CHAPTER 11

Ash POV

I scrub the plates, a little too hard. I can’t believe I just spilled my life’s history to a random stranger. He must have put something in the food to get me talking. I can’t believe I told him I was rejected.

I can feel my face burning up. However, as soon as I started talking about my parents, I couldn’t stop. It is annoying because I can tell that he was listening, really listening and if I ask, he will probably be able to repeat everything I said word for word. This is so embarrassing.

I felt bad earlier that even though he knew nothing about me, he still went out of his way for me. That's why I told him about my parents but then I overshared and now I'm just embarrassed.

"That's the last of them," he says behind me.

I turn to look at him, he is wearing the apron again, it's hard not to look at him and chuckle. He is close enough to touch and I have to raise my head to look at his face.

"Thanks for letting me help."

"I should be telling you, thank you," he says and takes the apron off.

My eyes fall down and for a second I forget my train of thought. I take a step back and immediately look away.

"Nah. By the way the food was delicious," I say and look at him from the corner of my eyes.

He shrugs and hangs the apron. "I try."

"Hmm, is there anything else that needs to get done?" I ask.

"No," he mutters.

"Alright," I say and make my way to the living room.

I sit and turn on the television, flipping through the channels. I am not looking for anything in particular, I just want something reasonable to watch.

"Ashton."

I turned around so fast, I am sure I sprained my neck. I don't think I have ever heard him call my name. I would have sworn he doesn't know it. Is it weird that I like the way he calls my name?

"What?" He frowns.

I shake my head, "What's wrong? You called."

"Oh yeah. I found some clothes in the wardrobe. I was wondering if I could wear them. I didn't bring any change of clothes, you see."

"Yeah, of course. They probably belong to my brother." I say. Or my father but I highly doubt that. At least, I know why he was walking around shirtless.

"You don't mind if I wear your brother's clothes?" He says gently, he looks genuinely worried.

I shake my head, trying not to laugh. "No, I don't and I am sure he wouldn't mind." Nathan didn't care about inconsequential things like that.

"Okay," he says and walks away.

He returns a couple of minutes later wearing a tight polo shirt. "This is the biggest thing I could find that isn't a hoodie."

I pout and look away, my brother did love his hoodies. He almost wore nothing else. Caspian is roughly the same age as my brother but Nathan is lanky so it's no surprise his clothes are a tight fit.

"Is it comfortable?" I ask.

He glances at me and plops onto the couch beside me. "No, I will live."

I nod and try my best not to snicker. The polo is made from stretchy material so at least it can expand. I sneak a glance at him and I see him looking at me. I quickly return my gaze to the television.

Night falls faster than I expected. I and Caspian made dinner together. It was a fun experience even though it mostly consisted of me standing in the corner watching his every move while he does all the work.

I've eaten and I am all set for bed. The only problem is, I have been lying down for the past forty-five minutes and I haven't fallen asleep.

I throw the sheets off my body and sit up. I grudgingly make my way to the living room and I am not surprised to see Caspian sitting on the couch.

"Can't sleep?" He asks as he sees me.

I shake my head and walk past him. "I can't," I say and sit on the opposite couch. "What are you watching?"

"Some romcom, I think."

"Seriously?" I turn my attention to the screen. "What's the story?" I ask because it will take too long for me to find out.

"No clue," he says with a straight face.

I blink and turn to look at him. Why am I surprised?

"Don't look at me like that. As I have said, I am not watching this to be entertained, I am watching it to fall asleep."

"How's that working out for you?" 

"Not very well." He shrugs and stares in my direction.

I glower at him and turn my attention to the television. All I can do is watch and pray I start to feel sleepy at some point.

I wake up with a jerk, rubbing my eyes. I am in bed, and the last thing I remember is watching movies in the living room. I sigh. This has really become a thing. 

For the past five days, I have been falling asleep on the couch and waking up on my bed like I'm a kid again. I never know when I fall asleep and I never wake up when he moves me. It is also so annoying that no matter how hard I try, I can never fall asleep on my bed.

I get out of bed and head to the bathroom. I tie my hair up. I always tie it up before I sleep but I've never woken up to see it the same way. I brush my teeth and take a shower before leaving the bathroom. 

I walk out of the room and it is no surprise that I am immediately greeted by the smell of cooking. I rush to the kitchen.

"You could have woken me up to help you," I say as soon as I step into the kitchen.

"Now, why would I do that? Good morning." He slowly turns around to look at me.

His hair is a mess, he looks like he just rolled out of bed. It is obvious that he ran his hand through his hair a couple of times but he just ended up making it worse.

"Good morning," I say back. "Did you sleep well?"

He shrugs and faces the counter. He picks up the meal and walks toward me. "You are just in time," he says and places the meal on the table.

"You always say that." At this point, I am a hundred percent certain that he knows exactly when I will wake up and he cooks to match it.

He sits down and smiles faintly at me. Now that he is this close, I can easily see the dark circles around his eyes. I don't think he has been sleeping properly. 

I feel bad, I am thinking of joining his pack. However, I am hesitant and I don't even know why. He hasn't asked me to join since the last time and I am a little grateful about that but I know I can't keep him here forever and I have to make my decision soon enough.

I take a bite and chew, I close my eyes immediately. I can't comprehend how he cooks this well. It should be illegal.

"How is it?" He asks.

"Delicious," I say without hesitation. "But you already know this."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He smirks but it doesn't reach his eyes.

I wonder if he is tired of me but to join a new pack would be to forget all that I am used to. I haven't completely said my goodbye and I know I should, they cut me off first. However, to do that would mean addressing the issues I have been avoiding.

Halfway through the meal, I hear a loud bang and I jump out of my seat. The sound came from the living room. I and Caspian exchange glances. He is also standing.

He moves out of his seat with his finger to my lips and gestures that I follow behind him. He tiptoes to the door and pokes his head out.

I hear a low growl and he walks out. "What are you doing back here, baby boy?"  

I freeze up. Why is Tyler back? My eyes widened in horror. What could he possibly want now? I hang in the doorway only poking my head out.

Tyler stands in the middle of the living room and he is not alone, this time around he is with more goons.

All l can do is scream as three wolves simultaneously attack Caspian in my living room. He is putting up quite a fight but there is no way he can hold up against that many werewolves and that is only half of them.

"Caspian!" I scream as one of the werewolves bites into his neck.