Chapter 5

The dining room was huge with a table that could fit twenty people. Only four chairs were set. Ivy sat down where a woman told her to across from a chair with a name card that said DAMON in small letters. Elena was next to her wearing a sweater and staring at her coffee.

Kade was not there yet. Ivy tried not to notice how empty the room felt without him. She could not help it.

Elena asked her "Did you sleep well?" Her voice was flat like she did not really care.

Ivy said, "I slept fine " even though it was not true. They both knew it was not true. Neither of them said anything about it.

Elena said, "You will get used to the house. It is big at first. Everyone says that." She looked at Ivy taking in her hair, sweater and the coffee stain on her sleeve. "Kade had this part of the house fixed up for you. He even picked out the bed sheets himself I heard."

Ivy said, "I did not know that."

Elena said, "No you would not have."

Then a man came in. He was younger than Kade, with a scar above his eyebrow and a tray of coffee. He set it down. Said, "You are the one everyone is talking about. My name is Rhys. I am in charge of security around here."

Ivy said, "I am Ivy."

Rhys said, "I know. Everyone in the house knows." He. Sat down next to her. "Do not let Elena scare you. She does that to everyone."

Elena said, "I only do that to people who deserve it " and went back to her coffee.

Ivy thought she liked Rhys. Then she decided not to trust him too much not yet.

Rhys said, "So how was night?" He leaned in like he was sharing a secret.

Ivy said, "It was strange."

Rhys said, " good or strange bad?"

Ivy said, "I do not know yet."

Rhys looked at her like he was trying to figure her out. Ivy felt like he was pretending to be casual. Really he was trying to get information out of her.

He said, "People are talking. About how it happened. The first time and already—"

Elena cut him off her voice sharp. "Rhys, not at the table."

He held up his hands. Smiled. "I was just making conversation."

Elena said, "Talk about the weather."

Ivy looked at them feeling like there was tension in the air. She filed the moment away like she did with all the things she did not understand about this house.

Kade found her in the library an hour later. She was staring at a book. Not really reading it.

He said, "You skipped the rest of breakfast."

Ivy said, "Elena and Rhys had a moment. I thought it was a time to leave."

Kades eyes tightened. "What kind of moment?"

Ivy said, "Rhys said people were talking. About how it took. Then Elena shut him up before he could finish."

Kade was quiet for a time. Ivys stomach started to feel sick

He said, "There is a test. It checks if you are compatible with the ritual. Sometimes it shows something."

Ivy said, "You told me that already. You did not finish explaining it."

Kade said, "It is called a mate flag. It does not happen often. Most alphas never get one in their lives."

Ivys mouth felt dry. ". Mine did."

Kade said, "Yes."

Ivy said, "When did you find out?"

Kade did not answer away. Ivy could tell that he was hiding something.

He said, "The day I met you. At the clinic. Before we spoke."

Ivy felt a feeling in her chest. "You knew before I signed anything. Before any of this happened."

Kade said, "Yes."

Ivy said, "You let me sign a contract to be a surrogate of telling me the truth."

Kade said, "The contract was real. The money is real. I needed you to choose this because you needed the money not because I told you some story about fate that you could not verify."

Ivy said, "That was not your decision to make."

Kade said, "I know. I made it anyway. I will live with it if it was wrong."

Ivy stood up feeling like she needed to move. "Does the mate flag change anything? Does it mean the ritual works differently?"

Kade said, "It means it took faster than it should have. Usually one time is enough for a flagged pair.. For someone who is not flagged it might take more times."

Ivy said, "So I am probably pregnant."

Kade said, "We will not know for sure for another week or two.. Probably."

Ivy looked at him feeling many things at once.

She said, "I need some air " and left before he could say anything

She found the gardens of air. They were behind the wing with roses that should not have been blooming that late in the year and a bench that looked like nobody used it.

She was not alone for long.

A man came to the archway leaning against it with ease. He had hair like Kades but sharper features and a smile that seemed too fast.

He said, "You look like you have had a morning. I am Damon, Kades cousin. I would have introduced myself at breakfast. I hear I missed the excitement."

Ivy said, "Word travels fast in this house."

Damon said, "It is a group with not much to do." He walked over to the bench. Sat down next to her. "I bet Kade has been very polite to you. He is good at being polite. Not always good at being honest."

Ivy said, "You are his cousin."

Damon said, "For now ". Smiled again. Ivy felt like there was something under his smile that she could not name something that seemed dangerous but also charming.

He said, "I hope you are settling in. I really do. Whatever happens between now and the solstice I would hate for you to feel like a pawn, in it."

Ivy said, "Am I a pawn?"

Damon said that depends on what Kade decides to tell you. He stood up. Brushed his sleeve like he was getting rid of dust that was not even there. I would keep asking Kade questions if I were you. Kade is better at answering questions than he seems to be.

He walked away the way he came very calmly and Ivy was left alone in the garden. The garden had roses that should not have been blooming at that time. Her cousin Kade had not said anything that sounded scary. Somehow Ivy felt more nervous, than when she found out about the werewolf.