Chapter 35 Secrets
thirty-five
Secrets
*FELIX*
Gwen and I cuddle for a while longer until some surprised gasps and squeals reach us. Someone even laughs. We exchange a look. “What’s going on, now?” Gwen mutters.
“Didn’t sound like it was something dangerous.” I frown. “Could it be…”
“Goddess, yes, it could,” Gwen is up on her feet suddenly. “Let me check on it.”
I get up as well. “I will come with you.”
Once inside, I instantly know that my first intuition was right.
It did happen again. Right in the middle of the room, there sits a new pet, munching on some hay, not minding anyone or anything.
I have never seen an animal like that. Fuck how uneducated I am, or ignorant, but seriously, what is it?
Looks cute and funny, and has long spikes, and I might have seen it in a documentary once, but I am still not sure.
Gwen, babe, I know I’ll sound dumb now, but what’s that gigantic oversized hedgehog?
It’s not a dumb question, she says promptly. Many don’t know. It’s a porcupine.
Oh! So that’s how they look. It’s cute!
I watch Gwen approach the porcupine and kneel down next to it. The gigantic, spiky-thingy immediately climbs onto her lap and lets her feed him with fresh salad.
Silas looks amused. “I don’t think it’s aware that it’s actually a porcupine.”
“I do believe most of the pets in this house have an identity crisis,” Marcellus agrees, equally amused.
“But it’s intriguing to see your gift in person,” Silas adds, looking at Gwen thoughtfully. “Very intriguing.”
“This would have been my dream as a kid,” Elodie admits.
“Right?” Dalila laughs. “I would have sold a kidney to be able to bond with animals like this.”
“What are you going to call it?” Marcellus asks.
Gwen smiles. “It looks like a Thorn to me.”
I keep my distance so that Gwen can have her moment with everyone. She still believes she is normal, clearly oblivious to the fact of how special she is. I want her to have this moment to shine, and to see how the others appreciate her and her gift.
Everyone is so preoccupied with all the animals that the minutes pass by, turning into hours.
Funny, I never realized the healing effect animals can have, but seeing how everyone forgets their problems for a moment and laughs, while being surrounded by Gwen’s own little zoo, makes me realize how we probably all needed this.
By now, enough time has passed for Liam and the others to return.
They look equal parts angry, worried and thoughtful.
What Marius saw must have been seriously upsetting.
They don’t say anything, though, probably not wishing to disrupt the peaceful, relaxed atmosphere.
Instead, Liam and Annie join Silas, Marcellus and Gwen, while Dad walks towards Mom.
Marius himself, however, doesn’t linger in the room for long.
His eyes scan everything quickly before he turns around to leave for the terrace.
I hurriedly follow him, since catching him alone, with all his family and friends here, will be difficult.
But in private, I can ask him about Marina and how he sees the situation.
When I step through the corridor to follow him, my attention is immediately pulled towards something else.
There, in one of the empty rooms that Gwen and I don’t know what to do with yet, I spot Dario.
He is looking at his phone, a frown on his face. That alone wouldn’t be unusual, but somehow his expression makes me halt immediately. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but he looks troubled.
Or is it just my imagination?
I am usually good at reading my brother, but I have never seen this expression on him before.
“Dario?” I ask. “Is everything okay?”
Dario raises his eyes to look at me. “Yes, everything’s okay.” He smiles, suddenly looking much more like himself again. “But I need to leave now,” he tells me. “I know it’s late, but there is a group project I am involved in, and the others are having issues. Sucks, but I want a good grade.”
“Oh, you are heading out?” I nod. “I get it.”
Dario smiles, but again, it’s weird. It might be my imagination, but it looks strained. I watch him leave the room, briefly talking to Dad, who just nods and waves him goodbye. For a moment, I am torn. Should I follow him?
What do you think, Kiran?
My lycan’s presence gets stronger in my mind while he tries to reach out to the bond to our brother. I don’t know. It’s not an emergency. I’d feel it if it were.
Yeah, me too. I usually know when Dario feels upset or when something happened, just like he feels it with me, but right now, all I am receiving are mixed signals. Maybe it’s really about the group work, and he is annoyed because his group can’t get anything done without him.
Wouldn’t be the first time.
I decide to let him be. If there is something he wants to talk about, he will seek me out as he always does. I need to respect his privacy and not always be so pushy.
So, I resume following Marius outside. Still lost in my thoughts, I step through the door quietly, just to pause immediately.
My eyes fall onto Marius, who is standing close to the fence, our alpaca close to him, almost nudging his shoulder with its nose.
But it’s not that scene that catches me off guard.
It’s…
He is holding Celine in his arms. I have seen my brothers and my dad hug and flirt with their mates.
I’ve gone through all phases of being grossed out and embarrassed when watching them, but this here is different.
He is not flirting with her, he is not there to kiss her or touch her; he is holding her.
Celine clings to his back, her fingers digging into his shirt.
The soft breeze carries Marius’s voice to me. “Are you alright, babe?” he says quietly, and after a while. “I know you aren’t.”
And then: “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”
And: “I am with you all the way. Please believe me.”
That’s when I realize I need to retreat. Silently stepping back into the house, I close the door behind me, equally as silently. The last thing I want is to eavesdrop on my brother when it’s about something that is obviously private.
Back inside, the first person I bump into is Liam. He is standing a little away from the others, and I am almost afraid he is facing a difficult moment too, but he just smiles at me.
“Thank goddess,” I mutter.
He blinks. “What’s that about?”
“I thought you weren’t feeling well.”
“Why? Because I am standing here?” When I shrug, he just chuckles. “You know, big social gatherings sometimes drain me. Not that this isn’t fun, don’t worry. I am just recharging my batteries and need some silence for it.”
“I get it,” I say.
“And you?” he asks. “You look troubled, actually.”
Oh fuck! I was so preoccupied with not disturbing anyone that I didn’t realize I might look troubled, to boot. “It’s not about me,” I inform him.
“Gwen?” he asks.
I smile and shake my head. “She is fine.” I gesture at her and how both the capybara and porcupine are following her around while she is chatting with Elodie and Annie. “I think she is actually enjoying this. It makes me happy to see her like that.”
“I see.” Liam pauses. “Dario?” he asks.
“I am not sure,” I admit.
“Marius?”
I blink. “How…”
“He was distracted during our meeting, and he isn’t here right now. Since he and Dario are missing, it’s the only logical conclusion.”
“You truly never stop being a big brother, huh?” I ask.
“It’s hard to get out of my skin, and I don’t think I have to.” Liam pats my shoulder. “Let’s join the others.”
“Seriously, no questions?”
“No, I don’t think we need to know everything all the time.
It’s not always our business. Sometimes, if you insert yourself too much, you become overbearing and pushy.
We are not entitled to know all their secrets.
Occasionally, it’s better to let them handle a problem the way they want to, or at least give them the time they need to open up. ”
I frown. What’s he getting at? I am starting to believe this is not so much general advice, but something much more concerning Dario. “Don’t get me wrong, but it sounds like you are lecturing me.”
Liam grins. “I am not getting you wrong, and neither are you.”
“It’s just hard when I am worried about him,” I admit. “We are twins after all.”
“Yeah, but you are also your own person. You can’t protect him all the time. If it’s honestly something dangerous or something that would deeply hurt him, you would know. But it isn’t. Allow him to have things he doesn’t want to share. Give it time.”
“I guess you are right.” I sigh. “What a long day this has been.”
“You are right. For one single day, almost too much has happened.”
I decide to take his advice and attempt not to constantly worry about Dario when he is on his own. He knows I am always going to be there for him. Gwen, fortunately, chooses this moment to wave at me. The look in her eyes is so longing that I immediately walk towards her.
It really was a long day - for everyone.
When I gaze around the room again, I notice how Marius and Celine have returned. Celine joins Dalila, while Marius is talking to…
Oh, yeah, so much for not inserting ourselves. I furrow my brows when I look at Liam, but apparently, I don’t look in any way threatening because he just looks amused.