For a while, I eat without engaging. It’s not that I’m meaning to be rude but there are a lot of personalities in this room, and I guess I just want to gauge how they all interact with one another.Rosalie and her mates seem to be having some private conversation through their mind-link. All three them have blurred eyes and are continuously looking at each other.Orion is talking to Connor, and from what I can gather he’s giving him some sort of advice on his training.Dante, Clay, and Finley are half arguing, half joking about which of their Lycans is the faster in a head to head competition.“You know I’d kick all your arses.” Khloe says.They all laugh loudly.“Yeah, right.” Clay says.“Wanna make a bet?” Khloe replies.“Nah ‘cause you’d only sulk when you lost.” Finley states and the three of them laugh again.“My siblings and I used to race each other all the time.” Lia says. “Of course, Luca was the fastest but he’d let me win every now again.”I snort before I can stop myself.
He’s staring at me. He hasn’t taken his damned eyes off me from the moment I walked into the room.Khloe picked my dress out, it’s tight but breathable. I felt ridiculous but now, seeing the effect I have, I’ll admit I feel beautiful. I feel attractive, worthy even. It skims down over my breasts, giving enough hint of my cleavage to be sexy without being inappropriate and the colour, the dark red, well it makes my skin glow, like I’ve spent days sunning myself on a beach and not crying every night away in heartbreak.Ryker murmurs something in my ear. I don’t hear it though, I’m too busy doing everything not to look at Adriel because I know if I do, I’ll crumble. So instead, I smile at his brother, smile at his sister too.Cain gives me a warm welcome as does his other parents.And then we sit. Ryker was good enough to ensure there was a place setting for me ahead of time so there’s no awkwardness, and Khloe made sure that that we could sit next to each other, that under no circumstan
It’s been a long week. One made worse by the Council’s insistence we sort out a new treaty with the humans following all the border attacks. They haven’t mentioned anything since Cassandra’s visit and I wonder how much she’s divulged, how much she’s keeping to herself, perhaps to use later, when the moment counts.In truth, it’s been a week of avoidance. I’ve made sure I’ve been too busy to see Lia, to spend any real time with her. And I’ve been staying as far from Maricela as I can - though I can smell every corridor she’s been down, smell every room she’s entered. It’s like my sense are honed in on it.And when I catch glimpses of her, it’s like my Lycan goes mad and it’s all I can do to simply stand there are watch her disappear, while she’s completely oblivious.The only good thing is Khloe seems to be doing exactly what I hoped. She’s made friends with her, she’s helping her, supporting her the way I should be as her Mate.I feel a stab, a flash of something twist at that thought
We eat dinner, me, Ryker and Khloe, in the main hall. I can feel all those eyes on me. I can feel my body twitching as if I’m expecting an attack, but nothing happens.No one does anything.No one says anything.“Tomorrow, I want us to start training.” Ryker says.“What?” I gasp.“Nothing too taxing. I just want to build your strength up.”I bite my lip. I know he’s trying to help but I don’t like the sound of this at all.“And you have to attend the family meal this Saturday.” Khloe says.I swear I almost get whiplash as I turn my head so fast to look at her. “What family meal?”“Every week we all get together as just us, the whole family.” Khloe states.“So why am I attending?”She smirks. “Isn’t it obvious? Lia is currently lauding it up like a queen.”I shake my head. “I’m not doing that. I’m not going to sit there…”“Like you belong?” Ryker says cutting in.I let out a deep sigh. “If he wants me there then he has to ask himself.” I state.They both pull a face. “That won’t happen
I gulp, looking quickly away, staring at the screen. Only, my whole focus is still on him. He looks so much like Adriel. Like all his children. Though physically you can see that they’re all Lycans while he is a Wolf.I can hear my breathing’s picked up. I can feel my adrenaline pumping like any minute he’s going to declare himself for Lia and toss me out.“Popcorn?” Cain says, offering me the bowl like I’m not being so weird right now.I nod, reaching over, grabbing a handful and stuff it into my mouth, trying to act normal.“Stop hogging it all.” Connor says, getting up and stealing the bowl back from his father.“See how they treat me?” Cain says with a smirk. “I’m not as scary as I look.”I want to say that he’s not scary but that’s a lie. His children might be bigger than him, but he still dwarfs me. They all do.He lets out a soft chuckle. “I hope you’re more feisty with Ad.”“Oh, she is.” Ryker says. “She makes sure he doesn’t walk all over him.”I shoot Ryker a look and Cain l
The next day she’s there, waking me up with breakfast ready and waiting. I rub my eyes half thinking I’m imagining this as I stand at the door and take it all in.“We could have just met downstairs.” I say opening it widen enough to let her and her entourage in.She smirks. “Yeah, but that’s no way to start a pamper session.”“A what?”The two Wolves who follow behind put the trays of food and the bags down before leaving us to it.She opens one of bags and empties it out onto the floor. It’s full of nail varnish, cosmetics, so many lotions I can’t even count. “Today we’re going to hang here in the Residence, we’re going to watch movies, paint our nails, do face masks. And I’m going to sort your hair.”“What’s wrong with my hair?” I ask.“It’s all stringy and dead ends.” Ryker replies walking in.I raise an eyebrow at him but I still feel insulted. “Are you team ‘Insult Maricela’ as well?”He lets out a laugh. “Nah, but if you two are having a pamper day then I’m all in.”“Aren’t you