Witch in wolf's clothing - Namaari

Chapter 17: Goodnight

I follow her scent, tracing the path she took through the building. When I reach her dorm, I wait a moment, listening for any signs of trouble. Hearing none, I knock lightly on her door.

"Ari?" I call out softly. "It's Tazzym. Are you alright?" No response. I knock again, more firmly this time, but still nothing. Just as I'm about to call out again, I hear the sound of running water at the end of the hallway.

Following the sound, I find myself in the common shower area. Through the steam, I see Ari under the shower with her back to me. My eyes darken, and a low growl escapes my throat. She turns her head slightly and shrieks, "Alpha Tazzym!" Quickly, she turns off the shower and grabs a towel.

I spin around immediately, muttering, "Sorry, I didn't know you were in here."

Ari, now with a towel wrapped around her, still looking wobbly, walks past me back toward her room. I follow her, my mind racing. As we reach her door, I finally voice my concern. "Do you always shower there? All the other students are men."

Still half-drunk, Ari shrugs and says, "So what? You’ve seen me now too." She stands in her doorway, clearly exhausted. "Goodnight." She tries to shut the door, but I hold it open.

"Hell no," I say firmly. "You’re not staying here another second. From now on, you sleep at the packhouse, even during the week. You can drive to campus every day."

Ari protests, her voice tired and slurred. "I like it here. I’m staying."

I shake my head, determined. "I don’t care. We pay for this room. Well, not anymore. You’re coming with me."

She starts to complain about not wanting to be locked up in that small room again, and my heart stings a bit. Our father had always insisted that any Omega guests, which we almost never have, had to stay in the attic room, saving the guest rooms for higher-ranked visitors. But he’s not here now. I decide she deserves better tonight.

"Father's not here," I mutter to myself. "You’ll stay in the guest room tonight."

"Come on, Ari," I say, trying to coax her. "There’s a nice bed waiting for you."

She continues to refuse, so I finally say, "Alright, if it has to be this way." I lift her over my shoulder. She clutches her towel tightly as I carry her out.

Ari begins to struggle in my grip, her fists pounding against my back as she hurls insults and curses at me. I tighten my hold, trying to keep her steady. "Calm down, Ari," I say gently, though there’s a part of me that finds her feistiness a bit exciting.

When we reach the car, I set her down in the passenger seat and buckle her in. She crosses her arms and pouts like a child, making me chuckle. "You're cute when you're mad," I say softly.

She blushes and looks away, and I move to the driver's seat and start the car. As we pull away, Ari speaks up, her words slurred, "How... how are your brothers supposed to get home if you take the car? And what about my car?"

I shrug nonchalantly. " I'll have someone pick up your car. Zyméo will probably stay with Seraphina, and Kaynim... he’s got plenty of options."

Ari snorts. "And what about your fling? Wouldn't you rather stay with her?"

I smirk. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

She stammers, trying to deny it, and gives me a sharp look. I can't help but feel a bit pleased that she might be jealous.

Ari then mutters, "I'm cold. You didn't even let me put on clothes. Look at me, sitting here in a towel."

I run a hand through my hair, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry, I didn’t think that far."

"Yeah, right," she scoffs.

The rest of the ride is quiet. I glance over and see her starting to doze off, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. When we arrive at the packhouse, I carefully lift her out of the seat, carrying her bridal style to the guest room on the second floor, where my brothers and I have our rooms.

Gently, I lay her down on the bed and pull the covers over her. I tuck a strand of hair behind Ari's ear, trying not to disturb her. Just as I turn to leave, she, half-asleep and with half-lidded eyes, grabs my hand and pulls me back. I hover over her, surprised.

"Tazzym," she whispers, her voice barely audible. "Thank you for taking care of me."

A small smile forms on my lips. "You're welcome, Ari," I start to say, but she suddenly grips the back of my neck and pulls me down, our lips crashing together. Shocked, I freeze for a moment before kissing her back, feeling a warmth spread through me that I’ve never felt before.

When I pull away, her eyes are closed, and there's a small smile on her face. "Goodnight," she murmurs.

I stare at her, a mixture of emotions swirling inside me. "Goodnight," I murmur back softly, adding, "beautiful."

As I stand there, questions flood my mind. What just happened? She's drunk — did she mean to kiss me? Will she remember this? What am I supposed to do now? Can there really be an us?

Hearing the front door open downstairs, I slip out of her room quietly, my lips still tingling from the kiss. I've kissed many girls before, but this kiss felt different, warmer, more real. It leaves me feeling something I can't quite put my finger on.

I head towards the stairs and see my brothers coming up, looking somewhat pissed.

“What the hell, dude?” Zyméo says, glaring at me. “You left us without an explanation in the lounge and then took off with our car, only sending a mind-link saying you were heading home.”

Kaynim chimes in, “Yeah, what’s going on? You’ve been acting strange all night.”

I scratch my head, feeling the weight of their stares. “Sorry, I thought maybe you guys weren’t planning on coming home to sleep.”

Zyméo scoffs, “If there’s anyone who regularly spends nights in other people’s beds, it’s you.”

Kaynim adds, “I was considering it, but when my little brother heads home suddenly, there’s either something wrong or you’re sick.”

I sigh and then quickly recount what happened with Ari. Both of their eyes widen in shock.

“What?!” they exclaim in unison.

“She can’t sleep on campus anymore,” Zyméo insists. “We have to bring her here.”

Kaynim nods vigorously. “I hope you gave that loser a good beating.”

“I took care of it,” I assure them. “Relax.”

“Where is she now?” Zyméo demands.

“In the guest room, asleep,” I reply.

Kaynim nods thoughtfully. “Father doesn’t return until next weekend. She can stay there all week.”

A mischievous glint appears in my eyes. “Since when are you two so worried about Ari?”

Zyméo shrugs, “I like her. She’s proven herself a lot over the past few weeks. And the fact that she can get under Kaynim’s skin just makes her more interesting.”

Zyméo and I laugh, and Kaynim stammers, “I’m just looking out for her because we promised Nikolaj, nothing more. And let me tell you, she’s a handful. Nikolaj will hear all about this next week!”

Kaynim storms off to his room and slams the door. I chuckle, “Uh-huh, sure.”

Zyméo looks at me with a smirk. “And you? What’s the deal with you and Ari? I didn’t know you had a thing for Omegas.”

I quickly respond, “I don’t have a thing for Omegas. I just appreciate beautiful women in general. And you can’t deny Ari is hot, so I enjoy being around her. Can’t blame a guy for that, right?”

Zyméo laughs and gives me a pat on the shoulder. “I’m off to bed. You can explain to Seraphina tomorrow why I didn’t go home with her tonight.”

I sigh, “Awesome.”

As Zyméo heads to his room, I make my way to mine, my mind still buzzing with the events of the night. I think about the fact that Nikolaj is coming next week, probably on Monday, just in time for the vacation to start. I'm looking forward to seeing my good friend again. But I can't help but wonder about his relationship with Ari. How well does he know her? Will she say anything to him about how we treated her initially? Would Nikolaj care? Or is she treated even worse in her own pack?

Here, at least, she gets everything she needs... Could she need me? With those thoughts swirling in my mind, I eventually drift off to sleep.

The next morning, I wake up early. I've already trained and eaten, but I feel a bit nervous about how Ari will react to what happened last night. It's already 9 AM, and she still hasn't come downstairs. Zyméo is sitting on the couch with Kaynim, who just got back from training as well, and they're playing a video game.

"Maybe she has a hangover from last night," I say to my brothers. "I'll bring her a painkiller and a glass of water."

Kaynim looks up from the game and says, "You know we have a high tolerance for alcohol. She'd have to drink the whole bar to get a hangover. Unless she's not used to drinking, but which student..."

Zyméo laughs and says, "Stop it, Kaynim. Let him bring her the water and painkiller, it won't hurt. Just focus on the game, because you're losing."

"That's not true," Kaynim retorts.

Leaving my bickering brothers behind, I head to the room where Ari is probably still sleeping, carrying a glass of water and a painkiller. I knock softly and ask if she's awake, if I can come in. I hear a faint, "Come in."

When I step inside, I see Ari still in bed, one arm draped over her eyes, the covers pulled up to her neck. The curtains are still fully closed. I place the glass and painkiller on her nightstand and ask how she's feeling.

"I feel so bad," she says.

I chuckle and say, "You did drink a lot."

"I don't know if it's that, but I feel really awful. I'm staying in bed all day," she replies.

Hesitantly, I ask, "Do you remember anything from last night?"

"I don't know," she says nonchalantly, "some guy was bothering me, I gave him a few punches, and you brought me home and tucked me in."

"And..." I start, hoping she remembers more.

She removes her arm and says casually, "And now I have a terrible headache. But thanks for putting me to bed. Just a tip, let the person put on clothes next time. A damp towel isn't very comfortable."

Feeling disappointed that she doesn't remember the kiss, I say, "I'll let you rest."

She puts her hand back over her eyes and says, "Yeah, thanks. Now you can go back to your flings."

Her comment stings, and without another word, I leave the room.