Chapter 35 Mona #2
"That is one good thing about Andrea being in here—oh, damn, I'm so sorry—"
I wave Ivy off. "Seriously, don't worry about it. Keep going."
So she dives back into this story about two betas who got into an argument over the menu a couple of days ago. And Andrea stepped in, and with one snarl, they mended their differences and came to a compromise.
"Having an alpha in the kitchen—I mean, who would have thought how helpful that would have been, right? Hilde can be scary on her own, but that's just her personality. Andrea?" Ivy lets out a whooshing sound and shakes her wrist. "So intense. It was great."
As much as I enjoy listening to Ivy, she runs out of tasks to give me, so, not wanting to get in the way, we say goodbye for now and I slip away, heading toward the back doors. I wave across the room at Kellen, indicating I'll meet him outside in a second.
Weaving through the chaos, I'm so distracted I don't notice until it's too late—I collide with Andrea, the pan in her hands wobbling, the contents threatening to spill across the floor. Thankfully, she has quick reflexes and rights the pan before I make a mess.
"Shit. I'm so sorry—"
"Watch where the fuck you're going," she snaps, slamming the tray down on a nearby table.
She brushes a strand of her blonde hair with the back of her hand off her forehead, and that's when I see it—Andrea looks…
tired. Made worse when I see her nostrils flare as she leans in slightly.
Grayson. I know she can scent him on me.
Maybe she can tell we had sex. And now I feel even worse.
Beneath her anger, exhaustion radiates from her, as if there's an empty, hollowed-out space inside her.
The alpha fire, typically blazing, is cooling to an ember.
I can feel it calling out to me. Something tugs at me—this bizarre compulsion to wrap my arms around her and somehow fill that void, to reheat it.
I hold myself back, but it does make me wonder if this is what everyone else feels around me, but in reverse. Like I'm some kind of emotional reservoir, and touching me refuels them.
Beep says softly, You can sense her needs, yes. It is the same as when others approach you and ask for hugs. It feeds the same thing inside them, inside us all.
"I'm really sorry, Andrea," I say, keeping my voice steady.
"I should've been watching where I was going.
" I let out a self-deprecating laugh, trying to remember what Hilde told me about Andrea.
Wolves live a very long time, and that's too long to hold a grudge.
"I'm just getting in the way while you're all trying to feed the entire clan. "
Andrea's eyes flash with anger. "God, you are so fucking sanctimonious."
"What?"
"You ran into me and now I'm telling you to fuck off. So just fuck off. Stop trying to make peace with me, it's bullshit."
"I'm not—"
"Save it. Like I didn't just feel your omega magic trying to claw into me.
I don't need you. I don't trust you. You show up and suddenly we've got threats everywhere, and instead of being out there with the patrol—" She snatches up the tray, knuckles white around the edges.
"I'm trapped in here making goddamn casseroles. "
"Andrea—"
Andrea, what? What am I going to say that makes it better for her? I'm sorry? Cooking is important? Get over it? You beat the shit out of me, this is actually all your fault? None of that will do any good, for her or for me.
She whirls to face me, eyes narrowed, jaw ticking. "What? What could you possibly have left to say to me?"
I say nothing.
"That's what I thought. You want to help me? Do me a favor and just go. Leave this clan, leave our territory, fuck off to whatever hole you crawled out of. Better yet, find a new one, deep enough to bury yourself—" She snaps her jaw shut like she's forcing herself to swallow her words.
After one last glare, she spins on her heel and storms off.
My heart is racing, hammering in my chest like a war drum.
Heat burns behind my eyes, tears threatening to spill.
Not because she hurt my feelings or wounded my pride.
But from that raw ache radiating from her—it's so dense, it felt like my own.
When I finally glance up, I find a half-dozen wolves nearby giving me sympathetic looks. Some look like they're two seconds from cornering me into a hug, arms already opening, and I think I've had enough of the hugging for a day. I brush past them, giving a tight smile, pushing toward the exit.
Outside, Kellen falls into step beside me. Voice low, he asks, "You good?"
I nod, though there's a tightness in my chest. My eyes are still burning, but I swallow it down. He doesn't believe me, but doesn't press. We circle the building and find Cynthia waiting at the opposite entrance, then walk back toward the cabin in silence.
It's still somewhat early when we get home, and all my worries are forgotten when I find both my mates are already there. I wasn't expecting them for hours still, and after the morning I just had…
"We left early so we could spend the rest of the day with you, since we have to leave tomorrow," Orion placates, catching me after I jumped into his arms for the hug I really wanted.
"I'm so happy," I practically cry.
He groans, swinging me around. "Don't be, yet. Since we have a few extra hours to kill, Gray's decided he's going to make you run drills and practice shifting."
I laugh, and while those are the last things I want to do, I know it'll make Grayson happy, so reluctantly, I make my way inside, with Orion on my heels, and find my other mate.