Chapter 63 Dinner with a stranger
1009 Words
"watch where you are going" Briel muttered in a low tone without looking at the victim of his casualty.
Elara scoffed as she rubbed her head, distancing herself from him because she doesn't know what might hit her next.
Ben, as the old man was called, opened the door and stood aside for her to come in. Elara's mouth dropped in utter surprise. The apartment doesn't look like it from outside.
From the outside the apartment had looked narrowed and tired, paint peeling at the edges. Windows dark and uninviting. But inside, the air was different. Warm light pooled across the wood floor, the cramped hallway opened into a space that felt smaller than expected but somehow longer than it should have.
A low sofa sat against the wall with a blanket tossed over it like it had been left mid-conversation. Books leaned against each other on a shelf too small to hold them all.
The kitchen nook smells faintly of coffee and something sweet left on the stove. It wasn't grand and it wasn't what she had imagined from the street.
It was quieter, softer and in a way she hasn't been ready for, it felt like it had been waiting.
"Don't let your imagination run wilder than it should. We are letting you stay for the night. Tomorrow morning you find your way out before I'm forced to throw you out" Briel said, standing in her line of vision with his hands folded before him.
Elara hated the condescending tone he was using, she didn't put herself in this position. Yeah, you did. Her wolf responded.
"I'm not getting my hopes high so you have nothing to worry about" Elara responded, removing herself from the spot before he would find another word that would make her choke on dinner.
"I hope this is warm enough for you, we don't have much going on here. Just me and my grandson" Ben explained as he showed her around the big living room.
It was nothing compared to her life in Fir, but also something she was grateful to have at the moment.
Grandson hun? That explains his arrogance!
"No, no, no. It is totally fine by me, better than the cold street" Elara rushed to say with her hands lapsed together in gratitude.
"Are you saying that this is only better than the street because of the warmth it has to offer? Is that it?" Briel asked, his brow creased together in annoyance.
"That's not what I meant. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it" Elara answered with the same energy before directing her appreciation to Ben.
"I mean, you can lodge at the pack's hotel which is neat and well heated by the way. We don't have to harbor strangers in our house. Don't you have family or somebody you came to meet? Which of the packs are you from?" Briel asked, his voice dripping unchecked anger.
"Don't mind him, you owe him no explanation. If he is not pleased to welcome a stranger he can as well move out of the house. It is not too late, or better still you sleep in the shop" Ben answered before Elara could form words in her mouth. She was relieved that she didn't have to answer.
"Oh really, I should move out because of a stranger who could be a spy or even worse a serial killer. She might be one of our pack enemies for goodness sake. You don't just do anything you want without informing the keeper" Briel continued, his jaw clenched as he stared at Elara who was fidgeting with the helmet of her sweater.
Wondering if this might rule out in her favor. Briel was a weapon fashioned against her and she knew it.
"I'm from Fir, it would make you feel comfortable with having me here" Elara blotted out before Ben could talk sense into her grandson.
The silence that settled over after Elara's announcement was choking. It made Ben's brow raised in question as if he had heard wrong. Briel had this 'I knew she was up to no good' look.
"You heard her yourself. What are we still waiting for? She needs to be long gone before any of the alpha's men come looking for us. She would put us in trouble and we both know better than to accommodate someone from Zir" Briel said, sitting on the edge of the couch staring at Ben without blinking.
Elara was confused as to why Briel was against her. Why does he prefers the idea of her being on the street than sleeping on the couch?
"You don't have to worry about anything, I will take care of it" Ben assured her, taking off his apron and moving towards the kitchen for a bottle of water.
Elara saw the worry on his face before turning away. Torn between his loyalty for his pack and helping her.
"You have a hundred and one to worry about because we are all going to die because of you and that would be selfishness. Fir and Zir are sworn enemies. I wondered how you managed to enter into our territory without being caught in the first place" Briel hissed, walking away towards the end of the hall.
Tears blurred Elara's vision. Help has eluded her. The warmth she felt earlier was replaced by an intense cold that made her shudder in fear.
One minute, things seemed to be working out and the next she was back to square one. She stood in the middle of the room, staring at her box as if it would provide her with a solution she wasn't aware of.
She needed to leave for the sake of the old man. He has been nothing but good to her today. He had shown her what it meant to be compassionate without forcing it.
With his back turned to him, Elara picked up her bag slowly and turned towards the entrance where uncertainties lay. What would become of her fate if she steps outside.
- Writer
