Chapter 91Lessie's POVTrent and I fell into a strained silence after that, we just kept on discussing little random things, nothing profound, nothing about that conversation we had previously. We talked about the weather, how cold it was given that it was already summer, our teacher giving us useless homework last week, and even a new snack stand opening near the school gate. It was nice to let my mind drift to pleasant things far from the brutal storms that ruined my life.We half-smiled at a stupid joke that Trent told on one of our friends, and I had forgotten about the tension of the morning for a moment. Nearly.That is when I heard the loud, deliberate crack of a hand against our desk. It sliced through the room like a whip, and everyone was staring at us.Lena was standing there with a smug little smile creeping across her lips, her eyes shining with pleasure at commanding the entire room's attention. She didn't even glance at Trent, she was totally locked in on me."What,"
Chapter 90Lessie's POVI was running behind to school the sun already out and the halls still when I was the only noise of some student running off to class. I moved along unnoticed, reaching back to adjust the shoulder strap on the backpack I was wearing. I didn't want to be around people today, but as I opened my class door, my eyes landed on a face that I recognized.Trent occupied my place, by the window, where sunlight streamed in and cast warm light over the desk and gave a clear view of the school courtyard. That was my place, unofficially, since I had been using it for months. And he sat in my place, reclining in his chair, too relaxed for a student who was notorious as a model student.The moment he set his eyes on mine, his lips softened to a warm smile and he lifted his hand in greeting, as if expecting me. I paused for half a moment and then sighed and went ahead to greet him. "I reserved this table for you," he said, since I had come before you, he was anxious to catc
Chapter 89Lessie's POV"Do you not know how to knock before entering a lady’s room?" I asked immediately.I could hear the bristle in my own voice, the clip of every word chasing out anger and irritation. It wasn't so much that he'd come storming in. It was that the letter still filled my head, the words of my father like small hooks catching in my brain, “If you really know the truth about what happened to your brother, you won't be with Duiane today.”Dave looked shocked with what I had just said to him but he regained himself almost immediately. "My apologies, my lady," he said as he bowed his head respectfully. "I didn’t know you were around my lady, I thought you were out with Alpha Duiane."I furrowed my brow. Even if I was out with Alpha Duiane, why would you just charge into my personal quarters like the place is yours to begin with?That wasn't what I said to him though. Instead, I folded my arms across my chest and kept staring at me. "Well, I certainly am not out with him.
Chapter 88Lessie's POVThe following morning, I was disturbed from my slumber by a gentle yet persistent knocking on my door, which woke me up from the coziness of my blankets. For a little while, I considered letting it go for whoever it might come back later. But then was the knock once more, louder this time, and I could hear my maid's muffled, unsure voice."My lady, a letter arrived for you."A letter?That was peculiar. Almost no one sent me private letters anymore, not here at least, not with Alpha Duiane watching every square inch of this place with her guards. My heart did a little, unaccountable skip, like it already knew who it might be from.I stood up, my hair over my face, and mumbled, "Enter.""Someone stuffed it into the letter box this morning," she said. "I don't think anyone saw him. He left before I even had the chance to greet him."I opened my hand, took the envelope from her, and tried to be polite."Thank you," I said to her.She hovered there for an instant,
Chapter 87Lessie's POVThe garden.That was the first thing my mind could think of the moment I recalled Alpha Duiane's words.He'd placed her in his favorite garden.The same garden that I had been instructed to avoid, the garden I had always believed was simply. private. Holy, maybe. Now I understood why. It wasn't holy to him, it was holy because it held the body and memories of someone who had meant everything to him.My heart tightened.Does that mean he still loves her or care about her in death?I think, he still did. She passed away because of him. It would be selfish for him not to keep that love, even in remembrance, for the rest of his lifetime. But if that love is still within him, at least partially, does that make the love that he has for me inferior to what he felt for her? I said to myself.I kept twisting my fingers which I placed on the table, my food still left uneaten. I saw him watching me, as if he was trying to read every single thought that was happening in
Chapter 86Duiane's POVSomething I've learned about Lessie after our short time together is that she is stubborn and peaceful at once, a deadly mixture when you're trying to hide something from someone. She doesn't just stop asking for answers. She just sits quietly, staring at you with those impenetrable eyes of hers that seem to strip away each of the facades you must have been building to protect yourself.And she was looking at me just like that at the moment. I knew exactly what was going on in her mind.She wanted to know something about Anna.I might have gone on lying, might have said again that it was not something she needed to be informed of, but that would not discourage her. Lessie was not the type to leave a question hanging after having asked it. I could already picture her tagging behind me for days, slipping in the same question in variations of tones, trying to piece together pieces until she'd heard every detail.It wasn't that I didn't wish to share it with her.