The sound of footsteps on the stairs makes us both tense. Slow. Deliberate. Valek descending like a hunting cat.
Thane catches my eye. Shakes his head slightly.Stay calm. Don't react.
I force my body still. Hands at my sides. Breathing controlled. But every muscle coils tight. Ready.
Valek appears in the doorway. Still wearing that thin smile. Silver eyes sweep the room. Taking in the new furniture. The fresh paint smell. The spackle on the walls. The careful arrangement of throw pillows.
"Couldn't sleep," he says. Voice casual. Too casual. "Thought I might make some tea."
He moves toward the kitchen. We watch him go. Thane's jaw tightens.
H-E... K-N-O-W-S.
Thane nods. Signs back without looking at me.
P-R-O-B-A-B-L-Y.
W-H-A-T... D-O... W-E... D-O?I ask him.
W-A-I-T.
I hate waiting. Hate sitting here while another alpha prowls through our territory. Hate pretending everything is normal when my scent match is gone and my pack is scattered.
The sound of cabinet doors opening and closing drifts from the kitchen. Valek searching. Exploring. Learning the layout of our home.
Our sanctuary.
H-E... I-S... H-U-N-T-I-N-G,I sign to Thane.
I... K-N-O-W.Thane's signs are sharp. Angry. He feels it too. The wrongness. The threat.
More sounds from the kitchen. Water running. Kettle on the stove. Normal domestic noises that feel anything but normal.
Does Valek even drink tea?
He doesn't seem like he would.
Although Plague does. Same wavelength, those two. Prowling, stalking alphas that move like shadows, whose smiles never reach their eyes.
I check my phone again. No new messages. Ivy is probably eating. Laughing at Whiskey's jokes. Watching Plague pretend he doesn't care about anything.
They're taking care of her.
But they're not me.
The thought makes my chest ache. Hollow. Empty. Like someone carved out my ribs and left nothing but space where my heart should be. But I'm happy she's bonding with them. Hopeful she's considering what life might be like if she stays with her scent matches. Annoyed with myself for being selfish.
Because I'm one of them.
Of course I want her to choose the pack.
Of course I want her to choose me.
I know logically she wouldn't stay with us because she feels she has to. She fought off an alpha—the alpha making fucking tea in our fucking kitchen—with a fire extinguisher. Lived in maintenance tunnels for two months. Burned off a mating mark to escape.
She wouldn't choose us if she didn't want to.
She doesn't do anything she doesn't want.
