Chapter 23
Evan
“What the fuck. Chamomile?” I rub my tired eyes, half convinced I’m dreaming.
Jace looks like he’s been half drowned. The left side of his body, faintly illuminated by the light from the TV, is soaked. The other is carrying a somehow even more drenched omega. Jace steps further into the light, and I can see her shaking from here across the room.
I’m up, grabbing the throw blanket off the couch with me. Ariana’s teeth are chattering loudly. Jace tries to set her down on the couch, but she shows no signs of moving. He doesn’t attempt to convince her, sitting with her in his lap instead.
Swiftly wrapping the blanket around her, I tuck it under her legs. She doesn’t seem to register my touch, still burying her head into the alpha’s shoulder. He cradles her, one hand pulling her into him over the blanket and the other on her hair.
“I’ll be right back.” I don’t wait for Jace’s answer, peeling off into my bedroom. I’m dying to ask what happened, but she needs a change of clothes and a towel first.
Socks, sweatpants, a hoodie. Searching for the softest of each in my hurry isn’t easy, I’m tearing drawers open and dumping things on the bed.
Omegas like soft and cozy things, I think. Upset people usually do. Whenever my siblings got sick, it helped them a bit.
When I make my way back to the living room, Jace’s rocking her back and forth, murmuring into her ear. He catches my eye, nodding approvingly at the clothing.
I sit next to them, on the very edge of the couch cushion. “Ariana?” She’s shivering hard. Gathering her hair, I wrap a towel around it quickly. The omega turns her head at that, not her name.
It takes a lot of self control to not wince. She looks crushed.
“Can we get you out of those wet clothes?” I hold the dry ones I collected up. Ariana bites her bottom lip pitifully, nodding.
Jace stands, lifting her with him. There’s some minor fumbling under the blanket, which I realize is Ariana swaying, trying to walk.
I’m by her side in a flash, leaning her against me. “Do you want me to carry you too?”
She blinks once, twice. “I can walk.”
Her voice comes out strained and ragged. The tell tale sign of someone who’s been crying. Jace and I meet eyes, the wince I held back before escaping.
“Let’s get you to the bathroom then!” Working hard to keep my voice chipper and enthused, I encourage her. Or myself. I’m ready to burst with worry.
The bathroom’s not far. Our journey there is slow. Ariana leans against me for support, taking small steps. Jace hovers fretfully on her other side, hands raised to catch her if she falls.
I stack the clothes on the counter, then linger anxiously. “They might be a bit big. I’m sorry. They’ll be warmer than those, though.” I nod toward her outfit. “If you need anything, I’ll be right outside the door.”
She stares at my shoulder, not quite present. Then, quietly, she agrees.
I’m half a mind to offer to help her. She was struggling to walk. What if she falls and hurts herself? I should have just carried her to a bedroom. She could’ve changed while sitting down.
Jace claps my back before I do. It jolts me out of my trance. I step out of the bathroom, closing the door.
“What happened?” I whisper so Ariana can’t hear me.
The other man’s jaw clenches at the question. Jace never gets angry. He grows serious, stoic or distant when upset. Now, his wine scent’s turning bitter with barely held back rage.
“Her pack.”
Two words, but he doesn’t have to elaborate. I think I have an idea of what’s going on.
“You should go change too, man.”
He shakes his head, but doesn’t reply, distracted.
Nico’s emerged from the hallway, turning on the living room light. “It’s almost four in the morning. What are you guys doing?” His hair is tousled and his confused voice is still thick with sleep. “And what’s that smell?” He adds.
Since he’s still half asleep, it must be harder to recognize chamomile when it’s mixed with eau de misery. His last question is answered by the bathroom door gently swinging open.
Ariana shuffles out in my clothes. My hoodie hangs down her body, sleeves covering her hands. The sweatpants are rolled three times and still pooling at her feet. She’s rewrapped the towel around her hair properly.
Any other time, I would drink the sight in hungrily. Immaturely, a small, feral part of me does, humming in appreciation. The more civil part of me is concerned by her swollen eyes.
“Ariana? What’s wrong? Are you alright? What happened? Why are you crying? Are you hurt anywhere?” Nico’s been set off, pistachio scent fretfully swelling. “Did somebody hurt you?”
Her eyes widen at the rapid fire questioning. She looks from him to me and Jace for help. If the situation wasn’t what it is or her eyes weren’t reddened, I might have laughed at her reaction.
Instead, I sigh. “How about a cup of tea?”
She’s barely nodded before Nico’s tearing off into the kitchen. He’s moving so hurriedly it’s hard to believe he was asleep a moment ago. The three of us follow behind slower, Jace and I matching Ariana’s pace. Despite not shivering like before, she still looks frail.
Unable to contain myself, I place both hands on her waist and lift her into one of the stools at our kitchen island. Nico’s turned the kettle on, shoulders tense as he moves.
“Hungry?” I rest my elbows on the marble and lean against them until we’re the same height.
Ariana shakes her head. “Well, a little maybe.” Her face flushes at the admission, like she’s said something wrong. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother, though.”
Nico almost trips over himself in his haste to tear the fridge open. Bottles shake and glasses clink together as the door swings. I think she’d find it more bothersome trying to convince him not to cook her something.
“What’s with the commotion?” We all turn at the arrival of the sandalwood scent.
Seb takes in the scene in front of him. Jace, still in his soaked clothing. Nico, running through the kitchen like a madman. Me, nearly folded in half to lean on the kitchen island. Then finally, the omega sitting next to me.
His irritated gaze softens at the unexpected guest. “Chamomile?”
Ariana’s scent has begun to settle. She even manages a weak wave.
He looks between the four of us, silent questions hanging in the air.
“She’s spending the night.” Jace doesn’t offer much of an explanation. If I had to guess, he’s worried about upsetting her further.
I grin at Seb, then Ariana. “Who doesn’t love a slumber party?” I wink at her conspiratorially.
“Well,” the dark haired alpha takes a seat in the stool next to her. “There’s worse company to be with on a rainy night.”
Nico gently sets down a cup of tea in front of her. Chamomile tea for the chamomile lady. How fitting. I hope she finds it as comforting as we do.
Turning away, he cracks eggs in a bowl. “I thought I was waking up to Sebastian’s mom here with that damn dog again.”
“Watch how you talk about my little brother.” Seb leans towards Ariana. “You’ve met Clementine, of course. Remember?”
She wraps both her hands around the mug with a faraway look on her face. “That feels like a lifetime ago.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” I agree with her. “That was when we first met.”
She shivers, and I slide off the counter to go grab her another blanket, stopping by my bedroom along the way. When I return to the kitchen, Nico’s placing a plate of pancakes in front of her.
Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, I gently peel the towel off her head before I interrupt their hushed conversation to continue my thoughts from earlier. “It was raining then, too. Do you remember that, Ariana?”
“It wasn’t this strong.”
“No,” I agree with her. “Not this strongly. It was lighter then. Don’t tell Seb this, but I wasn’t too enthusiastic about his mom’s dog coming around.” I massage my hands into the base of her neck, frowning at the knots in her hair.
My pack stares at me, silently wondering where I’m going with this. I gently part her hair the best I can, careful not to tug at the blonde locks. Picking up the hairbrush my sister left in my room once, I hold onto a small, clumped section of hair.
“I love dogs, but Clementine is a menace. I think you’re wearing the only pair of socks he didn’t destroy in the short time he was here.
There wasn’t a pillow in sight that didn’t feel his wrath.
He took down a lamp Jace inherited from his grandpa.
He knocked a whole shelf over and broke one of my dad’s championship trophies too.
It meant a lot to me. It was the last thing he gave me before he passed away. ”
Ariana lets me brush at the ends of her tangled hair. I work slowly, understanding this may take a while. I’ve saved my baby sister from one of those big round brushes once.
“Does this hurt?”
“No.”
“Let me know if it does.” I work the brush through the strands delicately, picking my words thoughtfully.
“It was a pain in the ass, dog sitting him. There’s no nice way to say it.
By the end of it, I honestly worried I would resent Seb a little.
I thought I would see my dad’s trophy shattering every time that demon dog was mentioned. ”
The man in question frowns, but doesn’t interrupt as I continue.
“But then the dog did come up. And I didn’t see the trophy. I saw you, Ariana. Standing in the park, stepping on his leash. You were so sad, but so pretty. It hurt to see you cry that day.”
“We wanted to never see you cry again. All of us. We wanted to help you.” I put the hair brush down, move back to the island so I can see her face. “But here you are, crying tonight too. It’s even more painful than the first time. Every time, it hurts more than the last.”
My pack gives a chorus of agreement. Ariana’s expression is solemn.
“We’d love to make sure your pretty eyes never shed a tear again. I know it’s hard, but can you tell us what happened?” I brush her hair behind her shoulder. She takes a shaky breath at the touch. “Why don’t we start with how you came here?” I look meaningfully at Jace.
He steps forward. “I couldn’t sleep. I had this feeling something was wrong. I thought some fresh air would help, so I went out for a walk. That’s where I saw Ariana in front of her apartment, sitting in the street alone.”
Jace is fighting to keep his anger out of his voice. It trembles with it despite his efforts. “She was already drenched by that point. She didn’t have a coat. She didn’t even have shoes. I’m not sure how long she was there for.”
“Can you tell us, Ariana?” I gently coax her, despite the revulsion in my stomach. “How long were you outside?”
Her response comes out in a faint whisper. “I don’t know. Not for very long, I don’t think.”
“Okay, that’s a start. How about why you were outside?” I encourage her to continue.
Another shaky breath, and then she starts. From the beginning, with her birthday party. To the trance-like days she spent alone. Even her attempt at a good deed that didn’t go unpunished. We don’t interrupt, letting her speak.
I restart my efforts to work out the tangles in her wet hair. Nico keeps her supplied with tea and food, pressing a cup into Jace too. Seb cuts her pancakes for her, holds the fork up in between pauses. When her voice falters, Jace’s hand finds its way to hers and squeezes.
Most importantly, we listen. It’s not an easy or short story to hear. The sky turns lighter, the rain slowing. We sit in silence once she finishes.
“I’m sorry,” she says again when we don’t speak.
The words come out hoarsely, whether from talking for so long, her tears, exhaustion or a mix of both.
“It’s not a fun story, is it? I didn’t mean to burden you with it.
You’re already being kind enough to let me stay the night. I don’t want to keep bothering you.”
“You,” Seb’s voice drips with sincerity, “would never be a bother, Ariana.”
She stops her rambling at that. “Thank you.” She looks down at her hands. “I won’t stay in your hair for too long.”
“Get a good night’s sleep. Think about it in the morning. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like.” Our pack lead’s words are followed by a big yawn from Ariana, as if on cue.
“Come on,” Nico leans off the counter. “I’ll show you to a bedroom.”
“Not one of the guest ones.” Jace’s objection draws our attention. “Isn’t it obvious? We have a room specifically outfitted with what omegas like sitting empty. She could use the comfort right now.”
Ariana startles. “I wouldn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”
“You wouldn’t be. It’s been empty since we moved here.” Jace nods at Nico.
“Follow me, then.” Nico, Ariana and Seb rise. They help her to her feet, escort her away.
I wait until they’re long gone to turn back to Jace. “Are you sure you’re okay with that, man?”
If I said I hadn’t pictured her in our pack’s nesting room before, I would be lying. For Jace, though, I worry it might be a sensitive topic.
The other alpha sets his dark eyes on me. “The guest rooms are hardly as pleasant. We have the accommodations to support her. There’s no need to hold back from using them because of me.”
When my worry doesn’t cease, he continues. “You’re turning into Nico. I’m fine, I promise. I should go change.”
I catch his wrist. Jace is strong. I’m stronger. “Is that everything?”
“I want to kill them, Ev.”