Chapter Six
A convenience.
Last night had meant nothing to him.
Astrid felt like such a fool. Waking up in her bed, alone with her thoughts, thinking last night was different, when it was anything but. She should have known better. Dreams didn’t come true for her.
After making her way back to the house, she hoped Lord and Blake didn’t hear her. The breakfast was already prepared, and she had to start preparing dinner, but staying here in his house just didn’t sit right with her.
She had to get away. She had to do something. And the only thing she could think of was to go back to her parents.
Astrid put a quick call through to the diner and arranged for a meal to be delivered. She didn’t pack a bag, as one wasn’t needed.
With breakfast already spread out and ready for them, Astrid didn’t look back as she grabbed a jacket, quickly made her way outside, and headed straight for the main driveway. She didn’t want anyone to stop her, and thankfully, no one did, and she was able to make her escape.
All the way to her parents’ house, she tried not to think about last night. With every step she took that put a greater distance between her and Lord, her stomach seemed to twist and knot. She was not going to turn back, and she ignored the fight within her.
Lord had used her. She had been willing, and that made her fool—waking up and thinking things were going to be different.
Arriving in town, she saw people were still in the process of removing Halloween decorations.
No one stopped to talk to her, and she went straight to her parents’ house, only to find they were not there.
She found the key, made her way inside, and went to the phone to call her father, who answered on the second ring.
“Hello?” he asked, sounding confused.
“Dad, it’s me. Where are you and Mom?”
“Oh, honey, we forgot to tell you. We’ve gone away for a few months on a cruise. You know your mother always wanted to travel the world, and now we have our chance.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you need me to sit the house for you?”
“Don’t be silly. That was all taken care of. We talked to Lord, because you were busy, and he promised to keep an eye on the house for us for the next couple of months. Didn’t he tell you?”
“No, he didn’t.”
Astrid looked around her house and wondered if Lord had even bothered to come by.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Why are you home?” her dad asked.
“No reason. I just wanted to come and see you guys and say hi. You know it has been so long since we last talked.”
There was silence, and then she heard her mother’s laughter in the background. They sounded like they were having the time of their lives.
“Oh, honey, I’ve got to go now. But we will talk soon. There is nothing in the fridge, so if you’re staying there, you need to get some food. Don’t stay up too late.” And the line went dead.
She was all alone. Putting the phone back into the cradle, she moved to the fridge, and sure enough, it was empty.
She closed the fridge door, then made her way up to her bedroom, just to make sure it was still her room.
When her brothers had moved out, one by one their bedrooms had been changed into a gym or an office.
Thankfully, her room was still as it was when she lived here.
She moved toward her bed, sat down on the edge, and wondered why her parents hadn’t changed anything. Did they think she would fail? That she would have no choice but to come home? Is this why they left her bedroom fully made up?
She tried not to think of Lord, but his voice sounded so sure. A convenience. A willing female. Her first time had been because she was the only woman there. How humiliating was that?
Lord didn’t want her for her. Just because she was there.
She tried not to let the tears come. Crying was not going to solve anything. Lord had made no declaration. No words had been spoken between them. Just actions.
She was a stupid fool.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she tried to come up with some way out of the job.
She loved working for Lord, but there was no way she’d be able to continue.
Perhaps she could ask for his truck, and she could drive back and forth, and live home.
The only problem was her parents would be returning home, and they would know something was up. They would know she failed.
This sucked, big time.
Perhaps she could find a place of her own and make some kind of arrangement with Lord. She didn’t have to live in his house.
She heard a knock, and Astrid looked toward the open door. She was a fool, because part of her hoped it was Lord. If Lord knew her parents weren’t in town, that meant the locals did as well. She was the last person to find out.
Getting to her feet as the knock came again, she made her way downstairs.
Her parents didn’t have a peephole to let them know who was on the doorstep.
She recalled her brothers and herself begging for one, but her parents liked the surprise of never knowing who was at the front door.
It was one thing she always found a little strange about them, but she never said anything.
She opened the door, and once again, she wished there was a peephole. Lord was on the doorstep, and he wasn’t a vampire so didn’t need to be invited in.
“You never told me my parents were out of town,” she said.
“You were busy working for me, and I could take care of this house.”
“And you did?” she asked.
“Yes, I came every day to check on it.”
She nodded. Of course he did.
“What do you want?”
“We need to talk,” Lord said.
“No, we don’t.”
He gripped the back of his neck, and she knew she was aggravating him, not that she was doing it on purpose.
“I know you heard,” Lord said.
“I don’t want to talk about it. You made it clear. The only reason you and I had ... sex, was because I was the only willing female there. I get it. If there had been another woman, you’d have gone for her.” She tried not to break apart. “I’m going to look for another job.”
She didn’t want to go back to the library, but what choice did she have?
“You don’t have to do that. You can keep working at the ranch, and besides, I need to ... wait to make sure.”
Astrid frowned. “To make sure what?”
“That you’re not pregnant. I didn’t use any protection last night, and you could be pregnant.”
She wanted to put her hand on her stomach. How stupid was this? She had fallen for a guy who saw her as a convenience, and now he wanted to keep an eye on her in case she was pregnant. This is what her life had come to.
How she kept from crying was beyond her. The pain was crushing her, but she ignored it.
The logical part of her brain was telling her to go back and do her job. To get over this. People had sex and moved on all the time. She could do this as well. The alternative was admitting she had messed up to her parents, and the town knowing something had happened. She didn’t want that.
She stepped out of her parents’ home and ignored Lord’s waiting truck, instead opting to walk back to his home. This time, Astrid was going to be different.
****
Two Months Later
Astrid was not pregnant, and another full moon was approaching.
Lord felt his wolf. It was a Friday, and the full moon was next week.
Ever since Astrid had gotten her menstrual cycle, she had been a changed woman. Life with her was different. The food was amazing, and the men had nothing to complain about, but Astrid was different.
First, she was never around when he was. If he entered a room, she left. She never spoke to him. In the past two months, the only time he heard her speak was if she didn’t know he was there. She talked to Blake and the guys, but never to him. When he did stay home, she avoided him.
He figured she couldn’t keep this up, but she somehow managed it. Christmas had come and gone, and her parents had extended the cruise to last over the festive period.
Like Thanksgiving, Astrid had gone to her parents’ place to spend the time, only returning when the ranch hands had so she could cook for them. He hated it.
Astrid had left to go out dancing. He didn’t know if it was to go out doing actual dancing, but she’d gone to the freaking bar, the only bar in town where wolves and humans mingled together. He just knew that was not going to end well.
“Fuck!” He wasn’t paying attention to what he hammered, and slammed it on his thumb. Dropping the hammer, he looked at his thumb, and it was red but not broken or bruised.
He needed to get his head in the game.
“You okay?” Blake asked, coming into the barn.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I thought you left,” Lord said.
“I called the wife, told her I was going to be a bit late tonight. Figured you needed someone to talk to.”
“I don’t talk.”
“Come on, Lord, everyone can see a difference in Astrid, and you’re not exactly handling it well.”
“There is nothing to handle. She has her own life and I have mine.”
Blake sighed. “Fine. You’re happy with the way shit is, that is up to you, but just so you know, someone else is going to realize that Astrid is a keeper. She’s a damn good woman, and you want to keep being an asshole, that is up to you.”
“What the fuck do you want from me?”
“I want you to be happy. Astrid makes you happy. I get it, you’re happy being a lone wolf and not needing anyone, and you can do everything on your own. I get that, but don’t you want to be happy? Didn’t it feel good to be with Astrid?”
“Don’t talk about her.”
“You’re so freaking stubborn. You can’t even see that you and her are meant to be together.
You know what, fine. I’m sure you would be happy with her being with the Enzos of the world, or any guy that will marry her and settle down.
Living near her, knowing what you could have had, but no longer can, because you’re a stubborn asshole. I tried.”
And with that, Blake stormed out of the barn, and Lord heard him go straight to his truck and angrily pull out of his driveway.