CHAPTER 8: Borrowed clothes
1313 Words
VIPER
Days blur together, but one thought never leaves my mind: the moment I agreed to marry him—Alpha Tyler Blackwood. A man who sees me as nothing more than a child-bearing machine. I’m signing my life away on a bloody contract all for this sick plan.
But the taste of revenge at the end? Delicious.
I’m up early, slowly adjusting to the unfamiliar rhythm of the Silverblood Pack. Every morning, Diana comes to fetch me as soon as breakfast is ready, but today, she’s taking longer than usual.
My hair is pulled into a messy bun, and I’m clad in a shirt and baggy trousers that aren’t my size. f**k the fact that most of the clothes here don’t fit me—I was only lucky enough to find one or two pieces that even kind of worked. Even the footwear slips off my feet every time I walk.
Perks of being petite.
“Miss Aurelia?” Diana’s soft voice cuts through my thoughts. “Breakfast is ready… but the Alpha won’t be joining.”
I frown, stepping outside my room. “Why not?” I ask calmly. “He skipped breakfast yesterday, and the day before. And now today?”
Diana hesitates.
“Is he avoiding me?” I press.
Her face pales. “Of course not… I’m sure he’s just busy with pack du—”
“Oh, spare me that pack-duty nonsense,” I roll my eyes. “If we’re getting married soon, he needs to get used to having me around. How is that supposed to work if he disappears half the day?”
‘But isn’t that what you wanted?’ Kiera’s voice whispers in my head. ‘You don’t want our mate near you. Why do you suddenly care?’
Because Hades called last night.
Because he asked if there’s been any progress.
Because he mentioned a banquet I know nothing about… and a treaty to be signed.
And I won’t get any of that information for Hades if Tyler keeps avoiding me. I tap Diana’s shoulder, smiling. “Diana, I’m sure you know how love works.”
She flushes. “What? No—I—”
“It’s okay,” I say lightly. “You don’t have to tell me about your special someone, but you should understand I can’t eat if I don’t see Tyler. His absence is like a painful stab to my chest.”
“But… he’s busy,” she stammers.
“And I’m his mate,” I reply smoothly. “I have every right to see him whenever I want. So tell me… where is Alpha Tyler?”
Minutes later, after Diana spills the truth, I march into Tyler’s study without knocking. My oversized shoes betray me, and I stumble forward, but a strong hand catches me.
My breath hitches.
Alpha Tyler smells like fresh soap and heat, like he just stepped out of the shower. His arm is firm around my waist, holding me like I might shatter.
“What are you doing here, Aurelia?” he asks me, eyes sharp. “You should be down eating breakfast.”
I school my expression, bringing back the assassin to the surface. “And endure your absence? Hell no.”
He frowns. “Where did that come from?”
I tug at the sagging trousers. “I came to invite you to breakfast, since you’ve decided buried yourself in work all day.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You don’t need to be hungry to eat breakfast,” I tease.
His frown deepens. “No one’s here, Aurelia. You don’t need to pretend you care about me.”
“Ouch.” I feign hurt. “But I do care.”
“You don’t.”
“I know we started badly,” I murmur softly. “But we can start over.”
He chuckles darkly. “Says the woman who nearly killed me that night.”
I’m speechless. He still holds that memory against me?
For the sake of my plan, my dead parents, Hades and Jake, I push forward. I stand on my toes and cup his cheek, hoping this action is romantic enough to make his stone heart flutter. “How long do I have to apologize for you to know I’m truly sorry?”
He recoils, shoving me away like I’m poisonous. “You don’t have to force yourself on me to prove a point.”
He walks to his desk, but his gaze never leaves me. “I know you’re here because you want something. So tell me, what do you want?”
I scoff. “Nothing really. I mean we’re getting married soon, I just want to get to know you better.”
“I like your effort.”
“Of course,” I say, forcing a smile. “We’re mates, after all.”
His eyes drift over my oversized shirt, the sagging trousers, the large shoes sliding off my feet, and I curl my toes as heat creeps up my cheeks.
“Go have breakfast. We leave in half an hour,” he says, cold but commanding.
“Leave? To where?” I ask, confused.
“Shopping,” he says dryly. “Your sagging pants are an eyesore.”
~~~
Fuming, I stalk out of his study. Should I be excited, like over-the-moon-excited because he decided to take me shopping? Huh, I have enough money to shop for an entire lifetime.
I’m just on a low profi—oww!
“Hi, sister-in-law!”
That cheerful voice. It belongs to none other than Xander. I rub my forehead, scowling when he doesn’t even apologize for bumping into me. “Watch where you’re going.”
He grins. “Apologies, but if I may ask, where on earth are you going dressed in that?”
My cheeks start to heat up again. “Do I really look that bad?”
Xander nods slowly, and I badly want to bury myself. He saw me like this. Tyler f*****g saw me in this ridiculous outfit.
Since when do I even care about my appearance in the presence of someone I care less about?
“No biggie,” I say with a small smile. “Alpha Tyler is taking me shopping, I won’t bug this pack house with my eyesore outfit anymore.”
Xander chuckles. “I think I have some clothes that’ll fit you perfectly.”
I frown, eying his long legs and broad chest, and he just shrugs.
“I kind of outgrew them.”
Time blurs and I’m standing in front of Xander’s mirror in a blue tee and some black jeans. Still quite big, but it’s cute, gives off the my-boyfriend’s-outfit vibe. I thank Xander, then hurry downstairs to eat breakfast.
I still have a mouth full of food in my mouth when Alpha Tyler walks down the stairs, facial expression so cold, I think he looks deadlier than Hades.
He sizes me up, like he wants to shred my clothes into pieces. He then c***s a brow. “And where did you get that from?”
“Oh,” I smile, swallowing down the food in my mouth. “They’re Xander’s.”
Alpha Tyler’s eyes don't leave me. It lingers on the shirt, and the air slowly shifts into something dangerous. I even choke on my meal when Xander happily walks down the stairs.
Alpha Tyler turns to him, his voice so calm it’s frightening. “Oh, so you lend my mate your clothes now?”
Xander turns pale. “I…well..she looked..I mean needed something that fi—”
“Did I ask why?” Tyler cuts in, and I strangely feel guilty for putting Xander in that position.
All hairs stand up on my arm when Alpha Tyler turns back to me, saying a single word that’s more of a warning than an order.
“Change.”
- Writer
