Chapter 15 Noelle
Noelle
Tears stream angrily down my cheeks as I rev the engine, desperate to get home and away from that lodge of fake promises and dreams.
I can’t freaking believe it: Robin kissed me. And I kissed him back.
Shame courses through me as his scent still lingers on my coat, and I am such an idiot. I’m just glad they laid down grit on the highway because I’m driving like a maniac.
My Nana’s house soon comes into view, and thank goodness. I plan to lock myself away in my childhood room.
The room that hasn’t changed since I left. Nana left it just for me in case I ever came back home, and now the guilt tears me apart as I pull up outside.
Mom is at the door as I storm past her. She has to flatten her back against the wall, making way for hurricane Noelle, per usual, as I shoot for the stairs.
“Noelle!” she protests.
My dad, Joel, appears in the kitchen, towel-drying a plate in frozen silence. “Whoa, where’s the fire?”
His expression falters when he gets a good look at me, and then I stomp up the stairs like an overgrown brat, slamming the door when I finally find the refuge of my room.
Now I throw myself down onto my bed, burying my face into my heap of pink unicorn pillows as I don’t move from my spot for a while.
All the while, snow taps against the windowpane as I practice my breathing exercises, just focusing on the silence.
Well, somewhat silent; I hear my parents talking about me in raised voices downstairs.
Still, I’ll take it. Like this, I can forget all about a certain dirty blond Alpha in his pewter gray coat of expensive wool.
And, I can forget about his brothers, too.
The worst part of all… I could have sworn I was seventeen again as it felt as if no time had passed between us, and it appears there is still some electricity where Robin is concerned.
Whenever I’m with any of them, that old spark returns, and then I remember why I always wanted to write in the first place…
Because they were the catalyst for my dreams.
A knock sounds at the door. “Noelle?”
It's Mom, and I shrivel up on the bed, screwing my eyes tight shut. Remnants from my childhood and teenage years mock me, so I don’t want to see them—soft toys on top of the wardrobe, and various boyband posters.
Frost used to hate those bands. The way he used to tease me whenever I listened to their cheesy music.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Mom’s sweet, lilting voice carries through the wood of the door.
I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “No. I… just want to be alone. I wish I’d never gone there!”
Mom pauses, and I can just picture her face as she bites her lip. Then she sighs, “Well, would you talk to Nana at least? She wants to see you.”
I lift my head. She does? I thought she would've been asleep.
Damn. My door slamming must have woken her up, and now I feel much worse.
Still, I can't say no to Nana.
Finally, I get up from the bed, checking myself in the vanity mirror before I approach the door.
Mom is sympathetic when I open the door. She even hugs me, then moves her head in the direction of Nana’s room. “She’s waiting.”
I nod, moving toward Nana’s room. When I poke my head through the door, she’s sitting up in bed reading a novel.
She looks up and smiles when she sees me. Now she folds the corner of the page in her book, placing it down on her nightstand. Then she pats the patchwork quilt beside her.
“Come here.”
I move to her bedside, lying down beside her, and now we both listen to the snow falling outside the window.
“What happened?” she asks after a few moments of silence.
I suck in a trembling breath. “I… kissed Robin.”
Nana nods her head. “Hm. Well, how did it make you feel?”
I don’t answer. Instead, I release a sigh, and it appears I don’t need to explain. She smiles, reaching across to pat my knee. “They’re your Alphas, Noelle. It’s understandable. You have a deep bond with them all, one that goes beyond scent matching.”
I shut my eyes. She’s right. Of course, she’s right, the old bird that she is.
“The choice is yours, Noelle. But let me give you one piece of advice.”
I meet her gaze finally.
A mischievous twinkle shines in her eyes. “Make them work for it. If they’re truly your Alphas, they will move the entire world for you… just as your grandpapas did for me…”
She sighs reminiscently next, peering out the window, and I know she is remembering their faces.
I only recall two of my grandfathers, but in my mind, I see old faces. But I bet Nana sees three young Alphas.
It seems I have a lot to think about as I move my hand across the bed, taking Nana’s weak fingers in mine.
I suppose it can’t hurt to try…Even if I get my heart broken, at least then I won’t live with regrets.
“All right. I will, Nana. If they’re prepared to show me how much they’ve changed, then I will make them work for my affection.”
She grins, moving her arm across to cup my cheek. “That’s my girl. Now, go on…Make them grovel, Noelle. Make them grovel hard.”
I smirk as it’s like she’s just read my mind. Oh, I’ll make them grovel, all right. They will grovel so hard until they’re on their knees, just begging for my forgiveness.
Now I throw my arms around her and smile. “I will, Nana. You can count on me.”