Chapter 24
Alexander
As he walked down the hallway, Alexander wished he was still in Boaz’s cabin, wrapped in the werewolf’s warmth. But he knew he had to do this. He couldn’t put it off any longer.
He stopped outside his parents’ room and took a steadying breath. He knocked, then pushed the door open.
His mother sat on a settee by the window, dressed in a flowing white robe. Her hair fell down her back in glossy curls. She turned when he entered, and a smile lit up her face, softening her eyes.
She was happy to see him.
Alexander’s chest tightened, and for a second, he couldn’t breathe.
“Hey, stranger,” she said.
“Hey,” Alexander replied “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good,” she said. “Come here.” She patted the settee.
Alexander took a breath and crossed the room. He sat beside her and stared out the window as snow drifted down, covering the yard in white.
“Your father told me about Drago.”
“Yeah,” Alexander said, his throat tight. “I’m sorry. I…”
“Don’t be sorry you’re alive,” she said, touching his cheek gently. “He took care of you, like I asked him to.”
Alexander turned to her, stunned.
“Why would you tell him to do that?” he asked.
“Because you were always too busy taking care of everyone else to take care of yourself. While your father and I were asleep, I didn’t want to worry.”
Alexander blinked rapidly as the pain of losing Drago hit him all over again.
“It’s alright, Alex,” his mother said, wrapping her arms around him. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise.” She smoothed a hand down his back in slow, soothing strokes.
Alexander cried. With every tear, the pain that had felt like a boulder on his chest melted away. He cried until he couldn’t cry anymore. When he was done, he lifted his head and quickly wiped his face, embarrassed. He wasn't a little boy anymore.
“Do you feel better?” she asked, brushing away the tears he had missed.
“Yes,” Alexander said.
“We should send him off properly,” she said, rising to her feet and moving to the window, looking both ethereal and fragile in the pale light.
“I’ll get everything ready,” Alexander said, standing beside her. “We’ll send him off tomorrow.”
“No. That’s too soon. I’ll tell you when.”
Alexander kept quiet, not reminding her that it had been close to two hundred years since he’d been gone. If she wanted to wait, they would wait.
“It would be nice to send him off on a warm day, with the stars bright in the sky,” she said quietly.
“Yes, it would be nice,” Alexander said, even though they were in the middle of winter. The summer months in the mountains were short, and they were six months away.
But he didn’t say anything else. He just stood beside her, hoping that would be enough.
***
Boaz
“What was he going to tell Lyla?”
The crunch of approaching footsteps broke the silence. Boaz turned toward the sound and immediately groaned.
Lyla.
He dragged a hand down his face, heat creeping up his neck.
Fuck. She was here.
He pushed himself to his feet as she approached.
“No, don’t get up,” she said, coming closer. Her hands were hidden behind her back. “Have a beer with me.” She smiled and pulled a bottle from behind her with a flourish. She handed it to him before sitting down beside him.
Boaz glanced at her, unsure what to make of her sudden friendliness. She had never sat next to him like this, or been nice to him without Hansel nudging her into it.
“I heard you were looking for me,” she said.
“Did Hansel tell you that?” Boaz asked
“No,” she said, unscrewing the bottle cap and taking a sip. “My neighbour told me. She must’ve seen you at the house.”
“Oh… yeah. I was looking for you,” Boaz said, picking at the label. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have left you in the haunted house like that. I…”
“I understand. I would’ve done the same if the man I liked came for me.”
Boaz’s mouth dropped open.
Lyla giggled softly and took another sip of her beer. “I saw you with the vampire.”
Fuck.
“You did?” Boaz managed.
She nodded eagerly. “And you two were so hot. I couldn’t look away. I knew you had a thing for him.”
“How?”
“Remember the day he brought me flowers?”
Boaz nodded, mortified.
“You couldn’t stop looking at him. Then you took his hand and dragged him out of the barn. Wow.”
That wasn’t how it was. “I was trying to get him away from you. I wasn’t into him then.”
Lyla leaned close, her eyes narrowing as if she was studying him. “You were attracted to him. You just didn’t realise it.”
“I…”
“Don’t deny it. I know these things,” she said with a smirk. “You’re together now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” she said, resting her elbows on her knees with a small sigh. “At least one of us got something out of this.”
What?
“I thought you liked Alexander. I heard you talking about asking him out with your friends. And you were always nice to him. You even went on dates with him.”
“I did,” she said, “but I wanted to make someone else jealous. I thought if he saw me with another man, he would realise how he feels about me.”
Who? Hansel?
Boaz stared at her.
Had Boaz been right all along? Was Lyla in love with his brother?
“Your brother is such a thick fool. I tried everything to make him notice me, but nothing worked. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Boaz looked at her, sympathy flickering in his chest. She had done everything Hansel asked of her. Even pretended to give someone like him a chance so Hansel might notice her.
Was Hansel blind?
“Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?” Boaz asked.
“No,” she said shyly. “I couldn’t do that.”
“But if you don’t, you’ll never know how he feels about you”
She bit her bottom lip, as if she was considering it. “You think so?”
“It’s worth a try,” Boaz said. “You’ll never know what might happen. I spent a long time trying to make people notice things about me too. But if I’d said it sooner, I might have understood parts of myself I didn’t even realise were there. I can’t believe I didn’t know I was gay.”
Lyla bumped his shoulder. “You found out at the right time. Sometimes it takes the right person to bring out the hidden parts of us.”
A throat cleared behind them. Lyla looked over her shoulder.
“Oh,” she said. “I should get going.” She leaned closer to Boaz. “Have fun.” She giggled as she got to her feet. “Hi, Alexander,” she added before walking away.
Alexander crossed over and took her seat.
“You two looked cozy,” he said, brushing his cheek against Boaz’s arm like a cat. “Sitting close like lovebirds.”
“Oh, don’t even start. You’re not getting jealous over Lyla,” Boaz said.
“You were in love with her, and now I find you here with her,” Alexander said, his eyes flickering red.
Boaz swallowed, his body reacting despite himself. He leaned in and kissed Alexander.
Alexander gripped the back of his head and deepened the kiss. Boaz moaned softly, heat rushing through him before he forced himself to pull back.
“How is your mom?” he asked.
“She’s alright. She took the news well.
“You don’t sound happy about it,” Boaz said. “Would you rather she didn’t take it well?”
“Maybe. I think I would feel better if they yelled at me. Got angry… something,” Alexander said. “They’re accepting this so easily, and I feel so guilty.”
“You would have felt the same way even if they blamed you,” Boaz said softly.
“The guilt will still be there, Alexander. You made it out, and he didn’t.
You’re going to have to live with that.” Boaz leaned into him.
“Everyone lost someone in the war. But we have to keep living, even if it hurts. We carry them with us. Forgiving yourself is the only thing that eases it, not how they react to you. It has nothing to do with your parents. You’re the one who hasn’t dealt with your brother’s death.
” Boaz fell silent, allowing Alexander to express how felt.
When he remained silent, Boaz threaded his fingers with him.
After a while, he turned to Alexander. “Do you want to go for a swim?”
Alexander nodded.