Chapter 64
Chapter Sixty-Four
~Harlow~
Once home, we all climb out of the car and head inside. Thane heads straight to his office upstairs. Raidon and Leon go to the kitchen, while Rhen stares at me as I slip my heels off just inside the door.
"Maybe go take a nap. I will wake you when Raidon's mother gets here." His words confuse me. It’s almost as if he is trying to get rid of me.
"Is something wrong?" I ask, knowing that something definitely is.
"Thane is in an odd mood. Just let me speak with him—find out what is going on," he tells me.
That is a very vague answer, I think, but I decide not to argue. I head for the stairs. We’ve all been sleeping in Thane's room, so I intend to go there when he speaks up again.
"Maybe the Den. I need you to steer clear of Thane for a bit. Okay?"
"Why?" I ask.
"Because Thane detests liars, and he believes you are hiding something from him." I open my mouth to say something, but Rhen doesn’t give me a chance.
"I'll handle it; it will be fine. Just go," he tells me, and I nod, moving up the corridor along the stairs. I feel like I am being put in the naughty corner, grounded like a child. As I pass the kitchen, Raidon and Leon wave at me as I reach for the basement door.
"Where are you going?" Raidon asks, grabbing a drink from the fridge.
"Rhen wants me in the Den," I tell him. I have a sinking feeling settling over me. There were two documents in that envelope, and Thane only handed me one.
Raidon and Leon look at each other, confused.
"We’ll be down in a minute," Leon says, glancing toward the stairs. "I’ll go find out what is going on first," he says, walking off.
With a nod, I head downstairs, yet I have a strange feeling I shouldn't go down here with each step I take. That fight-or-flight instinct kicks in, telling me something is seriously wrong.
Sitting in the Den, I snuggle beneath the blankets.
After half an hour down here alone, I am struggling to contain my panic.
My mind is going over all the scenarios of what may have angered Thane, while I sit replaying the day's events over and over, picking apart whether I might have done something wrong.
Eventually, sleep takes me, and I drift off, only to be woken by the sounds of a woman yelling. Opening my eyes, I blink up at the ceiling. The woman's voice grows louder, before it stops at the top of the stairs, making me sit up.
"Mom, calm down. What are you talking about?" Raidon yells, and I hear frantic footsteps.
"Where is the little harlot?" the woman snarls. At her words, my body instantly goes from groggy to alert.
"Elaine, enough! Stop and explain. What is going on?" I hear Thane bellow, his aura so deadly, I can feel it from all the way down here. Elaine's anger, however, is unwavering.
"Check for yourself. Her blood results came back. I want blood, Thane. I don't give a fuck if you marked her. She deserves death after what she did," the woman snarls.
My blood runs cold. I hear Raidon attempting to calm his mother, her voice growing more distant, and I eventually hear a car leave before hearing a thud that sounds like someone’s fist hitting drywall.
"Thane?" Rhen asks.
I jump to my feet, looking for an escape, when I hear the door handle creak. I rush to the small storage area in the far corner. There is a small window I know I could squeeze out of if I can just reach it. It leads to the back lawn and gardens.
"Thane, what are you doing?" Rhen's panicked voice reaches my ears when the door bangs loudly against the wall.
His footsteps echo loudly on each step, and I know escape is useless, so I turn to face him head-on, hoping for the chance to explain. Moving out of my hiding spot, I cringe at his aura as he reaches the last step, his head turning from side to side, paperwork fisted in his hand.
"I can explain, if you would just—"
His head snaps in my direction as I step closer to him, touching his arm, which is a mistake. The back of his hand connects with my face, cutting off the rest of my sentence.
The sting of it burns my flesh, but before he can land another blow, Rhen tackles Thane.
Leon quickly follows down the stairs. Thane and Rhen wrestle, and they fall into the pit.
Leon reaches for me as Rhen is suddenly kicked and sent flying into the pit wall.
Thane rises to his feet before tossing the paperwork at him, just as Raidon comes down the steps.
I glance at him, but his mood is just as wild as Thane's anger.
Leon brushes my quickly bruising cheek with his hand while Thane climbs out of the pit.
When he does, Leon puts himself in front of me.
Rhen opens the document Thane tossed at him.
He gasps, and I peer around Leon at Rhen, whose eyes dart between Thane and me.
"Can someone please tell me what is going on?" Leon asks, his hand on my hip, shoving me further behind him. Thane snarls, baring his canines at me, which have slipped free in his anger.
"Her name isn't Zara," Rhen says from inside the pit, where he is still looking over the documents.
"Okay, okay, she lied about her name. No big deal. That doesn't warrant violence or hitting her Thane!" Leon spits at him.
Thane's eyes go to mine as they fill with tears, his disappointment and rage bleeding through the bond loud and clear.
"Are you going to tell him, or do you want me to?" Thane growls, taking a step toward me. Leon side steps, blocking him.
"She is Harlow, Leon," Raidon speaks from the stairs, and Leon turns so quickly I almost miss the movement. He takes a step back from me as his shock comes through the bond.
His mouth opens and closes as he looks at me.
"Get her out of my house. Now! Before I fucking kill her," Thane growls.
“Wait, let me explain. I didn't kill your—" I stop when he shifts abruptly, his skin tearing as he lunges at me in his wolf form.
I stumble backward, falling on my ass as I scramble back on my hands and feet.
He snaps his jaws at me, his claws making a terrible noise, like nails on a chalkboard, as they slice the ground.
My back hits the wall, and I suck in a breath, his teeth inches from my face when I feel the mind-link open.
'You have one minute to get out of my fucking house before I kill you,' he snarls in my head while his powerful jaws snap at my face.
I nod my head, quickly glancing at the others who have fallen silent. Not one of them is going to let me explain. Thane steps back, his huge paws on the ground twice the size of my hands. Long claws, sharp as blades, flex on the ground, and I waste no time getting to my feet.
It’s like the worst kind of walk-of-shame as I move past them, each averting their gaze while I make my way toward the stairs.
As soon as I get to the first step, I take off running, like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.
My bare feet slap the ground, and I race for the front door.
My hands grip the handle, and I toss it open, escaping into the dark of night.