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
AstridI felt a little nervous about going to Tristan’s class. I knew that it didn’t make sense, but I had the oddest feeling that people would somehow know we’d spent the night together. If they did, it was most likely because of the fact that I was wearing his shirt. No one would be able to tell that, though. It was tucked into my pants and I was wearing my jacket. The only giveaway was his scent lingering on the fabric. It was a little thrilling, knowing that anyone paying attention might be able to pick up his scent and realize what it meant. I breathed a sigh of relief when class started and there was no sign of Lilian. I wasn’t sure what kind of a scene she might cause in light of how her little revenge plot had ended. When I signed into my student email this morning, there was an email from the Dean declaring that the results of the investigation into the rumors about a faculty member were available and that the faculty member was found to be innocent of the charges aga
AstridI didn’t want to go to dinner, but I didn’t want to start another argument with dad either. If I tried to stay in my room, I was sure that’s what would happen. He could be extremely confrontational when he was upset. I didn’t feel like arguing or causing a scene. The calm in the packhouse might be a facade, but it was one that I didn’t feel the need to shatter. At least, not at this point. I felt more calm by the time dinner rolled around and I was confident that I would be able to hold my tongue long enough to get through a meal. I would just avoid looking at dad and take a bite every time I wanted to say something snarky. It had worked before. The thought that dad had some idea of what was going on with the secrets in the packhouse was upsetting. It made perfect sense, though. He was the Alpha. It would be more concerning if he was clueless about things. But why wouldn’t he just be honest then? That’s what was bothering me the most about all of this. The depth and b
AstridThe past few days had been an exhausting cycle of surging anxiety and crushing hopelessness. Ever since the conversation with Solomon, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the entire packhouse was part of some grand conspiracy that revolved around me. I didn’t feel safe anywhere. It was impossible to sleep soundly. I wanted desperately to go stay with Tristan, but I didn’t want to get him into trouble with dad. I didn’t know what he might do if he decided that Tristan was deliberately subverting his will. I couldn’t risk it. But that didn’t stop me from going home with Tristan after school every night. Being in his arms was the only time I felt truly at peace. While I was in his apartment, I could convince myself for a little while that things were normal. We ate dinner, we cuddled on the couch, we talked for hours, we made love… it was perfect. I dared to hope that when this was all behind us, we could live like that every day—a life together that wouldn’t have to end whe