“What now?” Gisela asks after she hangs up.
“I am not sure. I think I will stay outside for a bit.”
“Fine with me,” she says. “I am glad for a break.”
She types something on her phone while she sits down as well, silence engulfing us. It’s only broken by the dimmed sound of voices that reach us here and there, and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore of the lake.
A door opens, and some giggling and laughing emerges. It sounds like a group of girls who probably want to catch some fresh air as well. They stay in front of the entrance, though fortunately, I am not sure if I would be up for small talk.
I don’t intend to listen in, ready to switch my mind off them and focus on something else, when I hear something that instantly piques my interest.
“…Felix Alcott.”
One of them mentions my name.
Another girl giggles. “I was hoping he would be here.”
“Yeah, I am so happy he is here. He is hot!” a third one adds. The two of them engage in some gossiping.
“Yep, probably one of the hottest of all his brothers. And he came without his twin.”
“That makes it easier to approach him. Dario is always on alert.”
“Dario isn’t really approachable,” the first girl suddenly adds.
“He is so handsome, but a bit gloomy and not really strong.”
I frown in annoyance. Why do they need to drag Dario into this shit? Besides, he is strong! He might not be as strong as the rest of our family, but he is certainly stronger than a lot of other shifters. And he isn’t gloomy! He is just introverted.
“But he is mysterious,” one of them adds. “That’s cool.”
“True.”
My heartbeat calms down. Okay, mysterious and cool are good traits.
“He is the smart twin,” girl number four suddenly gets involved. “Felix is hot.”
“But Alpha Liam is hotter,” girl number two says.
“Well, Alpha Liam is one of a kind.” That’s the first one again. “He is not just handsome; he is the full package.”
“True. I want Felix to fuck me,” the third one agrees. “Felix is fucking material, Alpha Liam is marriage material.”
“Why?” the second girl asks with a giggle.
“He is not really dating material, you know? He lacks some brain cells and overall seems superficial.”
My ears start to ring. I can’t even tell the voices apart anymore, not sure who is saying what, but it doesn’t really matter.
One of them giggles. “He just isn’t deep.”
He just isn’t deep.
Gisela startles me by grabbing my arm and pulling me away, with so much force that I am surprised. She looks pissed. Once we are far enough away not to hear them anymore, she lets go. “Fuck them. I am going back now to rip them a new one!” she hisses.
I hold her back before she can dash off. “No, they were just gossiping,” I say. “They didn’t know anyone was listening in. Besides, they didn’t say anything truly bad… calling my siblings hot isn’t a crime, neither is having fantasies about them.”
“Felix,” Gisela says with insistence. “What they said is not true. You know that, don’t you?”
