“Come in, why don’t you?” I say with little effort when Josh barges into my office.
Savannah, some cheap tart I picked up in a bar not half an hour ago, jumps off my lap.
After Gianna stumbled into the room earlier, catching me in a clinch with Claire, I needed to get out for a while.
My day has been hell. The meeting I attended at a neighbouring pack was all well and good; nothing out of the ordinary happened.
However, on the way home, a couple of rogues decided they’d try their luck. They stood no chance against me, and I’d soon torn them limb from limb.
But when I got home, I was in the foulest of moods. I showered away the blood because I didn’t want to scare Gianna. Then I found out she wasn’t even home, and I almost lost my shit.
“You think this is funny?” Josh snaps at me.I sigh because I’m frustrated with the way he’s speaking to me.“You told me to send Gianna here because you wanted to talk to her. Gianna should have gone to the infirmary to make sure she didn’t get silver poisoning. But instead, I had to send her here. I wouldn’t have if I’d known that she’d walk in on you and Claire almost fucking!”I roll my neck again.He’s boring me, and I’m a second away from freeing his head from his shoulders. I don’t give a damn that he’s my best friend; no one talks to me like this!“You don’t even care how much agony Gianna was in after that. She went to her room and tried to clean the whip marks herself because no one gave her the &
I’m out of my seat so fast; I’d be surprised if the wall behind me didn’t have a massive hole in it from the chair that just slammed into it.“Tell me what the fuck is going on!”“Claire and her cronies found Gianna in her room. I’m guessing she was trying to clean the cuts on her back as she wasn’t healing correctly. That in itself speaks volumes when Gianna seems to have immense healing ability.“I knew something didn’t feel right, so I went to check on things. I found Gianna slummed on the floor, battered, bruised and pumped full of wolfsbane.”My heart slams into my throat, my stomach tightens, and I have to slam my hand over my mouth.If Gianna was hurt, then why didn’t I feel it through the mate bond?
I’m so annoyed with everything right now. All Gianna had to do was be honest with me, and none of this would have happened.Goddess, why didn’t she just say something?‘Because you wouldn’t have let her go, and you know it. You would have come rushing back to Silver Paw and made a scene and embarrassed her in front of the pack, as you always do.‘What am I talking about? You humiliated the girl! Why didn’t you mind-link Gianna and ask where she was? Because you’d rather be angry with Gianna than take the easy route.’My wolf is probably right, but Gianna still should have said something
I take a deep breath before rushing to my room. There’s no way I’m going to see Gianna while I smell like another woman. She doesn’t deserve that.‘She didn’t deserve anything you did to her, but you still did it.’I ignore Valsurus and push my way into the bedroom. It’s already been cleaned, and I’ll have to thank Josh for that. He must have known I’d completely lose my shit if I saw Gianna’s blood anywhere.After a quick shower and changing into black jeans and a t-shirt, I make my way to the infirmary. I run my fingers through my long hair and tie it in a man-bun at the back of my head as I walk, ignoring the curious faces of pack staff.“Kale!&rd
“Gianna?”Wide eyes lock on me, and she whimpers while clutching the sheet around her. That fucking kills me.My stomach tightens, and the ache in my chest intensifies.“It’s okay,” I hold my hands up while stepping closer. “I’m not going to hurt you.”“Not personally.” She mumbles, and I sigh.This is not going to be easy.I sit down on the bed beside my mate, still looking at me wide-eyed and scared.“I know you’re scared of me right now.”“I’m always scared of you, Lorcan. Every single day, I am scared to so much as look at you because you don’t give me a reason not to be,”
After I showered and changed this morning and went down for breakfast, I found Lorcan waiting for me. I’d never seen him smile in my direction so sweetly before. He’d never looked more handsome than he did at that moment.I couldn’t help smiling back, and I took his hand willingly when he offered it to me. I sat beside my mate, and we ate together, then we spoke as if we’d never argued once in our lives.Once we’d finished eating, Lorcan told me that I could do whatever I wanted today. He wouldn’t get angry with me, and I had nothing to fear.I wanted to test the theory, so I asked if I could spend some time with Harper and Katy. I fully expected Lorcan to tell me that I couldn’t see my friends again after what happened. He certainly hasn’t let me train with them, though I put that down to him, wanting me to rest for
Although I was happy to see Lorcan smiling at me this morning, I have to admit that I was a little let down. When I woke up this morning, Lorcan wasn’t beside me. I wasn’t surprised as he’s not there when I fall asleep, nor is he any other time when I wake up – not since I returned. But it still irked me a little.I know Lorcan sleeps beside me because I can smell him all over the sheets. I know that he’s trying to give me some space, and I’m grateful for that. But I’m starting to get a complex.Lorcan hasn’t touched me in days; what if he’s no longer attracted to me?‘What if he’s trying to do what you asked?’&ls
When the air starts to get chilly, evidence that winter is approaching, Lorcan and I head back to the packhouse. Lorcan carries the picnic basket in one hand while offering me the other. I smile and take it, and Lorcan shoots me a wink.Taking Lorcan’s hand doesn’t make me cringe as it once did. Now I feel the sparks from the mate bond racing along my skin. I know Lorcan feels it too, and that settles certain doubts in my head. I shouldn’t doubt my mate, but it’s hard not to after everything that’s happened.“I don’t want you to panic,” I narrow my eyes at Lorcan, but he isn’t looking at me. “But I’ve called a pack meeting. Everyone should be waiting on the training field for us to arrive.”“Why?” I quietly ask.It would have been too quiet for a hum