Chapter 14
Effie Harlow
Iwoke up alone.
It wasn’t the first time that had happened since getting to campus, let alone before then, but considering how I’d fallen asleep and what had happened before that…
It was more than a bit shocking. The sheets were cold as I slowly sat up, drawing the blanket to my chest as I looked around Tore’s empty bedroom.
There was a chill that seemed to be coming from the window, and I looked over to see it was opened just slightly.
My skin broke out into uncomfortable chills as a hollowness grew in my chest at the prospect of why Tore wasn’t here.
The wonderful sensation from earlier, after being so connected with him, was gone, and my stomach tightened uncomfortably, making me feel sick.
Where was he?
Why would he have left?
Shifting to get out of bed, I realized I was not only naked but that I’d yet to shower or clean up, my thighs covered in the proof of what had happened between us.
I slid from bed and made my way to the bathroom, keeping the blanket wrapped around me.
Peeking into the bathroom, I hoped to find Tore, but once I realized it was empty, my eyes started to sting as hurt grew inside of me.
It was probably silly, and I’m sure there was a completely reasonable explanation, but it didn’t feel like that.
It felt like there was something wrong, either with me or with us.
Running a hand over my face, I dropped the blanket and went to the shower.
It was a minor distraction, and after I’d rinsed off, I put on Tore’s robe and walked up to the vanity.
A small smile tilted my lips as I examined the bite mark on my neck.
Tore’s mating mark.
Pure happiness swam through me as I momentarily forgot my sadness.
That didn’t last though, and I looked away from the mirror to avoid the sight of my watering eyes as I fought back tears.
I hated how quick I was to cry; it was honestly embarrassing.
I moved towards the door and walked into the main room of the dorm—
I slammed right into Ryder’s chest.
“Kitten, thank the Goddess. I was so worried when I didn’t get any response from you or Tore.” Ryder pulled me into his chest roughly, and I buried my head there. The concern in his voice and the way he was holding me was so sweet. It was enough to break the dam and bring me to full-fledged tears.
After everything that had happened the past few days, I couldn’t help it. Not just a few sniffles, either. No, this was a legitimate, ugly cry as I clung onto Ryder, his surprise obvious from the way he tensed, his energy flaring.
“Holy shit, Effie, what is—” He pulled back from me to look into my face but stopped when he saw my pained expression.
Ryder’s gaze went over my head to Tore’s room, his eyes flashing, but before I could identify the emotion, he molded me back against him.
I cried into his chest, gripping his shirt as he picked me up on his arm and carried me to the couch.
When he sat us down, I wrapped my arms around his neck and continued to take comfort from him.
“What happened?” His voice was rough and filled with pain.
So I told him about Hastain. About Caedmon’s father. About his threats. About what Tore had said. I told him everything, and when I pulled back to look into his face, I could see the anger there. Ryder tried to hide it, but it was burning in his eyes.
“Then we came back here and…” I hesitated. “Tore marked me.”
There, that was easy. I really didn’t know how else to say it without outright saying that we had sex, that he had taken my virginity…and then disappeared.
Ryder’s gaze moved to my neck. He inhaled sharply in realization, his shoulders relaxing in relief.
“I’m confused by your reaction,” I admitted.
“You are untouchable,” Ryder whispered. “The bonding to the BBP has started, so Hastain can’t do anything about it now.”
Oh. He had been relieved about my safety. It was also good to hear the other part, because while the reasons I had wanted to be with Tore were numerous, I was glad that would help the situation. Beyond glad.
“But I don’t think that will matter when I fucking kill Tore.”
My eyes went wide. “Kill him?”
“For hurting you,” he explained as he cupped my cheek. “How long have you been sleeping? Do we know how long he’s been gone?”
Panic hit my chest. “You don’t think something bad happened, do you? I didn’t consider that, and I haven’t messaged him—”
Ryder took out his phone and immediately dialed a number, his face stern and filled with tension. I heard one ring before Tore’s deep voice came from the other side, allowing me to exhale and finally relieve the pressure that had built in my chest.
“Where the fuck are you?”
Tore said something I couldn’t hear, and Ryder schooled his reaction.
“Effie woke up alone,” Ryder hissed. He pulled the phone away and frowned at the lit up screen, the call clearly having ended.
“Did he say where he was?”
“Nearly back to campus.” Ryder swept the hair away from my face.
“I imagine the others will be back soon.” His comment distracted me, but I felt better knowing I would see Tore soon.
I wanted to believe everything was okay between us, but him not being here made me feel vulnerable in a way I’d never experienced before.
“We need to tell Caedmon about his father being here,” I whispered.
“We will,” he promised. “They went to narrow down our house search to two options today so we can go and look at them together soon.”
“Really?” Pleasant surprise filled me. I sort of wished I had gone with them, but I also knew that if I had too many options it probably would have been extremely overwhelming.
“Of course.” Ryder frowned. “Did you not believe we were serious, kitten?”
“It just seems too good to be true.”
Just then, the elevator doors opened to reveal Tore looking panicked.
I made a sound of surprise as he darted across the room and picked me up, drawing me into him.
I clung onto him as his rumbled voice said something to Ryder I didn’t hear.
It honestly didn’t matter to me, because all too soon he was walking us into my bedroom and closing the door.
I had slept into the early evening, and with the twilight light outside, my entire room was lit up along the shelf with my snow globes, making it an absolutely cozy experience.
Tore sat me down on the edge of the bed and stood there, his hands on the bed on either side of me, examining my face with worry. “Lil bit, I did not mean for you to wake up alone. I am so sorry.”
My eyes watered as I nodded, pain filling his gaze as he cupped my jaw and brushed his nose against mine.
“You’d been sleeping for so long, I just slipped out for thirty minutes to grab something. I should have left a note.”
“I was worried you regretted it,” I admitted. “I worried you didn’t want to be there when I woke up. I…I have never done anything like this, and I just got really upset. I’m sorry for reacting like this—”
“Do not.” His face filled with a stern, dominant expression. “Do not apologize for feeling something. Ever. Everything that you feel is okay.”
“I feel like I overreacted,” I offered in an apologetic voice.
“No.” He shook his head before a softer look altered his face. “How are you feeling? I wanted to take a shower with you, but I’m glad you warmed up a bit. You were super hot while sleeping, so I opened the window. I didn’t expect the temperature to drop so much when the sun went down.”
“I wish we had showered together,” I murmured. “And I’m good. Really good.”
It was beyond true—especially now that I knew the two of us were okay.
His eyes filled with heat. “Sore?”
I shifted. “A little, but not bad at all.”
Honestly, I felt more turned on than anything, but that didn’t make much sense. How did I feel satisfied but still want more? It was like he had struck a match inside of me, and I could feel an ever-expanding part of me reaching out to all of my mates, wanting to feel that same connection.
Tore examined my expression for truth before nodding. “I love you, Effie. I have never loved anyone the way I love you, and I never will. You’re not just my mate, you’re my everything.”
“I love you too.” I offered a smile, unable to stop my eyes from watering with happiness this time.
He groaned, pressing his forehead to mine. “I love those words from your mouth.”
A shiver went over my skin and Tore frowned immediately, going over to my dresser and pulling some stuff out before urging me off the bed.
I watched in surprise as he undid my robe and crouched down to slide sweatpants up my legs, a growl breaking from his throat at my lack of panties.
But instead of doing anything, he secured the waistband and stood to pull a shirt over my head.
His eyes roamed over my neck as he pulled it down, a surge of warmth going over my skin at being covered.
I was instantly back in his arms, Tore surrounding me with his large, muscular frame.
I swear, the man constantly ran at a far hotter temperature than everyone else.
“Warmer?” he asked after a moment.
“Much.” I nodded as he sat me on the edge of the bed and stepped back. Shrugging off his jacket, I watched him slip a black box out of his pocket, offering me a small smile.
“What is that?” I asked with a small bit of excitement, curious what he was holding.
“What I left to pick up,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “It wasn’t supposed to be ready for another week, but when they called me today, I had to get it.”
When Tore handed me the black box with the velvet purple bow, I ran my fingers across it, looking up at him and offering a shy smile. I still wasn’t used to receiving gifts, and I knew that this one meant a lot to Tore because he looked super excited.
“You got this for me?”
“Had it made for you.”
Undoing the ribbon, I felt a flare of excitement begin to grow with anticipation, but nothing compared to how I felt when I saw what was inside the box.
A snow globe necklace.
It was such a small, delicate necklace, the end of it a crystal bulb that had snow flakes that shifted and moved fluidly within it. The silver chain was adorned with tiny diamonds, and the entire thing shone brilliantly, even in the dim light of my room. It was gorgeous.
“Tore,” I whispered, meeting his gaze. “This is beautiful.”
Possibly the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I’d need to get a jewelry box to keep it and the pendant in.
“Fitting that you wear it then.” His large fingers shifted through my hair. “Turn around, lil bit.”
I did, and he pulled my hair to the side, taking the necklace and bringing it around the front before securing it around my neck.
“I wanted you to always have a snow globe with you wherever you went.”
I turned into his chest and smiled up at him, emotion making it difficult for me to talk.
I don’t think Tore understood the significance of the gift and how much it meant to me, how much it symbolized this monumental change in my life.
It overwhelmed me, and when I went up on my toes to kiss him gently, he deepened it, causing my body to light up while remembering what he was capable of making me feel.
When he pulled back, he let out a groan. “Also to remind me to not be so rough with you. I’m sorry, lil bit, I know I should have gone slower—”
“No!” I squeaked, my face flaming with embarrassment at my instant reaction. “I loved it. Literally every second of it, including the fast parts… Especially the fast parts.”
Tore’s eyes lit with mischief as he let out a chuckle, pressing a kiss to my head. “I still need to be careful with you… In fact, you should be mad at me. I was an irresponsible idiot.”
I frowned. “You’re not an idiot, stop it.”
Tore’s lips tilted up as if he found my reaction funny, then sighed. “No, I am. I didn’t even consider protection while I was inside of you. Obviously, neither of us have been with anyone else—”
“You haven’t?” I asked. I hadn’t given too much thought about my mates’ previous relationships, mostly in the hopes I’d be able to avoid that reality… And Tore’s words made me so incredibly happy.
Tore’s expression turned serious. “Absolutely not. I knew I wanted my mate to be the only person for me.”
I loved that more than I could ever express.
“So what’s the issue then?” I asked, drawing a blank.
Tore examined my face before tilting his head. “Not an issue so much as the possibility of needing that house as soon as possible.”
“I’m confused,” I admitted.
“Well, we can’t exactly raise pups on campus.”
Shock hit me as my eyebrows shot straight up, connecting what he was saying. “I could get pregnant.”
It wasn’t a question, more of a statement filled with surprise.
That concept was…insane. Amazing, but insane.
I blinked, trying to rationalize that, because how had that not occurred to me?
My stomach tightened—not at the idea of having babies with my mates, but at the idea of how much danger surrounded us right now.
Transferring schools was starting to sound like the best option.
“Effie?” Tore’s voice was filled with concern. “You okay?”
“We are surrounded by so much danger,” I said, feeling horrible about that reality. “I want to make sure that if we do have pups, they are safe.”
Relief filled Tore’s gaze as he pulled me into him, and my hand laid against his chest. “Don’t worry, lil bit. We will always make sure our family is safe.”
Our family. That was exactly what I wanted.