As Bastian readied a bath for me, the air filled with pleasantly scented oils. He smiled and hummed to himself as he tested the water temperature, then turned to me. “It’s all good now.”
“Great,” I said.
I slipped out of my robe, no longer feeling ashamed around Bastian. I glanced over my shoulder at the other gryphon in the room. Noro wasn’t looking at me. For some reason, he seemed to be pretending I didn’t exist. I narrowed my eyes and tried to wash away the feeling of irritation that bubbled up inside me. He’d been acting strange since we returned from Blaze’s bedroom.
My lip quirked upwards as I thought about Blaze.
Then I paused. Why was I smiling? Blaze was my enemy. Or at least, he was supposed to be. He wasn’t acting particularly villainous, but I shouldn’t let my guard down.
That was what my logic told me. In reality, I found myself warming up to him a little. He was a big, strong gryphon with all the power, but he hadn’t harmed he. Maybe I should’ve put a little more trust in him.
I dipped into the bathtub, which was almost the size of a small pool. The water’s surface shimmered, white and pink swirling together as the oils and dyes intertwined. The warmth relaxed me and I laid back against the ceramic with a sigh.
“How is it?” Bastian asked.
“Perfect,” I said. “Thank you.”
Bastian beamed. “Great! I’m glad to hear it. Did you know bathing a few hours before going to bed actually helps you sleep?”
“No, I didn’t. I’ve never been a big bath-taker.” I ran my hands along the smooth sides of the tub. “But then again, I’ve never had a bathtub this nice before. Or someone else to actually prepare the bath for me.”
“Well, I’ll keep it up as long as you’re here,” Bastian promised. “It’s essential for you to get a proper night's rest for the baby’s growth, after all.”
I nodded in agreement. Bastian understood me more than I realized. He seemed genuinely concerned with my baby, which I appreciated.
Because if I’m worshipped here, then that means my child will be, too.
The thought put me at ease. My eyes slid shut as I let my thoughts melt away. I realized my mind didn’thaveto be running at a hundred miles an hour all the time. In fact, all the stress probably wasn’t healthy. It was important to decompress and relax…
“I’m going out for a bit,” Noro said suddenly, loud enough for us to hear on the other end of the room.
He stormed out without another word. Bastian and I exchanged glances.
“What was that about?” he asked mildly.
I shrugged and closed my eyes again. “I don’t know.”
Was he jealous of the time I’d spent with Blaze? But that was ridiculous. We hadn’t done anything together except talk. And now Noro was childishly running off instead of talking to me about it? Irritation flared up in me for a moment before I remembered I was supposed to be relaxing. I let out a long sigh and pushed thoughts of Noro out of my mind.
Noro and… the other ones.
The three wolves.
What were their names again?
Bastian sighed wistfully. He sat by the tub’s edge preparing the clean towels for when I’d finished.
“You are so lucky, Matheson,” he murmured.
I was lucky. But I asked to clarify, “How so?”
He gave me a smile that was a bit pained. “Maybe it’s silly of me, but all of my life I’ve always wanted to be a parent. An omega. I wanted to bear and raise children…” He looked down as his smile faded. “But there’s nothing I can do about it, can I?”
“You never know,” I said. “I mean, I went through my life thinking I was a beta. Until one day I just… wasn’t anymore.”
“Really?” He inched closer, burning with curiosity. “What happened?”
“It started with my heat--except I had no idea what it was, or what was happening to me.” I laughed. “Honestly, I probably thought I was dying at the time.”
