Chapter 15
Nyxeris
“Here, darlin’, have some strawberry pie.”
“She prefers chocolate. Here, Little Spark, have my pudding cup.”
For the love of…
I squeeze my eyes shut, sigh, and let my face fall into my hands.
It’s been just over a week of this now, either Zephyr or Erich showing me affection or offering some kind of gift, then the other trying to one-up him.
At lunch today, it had been iced sugar cookies, one pink, the other white. Breakfast, Zephyr had leaned his head on my shoulder and whispered loving words at me until Erich got so frustrated he pulled me into his lap and fed me pancakes.
They’re trying to plump me up.
“Trying to stop me from running away…”
“Did you say something, darlin’?”
Grumbling, I raise my head and stare at Zeph, lips flattened, eyes narrowed.
“I don’t need more junk food.” I whip my head to the other side of the table where Erich sits.
“From anyone.” I rise, my chair sliding out behind me, hold my hand out in a stop signal when they move to follow.
“I’m spending time with Mira and Lowe. Alone. ”
After dumping my trash and stacking my lunch tray, I send a desperate look at Mira, where she sits with her three Alphas. It’s Colt who directs her attention to me with a nudge. She blinks once, then presses her lips between her teeth to stifle a smile or a laugh or both before rising.
I take that as my cue to wait for her outside the cafeteria, where it only takes a minute for her to join me.
“You look…”
“Exasperated? Exhausted? Extra frustrated?”
She nearly snorts. “Not as ecstatic as I thought you would.”
I huff with laughter as we make our way downstairs. “Did you see Arlowe today?”
Peering at me, she frowns. “I haven’t. But Colt tells me…” she trails, looks around us, then whispers, “Something is up with her. He respects her privacy, so it’s up to us to find out what’s going on.”
I knew Lowe had been in a bad mood lately, but I hate to admit that I’ve been too consumed in my own drama to press her about it.
“Let’s check Training Ground Eight.”
When we arrive outside Lowe’s favorite indoor facility hiding spot, one of the furthest from the main academy building, I spot that hulking Alpha across the walkway, staring at the building. His arms are crossed over his chest as he leans against a tree, expression severe.
Not far from him, on the same side of the walking path, is a very attractive man, a bit older than us.
Maybe abound Laurant’s age. His blond hair is dark, short on the sides and long on top, styled in an impressive backward brush that doesn’t fall out of place as he moves about, forming the most beautiful translucent, glowing rainbow patterns all around him with the wave of his hands.
Huh. That looks familiar.
I turn my eyes on Mira and she’s frowning at the big guy, whose name I still don’t know. Then she bypasses him, and I follow her toward the rainbow-maker.
“Hey, Lucas,” she greets.
He startles, and all the colorful lights vanish as he sends a halfhearted smile her way. “Hello, Mira.”
“This is my friend, Nyx,” she tells him with a gesture toward me.
I nod at him. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He clears his throat. “If you’re, ah… looking for Arlowe, she’s inside.”
I blink at him.
The stalking. It’s like deja vu.
Oh shit.
These two are both Arlowe’s mates. I mean, I’d already figured the big guy was, but I never met Lucas before.
“Thanks, Lucas.” Mira turns to me and nods toward the building behind us with wide eyes, encouraging me to turn around and walk with her inside.
“What the hell is happening?” I hiss when we’re right in front of the double doors.
She pushes them open and says, “Let’s find out.”
All the lights are on, yet the interior of the building is darker than usual.
The dull wooden floor audibly pops in certain places as we walk through the inner entry, a second doorway that leads to the main room.
As soon as we pass through, an oppressive weight settles on my chest, making it difficult to take in air.
“This is insane,” Mira breathes before crossing her arms over her chest, he expression on her face a mix of concern and frustration.
I follow her gaze across the room and up the opened bleachers where shadowy swirls of purple encase the broodiest Arlowe I’ve ever seen, and I’ve known her for more than a decade.
“Lowe!” I shout without missing a step, closing the distance between us, climbing the bleachers like stairs as fast as my legs will carry me.
Pain seeps into my pores the closer I get to my friend. Emotional pain. Utter and complete devastation so strong the weight on my chest is like this whole building was dropped on me.
I can just see her face beyond the shadows, her deep purple eyes match the swirling power, but they glisten with tears, the whites reddened. When I kneel on the bleacher seat below her, Mira is beside me, and Arlowe’s shadows subside a bit.
“We’re really worried about you, Arlowe.” Mira’s voice is calm, soothing, her expression pinched as she looks up at our friend.
Arlowe sniffs, wipes her eyes with the palms of her hands, then slaps them on her knees. “Sorry,” she mumbles, gaze cast downward.
I shake my head from side to side, carefully place my hand on top of hers. “Don’t apologize. Talk to us.”
She blinks and fresh tears flow. Her voice is just above a whisper. “I have mates.”
Mira’s head tilts and she says slowly, “We saw them outside.”
The tears fall faster down her cheeks. “You don’t understand.” Her voice nearly cracks. “There are three.”
“Three?”
“Here at the academy!”
Three of her mates are here at the academy? And two of them apparently want to know her, given the following and hovering. She should be happy...
Mira blinks, looking confused, when realization zaps me in the ass like my electric power, and I choke on a name. “Kiyoshi…”
Mira jolts at the mention of her mate’s brother. The one Lowe had always had a crush on. The one who was auctioned off to war years back.
Her feelings were more than a crush.
She never told me. She never said a word!
Kiyoshi Sato was her mate.
And now that she has three mates here, she thinks...
“Wait,” Mira says, catching on immediately. “That doesn’t mean anything. You’ve seen the real histories. There have been plenty of packs that contained more than four members.”
Lowe huffs bitterly, head shaking. “You’ve seen the real histories, too, Mi. It’s extremely rare today for there to be more than four in a pack. Cursed populations are too low.” Her fists clench tight, knuckles going white. “What chance do I have to be lucky—or unlucky—enough to have four mates?”
“But there is a chance,” I chime in, imploring. “Lowe, there’s a chance. Please don’t write Kiyoshi off. Especially not now, when the rebellion is making moves.”
I climb the last seat to sit beside her, wrap my arms around my friend. Mira follows, embracing us both from Lowe’s other side.
“We can’t lose hope,” Mira whispers. “Rai wouldn’t. He’d do everything in his power to find his brother…” she trails off with a small hiccup.
Arlowe’s body shakes, wracking with quiet sobs, until she spits through her tears, “That fucking jackass.”
My brows pinch. She’s giving me emotional whiplash.
When there’s movement at the doorway, Arlowe stills. I look up and find Erich and Zeph there, basically being held back by Mira’s mates, Colt, Rai, and Aubrey. In the back, I can see the two Alphas from outside, Lucas’s face worried, the giant’s severe.
And then, Mira and I are hugging each other as Lowe vanishes from between us, and the whole room grows brighter.
My sigh is defeated, my shoulders slumped. Mira rubs my upper back as she stands, then makes her way down the bleachers to her pack, who embrace her.
Erich and Zephyr are suddenly taking the bleachers two at a time to reach me, their arms enveloping me and one another as I’m squished between their chests.
“We could feel raging emotions coming from you,” Zeph says against my cheek.
“We had to find you,” Erich adds, his jaw bouncing on top of my head.
“They weren’t my feelings,” I try to explain. “Sorry to worry you.”
My arms wrap around each of their backs and hug them to my body. I never realized how nice it could be to have peace and love within my pack.
Or, part of it.
I catch Mira’s eyes and she waves at me, the sadness still showing in her gaze, before she and her pack turn to leave.
Arlowe’s Alphas have already gone.
“What the fuck do you mean he lives with you now?”
Well, there go the warm fuzzies. I wince at Erich’s angry outburst, but thankfully, Zeph had the sense to keep quiet and retreat into our room.
I let out a slow breath and take Erich’s hand in both of mine as I peer up into his icy eyes, his gaze pinched with frustration. “Erich,” my voice is low, above a whisper, “he needs me.”
“I need you.” His admission is pained, those eyes going soft before they shut.
Without a word, I wrap my arms around his waist, hug him tightly and speak into his chest. “I want you to be with us, but you need to be on good terms with Zeph before we invite you to live in our space. You know this.”
His sigh is loud as he rests his cheek on the top of my head, holding me close in kind. “He’s such a pain in the ass.”
I choke on a laugh. “Only to you, Erich.” I tilt my head upward and he tilts his face down at me. “Just try. For all of us. Please.”
His lips purse silently, and I roll to my toes to kiss them gently. When he sighs against my mouth, I pull away and caress his cheek.
His next words sound like they cause him great pain.
“I’ll try.”