SEVEN
1332 Words
LIRA
“You know my brother really likes you,” Sage said with a grin as she stuffed a crumpet into her mouth.
I glanced up at her across the breakfast table. She’d been assigned to watch me while Kael handled some errands he mentioned earlier. Apparently, my remark about being alone had made him rethink leaving me by myself.
He hadn’t told me where he was going, and I hadn’t asked. I didn’t think it was my business.
“You’re prettier than the last girl,” Sage murmured, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Last girl?” I nearly choked on my juice.
“You’re his contracted mate, right?”
I nodded.
“Did you really think you were the first?”
That hadn’t crossed my mind. I was more worried about what Kael planned to do. So far, he’d only held me close while we slept—no sneaky touches, no demands that I sleep naked. Nothing. And that made the waiting harder. He didn’t strike me as a patient man.
“Hopefully, you’ll stick around,” she added, grabbing another crumpet.
“I’ll stick around?” The casual tone confused me. I was used to orders and threats, not this kind of talk.
“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but you need to be ready.” She took a deep breath. “My brother’s been searching for his mate a long time. He’s twenty-eight and still doesn’t have an heir. The other women? They don’t last more than a few weeks. Some run away. Some get killed.” She shrugged, as if it was just normal.
“Because they don’t give him an heir?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Because he loses interest.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I whispered, wishing I didn’t have to know if it meant getting hurt.
“There’s something about you. He looks at you differently. I saw it at the hospital.”
That didn’t make me feel any better. People always looked at me differently because of my strange scent.
“Your biggest worry should be if he finds his true mate.” She muttered.
Beta Riven was supposed to be my true mate—but he rejected me as soon as I turned eighteen. He’d barged into the basement one night, screaming his rejection, and beat me until I accepted it.
“You have a mate, right? I can tell from your eyes just now.”
“Had,” I whispered. “He rejected me. I remember the pain—not just from the beating, but like my heart was being torn out. Since I felt the bond, my brother bound me again. That’s when my healing stopped.”
“I know how that feels. Mine rejected me too.” She sighed. “Once he found out my pack and who my brother is, he wanted nothing to do with me. But like I said, my brother seems to like you more than any of the others.”
Was that supposed to be comforting? That I might last longer just because he liked me? Like some prize to keep?
Sage took me to the hospital where she worked. Kael had told her not to let me out of her sight except for bathroom breaks. Maybe he thought I’d run like the others. Like I had the strength.
In the hospital library, nobody ever came in. Sage spent most of her time doing inventory. It felt pointless to have a pack hospital when everyone could heal on their own.
“Hey,” she smiled, walking over. “I’m here for a while, so I brought some trashy magazines for you to read.”
She dumped them on the table, and I just stared. I didn’t recognize anyone in the pictures or understand the articles.
“Not your thing?” she asked.
I shook my head, not wanting to reveal another secret.
She studied me closely, her eyes narrowing. “You can’t read, can you?”
How did she know? My cheeks burned.
“No,” I admitted. What twenty-two-year-old couldn’t read or write?
“Does my brother know?”
“No.”
“Well, at least now I have something to do besides counting,” she smiled and sat down beside me.
Hours passed, and I still struggled. But she was patient and kept helping. Suddenly, she gathered the papers, shoved them into a drawer.
“My brother’s back.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s a pack thing.”
Seconds later, the doors swung open. Kael strode in, furious. His crimson eyes were darker than usual, his brow furrowed. All his focus was on me.
“I need a word with my mate!” he snapped at Sage.
“Sure,” she muttered and quickly left, leaving me alone with him.
Once Sage was out of sight, he turned to me. I looked down as his deep voice echoed. “Where has Corin gone?”
“Huh?”
“Do I have to say it again?”
I opened my mouth to say I didn’t understand, but he cut me off.
“There was no one there, Lira. No one.” His gaze burned into me.
That didn’t make any sense. How could there be no one?
“The house is empty. The packhouse—there’s no one there. Where have they gone, Lira?” he demanded.
I shook my head, confused. “You… you went to find my brother?” I whispered, unable to meet his eyes.
“Was this all a lie?” He gestured sharply toward me. “A setup so you could dig up dirt on me?” His anger was fierce. “What does Corin want?”
I closed my eyes as I always did—it was easier that way, to avoid seeing the beating coming.
“Lira!” His fingers gripped my chin tightly. “I told you, you’d never have to fear me. But that was before I thought I was helping you. Open your damn eyes and look at me!” Tears slipped out from beneath my closed lids. Sage had been right—this was the end for me.
When I opened my eyes, his crimson gaze held me fast. Slowly, the hardness in his face softened. “You don’t understand what I’m saying, do you?”
“No.” I murmured.
He released my chin. “The pack is gone!”
“Abandoned?” I whispered.
“No, nothing’s missing. Everything’s still here, but there wasn’t a single wolf around. It was like they vanished into thin air—and trust me, we searched everywhere. You said they don’t do pack runs, but they’re clearly doing something.”
“I don’t know.” I swallowed hard. “I’ve never left the pack until yesterday. I… I haven’t gone further than the gardens.” I frowned. “But sometimes, the house would be empty. If I wasn’t locked away, I’d sneak bits of food.”
“How often?” he pressed.
“Every few months, I think.”
If it weren’t for those times the house was empty and I could steal food, I probably would have starved years ago.
“No one talks about it?”
I shook my head.
“Are you sure, Lira?”
“They might, just not when I’m around.”
Suddenly, he reached out a hand. “Come. We’re going home.”
His large hand closed around mine, lifting me from the chair and pulling me close against his chest. His arms wrapped tight, squeezing the air from my lungs.
“You better not be lying to me, Lira. I don’t tolerate lies.”
“I promise,” I whispered, fighting to ignore the pain in my wound. Instead of looking away, I found myself staring into him. Even without my wolf, I could feel his power—it was intoxicating and overwhelming.
- Writer
