“She’s good,” I say, not wanting to tell them she’s awake. I already had to share her attention with Layla, but I’d disappear if they all came to see her, too.
Those thoughts don’t matter because Luxe, Flora, and my Alpha, Jackson, stalk towards Willow’s room while I trail behind them.
“Eddie, don’t be overbearing. Girls don’t like that,” Ryder, one of the eldest of my Packmates says with a damning smile on his face.
“How the fuck would you know?” I say before entering Willow’s overcrowded room. I can hear the rest of my Pack’s laughter as I shut the bedroom door.
I sit, once again, in that uncomfortable-ass folding chair by Willow’s bed. Once again, I rest my hand on her leg. She doesn’t notice my hand, her attention being thrown to the Alphas who’ve stepped into the room, followed by Flora.
“Willow, what the hell happened? How did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me someone is trying to hurt you?” Luxe, a female Alpha who prefers the female term for leader, Luna, storms in. Her blonde hair whipping everywhere as she steps in front of one of the many fans set up around this bedroom.
“I couldn’t,” Willow says as her face of annoyance melts to worry. “I was in the middle of an allergic reaction.”
“An allergy to what?” I ask, surprised to hear she has an allergy. Most shifters don’t have allergies since our bodies heal themselves when we shift, which begs to ask the question, “And why didn’t you shift to heal yourself?”
“What part of having an allergic reaction are y’all not getting?” Willow says, waving her hands about as if this is something we all should know about. I sure as shit can’t explain what happens when someone has an allergic reaction.
“Willow, we were worried about you,” Flora says, sitting on the bed in front of my chair, blocking my view of Willow. My nerves itched to push her out of the way, which I’m sure would earn me a knife through the hand as her mate, Dylan, wouldn’t appreciate my touching her. Spoken from experience.
“She passed out, guys,” Layla says nonchalantly, as if everyone should know that happens. I could only glance back at Luxe, who is as confused as I am.
“Why are you wearing glasses?” Layla suddenly asks, pointing to her eyes as if she has glasses.
“Because I came from work. People take me more seriously.” I answer with furrowed brows. Why did this matter?
“Even when shifters know you have twenty-twenty vision?” Willow asks, staring at my face. Fucking finally. I smirk, tilting my head slightly. I have her eyes on me again, and I’ll always eat up every second I have of her full attention.
“Yeah, even shifters fall victim to perceptions.” Not to mention, the glasses look good on me. Moon Goddess strike me down if looking good is a crime...
She doesn’t strike me down.
“Willow, are you okay?” Jackson asks, stepping away from his position in the room's corner. He is more of a watcher than anything else. It makes him a strategic Alpha.
“Yes, thank you, Jackson, and everyone, for everything. I’m fine now, and you all should head home cause it’s getting dark out,” Willow says. She moves her eyes to the window and stares as the room settles. I lost her attention to the damn window?
“The witch said you’d be tired,” Layla murmurs, moving to turn one of the fans towards Willow.
“So, what happened? For real this time,” I ask again. As much as I could joke around, there is a serious problem here. Someone hurt Willow, and my bear, and I can hardly hold on anymore.
Willow huffs, staring at Luxe, who only raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t want to worry you,” she says, more to Luxe and Flora than to me. She moves her line of sight down to the damn blanket, instead of to me, the person who asked the damn question. “Someone broke into my apartment.”
“What the hell do you mean, someone broke into your apartment?” I ask, leaning in closer to her. My eyes naturally search her body to make sure she is okay. I hope she knows that I’m sure as hell not leaving now.
“Explain, Willow. What’s going on?” She explains how someone broke into her apartment twice, attacked her, left a creepy note, has left Layla notes too, and that someone laced the tea, which caused the allergic reaction.
These attacks are personal, and the only thing she isn’t saying iswhythis was happening. I can tell Layla knows something too, by her tense body language. I want to hound them to tell me everything. I want to go kill the fucker who dared to hurt Willow, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and death would be too easy for the fucker. Tonight is not the night to try to do all that.
“What are you allergic to?” I ask. Luxe lies on the bed, getting comfortable next to Willow and Flora. I guess she is staying the night, too.
“Bananas,” Willow quietly says. Her shoulders are slumped, and I can tell she is drained, and yet I can’t walk away.
“Anything else I should know about?” This line of questioning would only give me about thirty more seconds in Willow’s presence. I know, yet I bask in these thirty seconds.
“No, that’s everything.” I know it’s not, but for tonight, I’ll let it slide, for real this time. I stand from my chair, walking around the room, sliding my fingers over the windowsill and double-checking the lock.
“I’m staying on the couch,” I say, walking towards the door as Jackson rolls his eyes and leaves. He knows if this was his girl, he’d do much worse than I am. Willow is special; something in my soul is attached to her, and I can’t shake it. So I’m not fighting it.
“No, you’re not. Go home.”
