AstridThe drive to Tristan’s apartment wasn’t overly long, but it took some time. It would be too much to walk most days, especially if he stayed late as I knew he often did. It made sense that he was one of the few shifters in town with a vehicle. The apartment building that he pulled in front of was a short one made of dark stone. I hadn’t really paid attention to it when we dropped him off after returning to Bridgewater. Tristan parked in a small lot at the back of the building. I looked around us as we both got out of the car. The concrete was clean and unbroken. This must be a relatively new building. The town was expanding. I realized that I still didn’t know too much about the changes made in the territory and the pack’s growth in recent years. Now that I was in Bridgewater again, I really took note of how much it had expanded. I made a mental note to ask more about it at another time—it would be helpful information when it came to prioritizing the projects that would
AstridI returned the kiss, but Tristan pulled back before it could go further. He looked at me with his bright, green eyes full of uncertainty. I felt the same way. No matter what we told ourselves, this is where we wanted to be. Why else would we keep ending up together? I had given myself all the possible excuses for why we couldn't work, but none of them seemed valid anymore. It all felt juvenile and pointless. If we truly wanted to be together, there had to be a way. But maybe I was too afraid to take the plunge.Only, when I looked at Tristan, he didn’t seem afraid. He looked almost hopeful. “Why are we fighting fate so hard?” I asked softly. Tristan shrugged. “I don’t know,” he answered, tucking my hair behind my ear. His voice was hoarse, strained as his eyes roamed my face. “It seemed like there were so many good reasons in the beginning. I had convinced myself that we couldn't pursue this and still end up happy in the end. But now…” He let his words trail off. I
AstridI woke up feeling content. A moment of confusion passed before I recognized Tristan's embrace and everything came flooding back. The memories of Tristan’s hands and mouth on me brought heat to my face and sent a pleasurable tingle over my body. The pressure that had been in my chest for the past weeks since my return to Bridgewater had vanished. In its place, I felt a warm sensation. The pull was satisfied, at least for the time being. I felt more at peace than I had in years. I snuggled into his chest and smiled. I was relieved that he was still here. I would have panicked if I’d woken up alone. I might have convinced myself that it was all another vivid dream, or that he regretted it. I wouldn’t have been able to recover from that. My ego and my heart would break at once if Tristan told me he thought this was a mistake. Nothing had ever felt so right to me in my entire life. I wanted to go back in time and kick myself for fighting so hard against this. We’d wasted s
Astrid“Eddie?” I asked.I didn’t know why he would be calling me in the middle of the night. He had no idea that I’d overheard his conversation with Solomon, so it wasn’t like he would be calling to apologize. Tristan held the phone out to me and I took it hesitantly. “Hello?” “Astrid?” Eddie replied with relief. “You’re with Tristan?” “Yeah,” I answered. There was a pause. “That’s good.” I frowned at the phone. Something in his voice was strange. I found myself wishing this was a video call so I could see his face. Maybe something in his expression would give me a hint about what was going on. “Eddie, are you alright?” “Fine,” he said tensely. “You didn’t come back to the packhouse tonight, which is totally fine. You’re an adult, you can do what you want, but I was looking for you so I thought I would call and see what you’re doing, not that it’s my business–” The more he spoke the more panicked he sounded. He was rambling and I had no idea what point he was try
AstridWe had just finished dressing and walked into the living room when there was a firm knock at the door. Tristan went to answer it right away. I sat awkwardly on the couch to wait for them. I heard the door open, hushed voices, and then the door closed again. I gasped in shock as Eddie walked into the living room. There was a deep, purple bruise beneath his left eye. “What happened?” I asked as I rushed towards him. I remembered the muffled thud that I’d heard during the argument with him and Solomon. His dad really must have hit him. “I’m fine,” Eddie said dismissively. “That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” I looked at Tristan for help, but he looked just as lost as I was. Despite his distaste for Eddie, I could see that he was disturbed by the state he was in. “Did Solomon do that to you?” I demanded. “Look, I’m just here to warn you,” Eddie pressed, pointedly ignoring my question. “Take a seat,” Tristan instructed, indicating the couch. “I’m getting
AstridMy mind felt numb as all of Eddie’s words settled into my mind. My memories were suddenly altered. In light of this information, I was forced to question every interaction I’d ever had with Solomon. I couldn’t accept that he wasn’t the cold, hateful man I remembered. I couldn’t see him as some kind of well-meaning but flawed protector. I couldn’t believe that the most frightening single experience of my life was all a fake. I remembered the feeling of biting down on my would-be kidnapper’s fingers. I remembered the fear that had overtaken me when they tried to grab me. I could still see the look of fear on Victoria’s face when she was trying to comfort me. This didn’t seem real. It had to be a nightmare. But even in my nightmares, things weren’t this bleak. Solomon was trying to get rid of me, and he was willing to go to such extremes as ordering Eddie to seduce me and take me away to live outside of Bridgewater. He really thought that someone was trying to kill me. He
AstridI couldn’t stop thinking about the way Victoria had talked about mom’s illness. Coupled with the warning Eddie had given me, it felt like something was being hidden from me. I was running out of patience with it. There was only one person that I could think to ask about what really happened and that was the healer. I had tried to talked to them before, but the man that had been working that day refused to speak to me. He had looked nearly panicked as he told me that he was too busy to talk to me.I had to try again. What else could I do? I left early in the morning so that I could stop by the healer’s clinic on my way to campus. I thought about phoning ahead but decided against it. I didn’t necessarily want anyone knowing that I was going and I didn’t want to risk the conversation being overheard. The healer’s clinic was a small, squat concrete building with a flat roof lined with flowering vines. It was a welcoming-looking building, but I felt apprehension as I walked i
TristanThat night, Eddie slept on the couch, while Astrid stayed with me. They’d both returned to the packhouse the night before, despite my objections. But tonight, I was able to convince them both to stay where I was sure nothing could happen. To be honest, it bothered me more than I wanted to admit to see the shape Eddie was in when he arrived yesterday. The bruise showed just how intense and dangerous things had become. Not even the son of the Beta was safe from the crossfire. Astrid slept nestled warmly in my arms. I didn’t let go of her all night, not even when my arms fell asleep. I found it difficult to fall asleep myself. I didn’t expect anything more to happen tonight, but there was an uneasy feeling hanging over me. Things were calm now, but there was definitely a storm coming. What Eddie had told us was true. I could feel it in my bones. I wasn’t even surprised by the revelation that the Luna was murdered. It was difficult to hear, but not surprising. The Luna h