Lissa
twenty-one
*ROSEA*
The next couple of days pass like a blur. Forest and I found a new routine, with him mingling with the pack and his warriors daily, and with me going about my own business, always accompanied by either Martin or Griffin.
We both are too aware that it’s not safe for me to be on my own.
Fortunately, Griffin knows what’s going on now, and Martin doesn’t ask too many questions… yet. I wonder how long he will play along without demanding some answers. I guess we’ll need to stay alert and decide once the situation demands it.
For now, however, we go about our new routines. Meaning, we also make sure to have breakfast together every day, and appear as a unit. Either Griffin or Martin or both are always with us. For today, Martin leads an early training, so Griffin makes time to join us.
“Alrighty, what did I miss?” he says, flopping down on the space next to Forest. He wanted to sit next to me first, but Forest just narrowed his eyes to a glare, and Griffin decided otherwise.
“Not much,” Forest tells him. “Rose and I just came down for breakfast.” He turns to me with a gentle smile. “Do you want coffee or tea?”
“Coffee, please,” I say.
I am not sure what exactly has changed, but Forest has been very protective of me recently.
And the strangest part is that it doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable.
Maybe because he isn’t overbearing, he isn’t overly possessive.
He is still respectful and still wants to know my opinion first, before he even thinks about asking Griffin or Martin anything.
Yesterday, Lissa tried to approach me, and Forest didn’t even let her get two words out before he told her to get lost. I don’t know what happened, but since the night I had my nightmare, and Forest woke me from it, something changed.
But what’s worrying me is not that Forest has changed, it’s that I don’t mind that he has. He still feels like such a safe place to me, and for whatever reason… that’s scaring me.
Griffin heads to the buffet to grab us some more bread, all the while chatting happily with whoever crosses his path. Harry walks past him, and Griffin makes sure to wave at him enthusiastically. It’s hilarious how he completely ignores the deathly glare Harry sends him.
I instantly get eerie vibes from Harry being around, though. After lying low the last couple of days, it bothers me a little that he is here today.
An omega brings me coffee, and I smile at the kind-looking, young woman. “Thank you,” I say. “You are Nina, am I right?”
She nods, flushing a little.
“I noticed you always keep an eye on me and bring me my coffee exactly the way I like it,” I say. “Thank you for watching out for me, Nina.”
Her eyes widen. “It’s an honor, Luna.”
“You always work the early shift?” I ask her.
She nods. “My mate is a warrior and works an early shift, too.” There is a hint of worry in her eyes. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that makes her feel wary. Is she scared her mate will get hurt?
I lower my voice to a whisper. “Is everything okay?”
She glances around a little before forcing a smile to her lips. “It’s nothing, Luna, just a few rumors.”
“Rumors?”
I can feel Forest next to me tensing a little, but he pretends not to hear anything and chats with one of his warriors who’s just walked past.
Nina stays quiet, the look in her eyes anxious. “If there is something worrying you, Nina, I will always listen,” I tell her. “That’s the job of a luna. If you can’t talk to me now, why don’t you visit me later in Alpha Forest and my office? I’ll be alone there.”
Her gaze wanders around, as if she is looking for someone. “Okay,” she whispers.
She takes my empty plate in her hands and gathers some more of the dishes.
She is about to leave when I see her startle briefly.
It’s only a fleeting moment, but I am sure I didn’t imagine it.
She shuffles off, and I scan the room, my eyes focusing on Lissa.
She wasn’t around when Forest and I arrived, and must have just appeared.
Did her presence scare Nina, and if so, why?
I don’t have time to ponder it because I see her approaching our table, a smug look on her face. Without thinking further, I place a hand on Forest’s leg. “Trouble,” I mutter.
Forest looks at my hand in surprise, a smile curling his lips, just to be replaced with a frown when he sees Lissa approaching. “Not her again,” he says, annoyed.
I can barely contain my amusement at his exasperated expression. Lissa must have noticed, too, because she looks visibly upset. However, I still brace myself for what is to come. She wouldn’t approach us with such a confident expression otherwise.
“Here you are, Forest,” she blurts through the whole room.
Way to make a scene.
She walks over to us, making a show of it by the way she beams and waves at him. “I am so happy you changed your mind.”
Forest stares at her, completely stunned. “On what?”
“Oh, silly,” she giggles, smacking his shoulder before wrapping her arms around his neck. I feel a sudden surge of possessiveness going through me when I see the way she touches him. The feeling itself shocks me more than Lissa’s whole stunt.
To distract myself, I gaze through the room, noting how everyone looks confused. Everyone, but Forest’s father. Harry has the same smug expression on his face.
Yeah, whatever this is, he is in on it.
Forest pries Lissa’s hands off him, and contrary to the first time she hit on him in front of me, shortly after I arrived in the pack, he looks much more annoyed now. I don’t know what changed, but he is much more in tune with his emotions now, bolder and more confident.
“I told you once, I’ll tell you again: I don’t know where you are getting these ideas from. But I have a mate, and she is right next to me.”
“But that’s not what you said last time we met,” she says sweetly.
She pulls out a small device, which I instantly recognize as a recorder. No fucking way! Forest told me he had the feeling someone was filming and spoke extra loudly. But I wouldn’t put it past her to have butchered the source material.
By the confident way she presses the play button, I know I am right. Not even a couple of seconds in, I realize it’s worse than expected. I can hear Forest, loud and clear, but she obviously cut out parts, only leaving those parts that suit her narrative.
That bitch.
“Half of what I said is missing,” Forest points out, now clearly pissed. I can see a vein on his neck pulsating slightly.
His being pissed and reacting that way is good for his image, but it doesn’t help our plans at all.
It might throw us back a lot, especially when Lissa plays everything in front of such a huge audience.
I know some will smell her bullshit easily, but there are always a lot of people who are swayed extremely easily.
I know that better than anyone else.
I am contemplating how to react when suddenly someone pops up behind Lissa, taking the device out of her hands and stopping it from playing. Griffin smirks and puts a plate with bread on the table.
“What are you doing?” Lissa snarls.
“Oh, sweetie,” Griffin says, tone sickly sweet, and with a smile that I would best describe as menacing.
“You truly think I’m such a bad gamma that I don’t keep an eye on the hyenas around my alpha?
” He grins as he pulls his phone out. “That red-headed bastard knows more than you think he does. I don’t know what you promised that poor warrior you forced to record you and the alpha, but my promise was better.
” He hands Forest his phone. “The pack might want to hear this, Alpha.”
Forest takes the phone and presses the play button. Loud and clear, we can hear his and Lissa’s voices echoing through the room. This time, the gaps that she’d edited in are filled, and we hear the whole conversation. All of it. Every ugly detail of her and every amazing one from Forest.
My heart stutters when I hear how clearly he rejects her and how he defends Griffin and me.
Forest doesn’t say much when the recording stops. “That was cheap,” he tells Lissa. “Very cheap, and you know it. You sank low, Lissa.”
His tone is cold and detached, and it’s easy to see how embarrassed she is by the way she reacts.
She tries to wrap her arms around him, but this time, I have had enough.
I get to my feet, cock my head to the side and stare down at her, anger bubbling in my stomach.
“You have some nerve,” I say slowly. My voice sounds cold even to my own ears.
Maybe I should tone it down a little, but then, they didn’t call me Ice Queen for nothing, so I might as well own it.
“To try and seduce my mate. What were you thinking? Did you think I would stand by, watching idly while you not only insult me, but also your future alpha and your future gamma? You should feel embarrassed.”
Lissa has grown pale, but Forest just stares at me through wide eyes before a smile lights up his face.
He gets up, taking my hands and pulling me into a hug.
I can barely contain my surprise, but somehow his body feels so warm and comforting, I instinctively sink into his arms. “You are amazing,” he exclaims.
“And what about me?” Griffin asks, spreading his arms towards us. “Am I not amazing?”
Forest turns his head to look at him. “A solid third.”
“Hey, why just a third?”
“Well, first there are my luna and me, and then you’d still need to battle it out with Martin.”
“Martin didn’t get that amazing recording, though.”
“Griffin, read the room.” Forest chuckles and lets go of me to take my hand in his.
I have no idea if he even notices what he is doing.
Everything seems to flow naturally with him right now, and I can’t help but let him sweep me with him.
I knew he had that calm strength in him.
I just didn’t know it would affect me in any way.
“Well, the room is watching and loves the show,” Griffin mutters.