Chapter 46 – WRAITH
Chapter
Forty-Six
WRAITH
Ican't fucking sit still.
My body moves in restless patterns through the pack house. Kitchen to living room. Living room to kitchen. Up the stairs. Down the stairs. The new furniture still smells wrong. Chemical. Fake. Not like home.
Nothing feels like home without her.
My phone burns in my pocket. Haven't heard from Ivy in two hours. Two hours, thirty-seven minutes, twelve seconds. Not that I'm counting.
Except I am.
Always counting.
Time between her messages. Time since she left. Time until she can come back.
If she comes back.
The thought makes my chest seize. Of course she'll come back. She has to. But what if Whiskey and Plague are better? What if being away from the monster makes her realize she doesn't want this?
Doesn't want me.
"Wraith."
Thane's voice cuts through the red haze. I turn to find him watching me from the kitchen doorway. Dark circles under his eyes. Jaw still bruised from our fight.
My fault.
Everything is my fault.
He gestures toward the living room. Away from the kitchen. Away from where Valek might overhear.
I follow.
Thane settles on the new couch. I remain standing. Can't sit. Can't be still. Energy crawls under my skin like insects.
"You need to calm down," Thane says quietly.
I shake my head. Point upward. Where she should be. Where she isn't.
"I know." His voice drops lower. "But you pacing holes in the floor isn't helping anyone."
My hands move before I can stop them.
W-H-E-R-E... I-S... H-E?
"Valek?" Thane glances toward the stairs. "In his room. Has been for the last hour."
T-O-O... Q-U-I-E-T.
"Yeah." Thane rubs his temple. "I don't like it either."
We both know Valek isn't sleeping. Isn't resting like he claimed. The alpha is planning something. Scheming. I can feel it in the air. Predator energy that makes my hackles rise.
I… S-H-O-U-L-D... L-E-A-V-E.
"You can't." Thane's voice is firm. "If you disappear now, he'll know something's wrong. More wrong than he already suspects."
I want to argue. Want to sign that I don't care what Valek thinks. That I need to be with my omega. Protect her. But Thane's right. My absence would confirm every suspicion.
So I pace instead.
Kitchen to living room.
Living room to kitchen.
My phone buzzes. I hurry to check it so fast, I almost fucking drop it.
IVY
At breakfast now. Everything good. Whiskey is being loud. Plague is being grumpy. Normal alpha stuff.
Fuck.
The emoji makes something loosen in my chest. She's trying to make me smile. Even from miles away.
I type back carefully. Tough to type with huge hands on a tiny screen. And I’m second guessing everything I say. Not used to communicating directly. Don't like it.
WRAITH
ok
Is that all I can fucking manage?
Ok?
Fuck, I hate myself.
WRAITH
Wait.
Shit.
I can’t kiss.
Is she going to think I can?
She probably assumes I can. Of course she would. It’s a normal fucking assumption I’d be able to kiss. She can’t possibly know—
"Good news?" Thane asks.
I nod. Show him the screen.
His expression softens. "She'll be back soon."
Soon. The word makes me let out a soft, frustrated growl. Soon could be an entire day. Or three. Or five. Or seven.
Days without her scent. Without her warmth. Without her perfect hands in my hair, her voice saying my name like it's something precious instead of terrifying.
Feels like I might not survive it.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs makes us both tense. Slow. Deliberate. Valek descending like a hunting cat.
Thane catches my eye. Shakes his head slightly. Stay calm. Don't react.
I force my body still. Hands at my sides. Breathing controlled. But every muscle coils tight. Ready.
Valek appears in the doorway. Still wearing that thin smile. Silver eyes sweep the room. Taking in the new furniture. The fresh paint smell. The spackle on the walls. The careful arrangement of throw pillows.
"Couldn't sleep," he says. Voice casual. Too casual. "Thought I might make some tea."
He moves toward the kitchen. We watch him go. Thane's jaw tightens.
H-E... K-N-O-W-S.
Thane nods. Signs back without looking at me.
P-R-O-B-A-B-L-Y.
W-H-A-T... D-O... W-E... D-O? I ask him.
W-A-I-T.
I hate waiting. Hate sitting here while another alpha prowls through our territory. Hate pretending everything is normal when my scent match is gone and my pack is scattered.
The sound of cabinet doors opening and closing drifts from the kitchen. Valek searching. Exploring. Learning the layout of our home.
Our sanctuary.
H-E... I-S... H-U-N-T-I-N-G, I sign to Thane.
I... K-N-O-W. Thane's signs are sharp. Angry. He feels it too. The wrongness. The threat.
More sounds from the kitchen. Water running. Kettle on the stove. Normal domestic noises that feel anything but normal.
Does Valek even drink tea?
He doesn't seem like he would.
Although Plague does. Same wavelength, those two. Prowling, stalking alphas that move like shadows, whose smiles never reach their eyes.
I check my phone again. No new messages. Ivy is probably eating. Laughing at Whiskey's jokes. Watching Plague pretend he doesn't care about anything.
They're taking care of her.
But they're not me.
The thought makes my chest ache. Hollow. Empty. Like someone carved out my ribs and left nothing but space where my heart should be. But I'm happy she's bonding with them. Hopeful she's considering what life might be like if she stays with her scent matches. Annoyed with myself for being selfish.
Because I'm one of them.
Of course I want her to choose the pack.
Of course I want her to choose me.
I know logically she wouldn't stay with us because she feels she has to. She fought off an alpha—the alpha making fucking tea in our fucking kitchen—with a fire extinguisher. Lived in maintenance tunnels for two months. Burned off a mating mark to escape.
She wouldn't choose us if she didn't want to.
She doesn't do anything she doesn't want.
The kettle whistles from the kitchen. Valek moves around our space like he belongs there. Like he owns it.
H-E... N-E-E-D-S... T-O... L-E-A-V-E, I sign angrily to Thane.
Thane nods.
A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T? I sign.
He starts to nod again, then gives me a sharp look and shakes his head, mouthing NO. Multiple times.
I want to argue. Want to sign that accidents happen all the time in hockey. Pucks to the head. Skate blades to the throat. Bodies checked into the boards at just the wrong angle.
But that would make things worse for Ivy.
The tea kettle stops whistling. Silence falls over the kitchen. Then footsteps. Slow. Measured. Coming back toward us.
Valek appears with a steaming mug. I know nothing about tea. It could be any type. But I know from the fragrance it's the kind Plague doesn't let anyone touch.
Maybe Plague will take care of the problem for us.
Valek settles into the armchair across from us. Crosses his legs. Sips his tea like he's holding court.
"Lovely morning," he says.
Neither of us responds.
"Though I imagine it's difficult to enjoy when you're worried about someone," Valek adds.
My blood turns to ice. Thane goes very still beside me.
"Worried?" Thane's voice is carefully neutral.
"Mmm." Valek takes another sip. "Body language is quite revealing. Wraith's been pacing for hours. You keep checking your phone. The scent of anxiety is rather overwhelming."
I don't sign anything. Don't move. But I'm sure Thane can feel what I'm thinking in the tension radiating from my body.
He knows.
"We're fine," Thane says.
"Of course." Valek's smile sharpens. "Though I do hope whoever you're worried about is safe. These are dangerous times for someone to be... alone."
The threat is subtle. Wrapped in concern. But unmistakable.
He knows about Ivy.
Maybe not everything. But enough.
My vision starts to tunnel. Red creeping in at the edges. The urge to leap across the room and wrap my hands around his throat is overwhelming.
I force my breathing to slow. In through my nose. Out through my mouth. Or jaws. Or whatever the fuck you call my fucked up face. I count to ten. Count to twenty.
Ivy is safe.
Whiskey and Plague will protect her.
She's miles away.
"Well," Valek says, setting down his empty mug. "I should let you both get some rest. Tomorrow's a new day."
He stands. Stretches like a cat. All languid grace and hidden claws.
"Thank you for the hospitality," he adds.
He heads for the stairs. Pauses at the bottom, like he's going to say something else. Then he seems to change his mind.
And he goes up the stairs without a word.
Wish he'd just said whatever it was. Don't like not knowing what goes through his head.
Unreadable alpha.
A closed book. Locked and sealed.
A book I might have to rip the spine out of.