I had been through was worth it, because I would one day be rewarded with a love that would heal all of my scars.
But that was just a fantasy. Even back then, I knew my future would only ever be plagued with more darkness.
Of course, I never could’ve imagined that the human race would be wiped out. Now the idea of true love sounds—
“Grey!” Thane’s voice pulls me out of the memory when the headphones are yanked from my ears.
“Are you crazy?” I shout, trying to swipe his hands off me.
The bubbles have moved around with the sloshing water, and I quickly pull them into me in an effort to cover my chest.
“I knocked three times, and you didn’t answer.” His breathing is ragged, and his eyes are wide. “I thought something bad happened.”
“What could’ve possibly happened?”
“I-I don’t know. I didn’t really think that far,” he admits, running his hand over his stubble.
“Clearly,” I snipe. His eyes fall to the water while he lingers on the edge of the tub. “Well, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine, so you can go.”
“Right.” He shakes his head like he’s trying to free himself of the trance that seems to have ensnared him. He starts striding away but turns back. “Actually, I came here to tell you that Sophia is going to stay in one of the guest rooms tonight.”
“Okay…”
Thane scratches the back of his head, lingering in the doorway.
“I just thought maybe you would stay with me tonight.”
“Oh.” It’s all that comes out while I try to figure out an actual response.
“Of course, you don’t have to. I know I just stayed with you last night, but that really was only for a few hours.”
He looks like he’s in actual pain, holding back the natural instinct to bark an order, and my mind swirls with thoughts of what to do.
On one hand, I did sign a contract saying I needed to spend the night with him once a week, and he was right about last night.
It was already around three o’clock in the morning when Thane found me in the snow.
I’m not sure what time he left, but it certainly wasn’t enough time to satisfy the bond.
On the other hand, do I really want to sleep in his bed while his glowing eyes bore into me from his chair all night?
“Okay.” The word seems to slip from my lips before my brain even agrees to it, but if we don’t prioritize this connection between us, we risk Thane losing control. And that won’t be good for anyone, especially me. “I’ll come by your room once I’m ready.”
Thane only nods before walking out.
The last time I tried to stay with him, he wolfed-out, and the time before that, I woke up in chains. I can only hope third time’s the charm.