Chapter 6 - Kelsey
I’ve been married for three days. It feels longer, and I’m struggling to adjust to my new home and to having Miles around all the time.
At least he’s honored the little lecture I gave him the night we came home after our wedding.
I could see he was angry about it. He had expectations.
That’s why I made it clear the moment we walked through the door.
I don’t owe him anything. I already gave him my hand in marriage and sacrificed my solitude and peace to move in with him.
His stupid remark about getting any girl he wants really grated on me, though. Did he have to say that? It was childish and unnecessary. But I put it down to his bruised male ego over my rejection.
Oddly, the thought of him being with another girl after our marriage really agitates me. Even though I don’t want to be with him.
Kala growls quietly in my thoughts. She’s protesting. She’s angry that I turned him down.
Every time he walks into the room, she practically starts drooling, and I have to distract myself from staring at him. He is gorgeous. No matter what else is going on, I’m not blind. The man is fucking sexy.
But that doesn’t mean I have to throw myself at him.
He doesn’t own me.
“Kels!” Mira shouts, waving at me from across the street. I grin at her, standing outside the coffee place where we planned to meet today. I’ve been roaming around town all morning. Clearing my head and taking some time for myself.
Mira and Avery found out I was coming here today and demanded a girls’ catch-up.
Mira looks left and right, then crosses the street and bowls into me with a hug.
“Hi, you, how’s my favorite little Logan?” I ask, hugging her back.
“He’s mischievous and beautiful,” she grins, pulling me into the coffee shop where Avery and Camille have already found us a table near the window.
They both stand up and hug me when I get to the table. As we sit down, Camille grins at me.
“I had way too much champagne at your wedding,” she laughs. “But it was such an amazing night, oh my word, you looked so beautiful!”
“Oh, my goodness, it was a gorgeous evening,” Avery agrees.
“I think most of us had way too much champagne,” Mira giggles. “When Jace and I got home, we didn’t go to bed for over an hour,” she throws me a sly smile laced with secrets.
I bite my lower lip, sitting up straighter in my chair.
Mira has no problem sharing her private life. She often talks openly about her worries, fears, and joys, and she doesn’t miss an opportunity to tell us about her sex life… in way too much detail for my liking.
To stop her from doing this right now, I quickly pick up the menu and ask, “Are you guys hungry? I’m starving?”
I’m not comfortable sharing so much of myself so freely.
Yes, they are my friends, and I love them, but my worries are my own.
It’s not like they can fix things for me.
If I have a problem, I’m the one who has to solve it.
I can’t rely on other people to make my life easier, so I tend to keep quiet when I’m going through things.
It’s how I’ve always been. Besides, it’s easier to be a ball of sunshine and project positive energy than to open up about things.
“I’m having a burger. They have a special on today, and you get an extra patty with the burger,” Avery says.
“I’m having the three-cheese pizza,” Camille says.
“The burger sounds perfect, I’ll have that too,” I say, setting the menu aside.
“Me too,” Mira says, “So, how are things with your new husband?” She asks, and I grin and shake my head. I don’t want to get roped into a conversation about our sex life, or lack thereof.
“Things are great,” I answer, keeping it short.
“I heard that Black Ops training teaches the guys incredible stamina. And with what Mira tells us about Jace’s stamina, I assume that Miles is the same?
” Avery asks with a glint in her eye. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, and my mind races with a way to totally sidetrack this conversation. But luckily, Mira saves me.
“Ew,” She blurts out, “I don’t want to think about my brother’s stamina!” She exclaims, horrified but laughing.
Avery, Camille, and I both burst out laughing. Mira’s face is hilarious, all scrunched up in absolute disgust.
The waitress arrives to take out drinks and food orders.
When she’s gone, I quickly start a conversation that doesn’t involve Miles.
However, as we sit there chatting about the new project Mira is working on, my mind drifts to stamina and to images of him in grey sweatpants, the impressive bulge pressing against the soft fabric.
I’m just a girl, ok, it was impossible not to notice!
And he’s given me plenty of opportunity to notice it again and again over the past few days because he insists on wearing those damn sweatpants every night before bed and while he enjoys his coffee in the morning.
“Kels?” Avery says.
“Mm?” I reply quickly, realizing I have no idea what they were talking about.
“Where is your mind. You were way off, daydreaming somewhere,” Camille laughs.
“Probably about her new husband’s stamina,” Mira adds, pretending to shudder.
This brings another round of laughter to the table.
When the laughter subsides, Mira asks her question again.
“Have there been any more reports of rogues in the area? And how are you doing after you were attacked by the two of them?” She asks.
I shrug. I hadn’t actually thought about it again, seeing as a whole marriage became the forefront of my panic pretty soon after it happened.
“It’s ok, it’s all part of the job. And I heal quickly, so it’s not like the injuries caused me any issues.
As for reports of Rogues, I don’t know because I had a few days off after the wedding.
But I’m going back to work this afternoon, just to check how things are going before I officially start tomorrow. ”
Avery pouts and eyes me. “How do you heal so fast? I don’t think I know any other wolf that can heal that fast. Maybe an alpha, but that’s it…and even then, it’s a push.”
“I don’t actually know. It’s something I’ve always had. I’m just lucky, I guess,” I say, as clueless as anyone else is about it.
“Lucky is an understatement. I heard the rogue took a massive bite out of your arm?”
“Rumors were going around that he bit your arm clean off and you grew a new one,” Camille laughs.
I look down at my arm, covered in a soft, cashmere pink sweater. Gently tracing my fingers over the area where I was bitten, I fall quiet for a moment. “It was quite a decent bite,” I agree. “But the arm remained attached at all times,” I giggle.
Avery grabs my arm and pulls me across the table, pushing my sleeve out of the way.
“Do you have scars?” She asks, leaning closer and squinting at my skin. Mira and Camille stand up and lean over to get a better look, too.
“There’s hardly a damn thing there!” Mira exclaims.
I roll my eyes and try to tug my arm back.
“That’s crazy. I still have a pink line on my leg from where I got caught on a rusty nail walking past the old barn,” Avery grumbles. “And that was three weeks ago!”
Finally, Avery releases me, and I sit down again, pulling my sleeve back into place.
“It’s almost magic,” Mira ponders.
“Coming from the science-tech freak, that’s a bold statement,” I tease her.
She grins and nods, “I know. Wild,” she laughs.
After lunch, Mira walks me to my car. Her old Jeep is parked behind mine. Jace has tried to get her a new car so many times, but she points blank refuses to part with her Jeep.
I tug my door open and toss my purse onto the passenger seat from where I’m standing.
“Miles is a good guy,” she says, standing behind me.
“What?” I ask, confused by the random comment.
“My brother is a good man. I know you didn’t have much choice with this whole marriage and all, but he’s a good man, and you’re in good hands,” she smiles softly at me.
“Thanks, Mira, I know he is,” I reply, pulling her into a hug.
I guess I do believe it to a degree. He isn’t a terrible person.
But the truth is that Mira is the real good person in this scenario.
She always sees the best in people. She even married the man who used to bully her horribly and managed to find it in her heart to forgive him.
And she forgave her brother for letting it happen.
She has a beautiful heart. It’s why she is my best friend.
As far as Miles goes… I guess I will find out who he really is over time.
***
Parking my car outside Miles’ cottage…my cottage…it’s still going to take a while to get used to that, I climb out and drop my things inside. It’s almost two in the afternoon, and I’m eager to get to the security headquarters to find out what the latest news is.
I didn’t want to take time off, but it would have looked weird if I didn’t.
Although I’m also ok with the time off because it gave me a moment to process and calm down after those two jerks abandoned me to the rogues. I haven’t decided how to deal with it yet, or if I’m going to do anything at all.
As I walk, I hear Miles call my name.
I turn to see him jogging toward me from the direction of our cottage.
“Wait for me,” he smiles, catching up easily.
“Hi,” I say, almost a question.
“I’ve decided that it looks good if I walk you to work every day,” he grins.
“Why?” I ask, scrunching my nose.
“Because it does. The pack needs to see us together,” he explains.
I let out a little sigh. I usually like to walk alone and think. It’s a nice way to clear my head before I get to work. But he’s right, the pack does need to see us together occasionally.
Shrugging, I start walking again, and he strides along next to me.
Miles chats about this and that and nothing at all. To anyone watching us, we look natural and happy.
I hardly say anything because I don’t know him well enough to talk to him about my thoughts.
When we get closer to security headquarters, I pause and turn to him. “Thanks for walking me,” I smile, and stand on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, just in case we have an audience.
He grins and eyes me through a narrowed gaze. “Nice touch,” he teases.
I bite my lip and quickly turn away from him so he can’t see my cheeks heating.
Unfortunately, within seconds, I am walking directly toward Taylor and Luke. The absolute last two people I want to see on the planet.
My entire body goes stiff, and I try not to make eye contact.
“Hey, snitch,” Luke mutters quietly under his breath.
I lift my eyes to glare at him. I haven’t told a soul what they did, so I know the accusation is his way of finding out whether someone is going to come after them.
My skin crawls at the sight of them, and my mind flashes back to memories of being bullied when I was younger.
I hate people who think they can treat you however they please and get away with it.
I will never let someone walk over me like that again, but this is not the time or the place to deal with these two idiots. Especially not with Miles right there.
I look up to see exactly where Miles is, hoping he has already walked away. But as I do, my heart sinks. He’s coming right toward us.