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“When did you get so mean?” Lila laughed and gave me a hug. I returned the embrace and laughed with her.
“When did you get the short hair?” I said, pulling back and playing with the black hair that framed her face in a bob cut.
“Since Beck thought it was funny to bleach half my hair in my sleep,” Lila pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.
I laughed at Beck’s idiocy and ruffled her hair. “It looks nice. I could never pull off short hair.”
As I was saying that, I heard a warrior battle cry. I looked up at the second level and saw Luca climbing over the banister, about to jump on top of me. Before he could get me, I used my werewolf ability to move out of the way and watched as he landed on his face, groaning.
Lila rolled her eyes and helped him up, saying, “How many times do I have to tell you to stop getting hurt? You’re still getting over it.”
“Wow, she’s got so fast.” Luca got up slowly, smoothing out his shirt. “I’ll give you credit for that.
I didn’t manage to say anything as I was horrified by the bruises on his face. His arm was covered in gauze, and you could clearly see the blood. My hands were shaking when I saw Luca. I’ve never seen him so wounded and injured. I’m sure my face went pale as tears welled up in my eyes at my injured best friend.
“Luca,” I whispered, coming closer and touching a bruise on his face lightly. “What happened?”
“I don’t want to ruin the welcome home atmosphere, so you’ll just have to wait for the meeting tomorrow to find out what happened,” Luca shrugged it off like it was no big deal. He opened his arms and hugged me. I was momentarily out of breath when I hugged him back.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” I said, letting go of him and noticing the small smile on Lila’s lips. She was happy that her partner had got back together with his best friend.
“Hey, I’m doing great! Nothing could take me down!” Luca shouted. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his cockiness.
“Yeah right,” Lila snorted. “I’ve beaten you before.”
“That’s right, babe,” Luca went on, putting his arm around her shoulders and nuzzling her neck. “You could take me down any time.”
“OK, we’re all set. My eyes are burning,” I screamed, covering my eyes with my hands.
The couple laughed and settled for just holding hands. I looked down at their linked hands, feeling a bit green with envy at their perfect relationship. My wolf howled, and I had to remind her that it was my fault we weren’t exactly happy right now.
I heard Cruz, Logan and Beck come down the stairs while they chatted about the daily training Logan does. Cruz was impressed with how much work Healers put into their training. Beck looked a bit intimidated, but still praised Logan’s hard work and dedication.
“At least she’s not here, otherwise you’d feel like you were watching p**n,” Luca groaned. “Honestly, Beck and Brielle have the most over-the-top public display of affection of anyone in the country.”
I stuck out my tongue and looked at Beck, who went the same colour as a tomato. “Where’s Brielle?”
“She went with Maren to see Knox,” Lila said, without giving any more details.
I quickly dismissed it, didn’t even ask any questions. Then there was this awkward silence for a few seconds while they all looked at me. I cleared my throat and smiled.
“Hey guys, this is Logan,” I said, pointing to my cousin. Lila and Luca introduced themselves, welcoming him with big smiles.
“Hey, have you had a chance to see your mum and Elias yet?” Luca asked, a little worried.
“Not yet,” I sighed, scratching the back of my neck. It made me think of Kieran, so I quickly let go of my hand. “I’ll go there when Elias calls. They went to the doctor for a daily check-up.”
“You’re staying here, right?” Lila asked with a warm smile and I nodded.
“My room’s basically a storage spot for all my mum’s medical equipment,” I explained. “I hope it’s all right that I stuck around.”
“You’re welcome any time,” Lila said. “Also, Beta Beck gave you permission.”
I was just about to say something when I heard the sound of car doors closing in the distance. I smelt that classic manly scent, which made my wolf jump for joy. I froze, and my heart dropped into my stomach. My heart was in my mouth as I heard him coming up the path to the house.
I was confused by the sweet, feminine smell that mixed with his and the heavier sound of footsteps that followed after him. I took a deep breath, trying to identify the scent. But I couldn’t. I just gave it a quick shrug. It was probably a new werewolf.
Everyone around me was watching me like I was a piece of meat. Logan was standing behind me while we all waited for my friend to arrive. I really didn’t want to face this moment so soon, but I quickly closed my eyes knowing I had to meet him at some point.
When I opened my eyes, there he was, staring back at me with his beautiful, crystal-blue eyes that darkened like a storm. I could see all the emotions that flickered in them. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn’t know what to say.
He was still as handsome as ever, with his short black hair, his strong jaw, his chiselled cheekbones and his muscled arms I remember being wrapped in. My wolf was telling me to make my partner mine right away, but I followed the same muscled arms that used to hold me and saw that his hand was holding a smaller hand.
My world came crashing down as I took in the woman next to Kieran. She was about my age and she was stunning. Her light brown hair was tied up in a loose plait, and her shorter hair framed her heart-shaped face. She looked happy to see me, pulling a big grin. She was, well, average. I thought she was a bit of a slut, but I was wrong. She was normal and human.
For a few seconds, I had a bit of a think about things. I could literally feel my heart breaking in two. My vision started to blur, but I blinked back the tears and put on a brave face. “Hello, Kieran,” I said, trying to be formal, but he didn’t seem to care. He still had all the emotions written on his face. “This is Logan Sinclair, my cousin.”
I looked up at Logan and saw his lips were set in a thin line. His eyes had gone dark, all angry. “Chill out, Logan. You promised,” I said into the mind link. He didn’t listen, but looked at Kieran like he wanted to kill him right there.
“Hey, you alright?” The woman next to Kieran put her hand on his shoulder, looking worried. I stopped myself from making a noise.
That seemed to make Kieran stop thinking and pay attention. He ran his hand through his hair and then looked at me again. He also put on a fake smile as he spoke. “Welcome back, Talia,” he said, making me cringe when he said my whole name. His smooth and deep voice reminds me of when he used to tease me, tell me a story, and whisper adoring words in my ear. I just brushed it off. “Logan, welcome to Oakmere.” Logan shifted his weight, but didn’t say anything.
“Er, um,” Kieran carried on, still wearing that fake smile. “This is Pamela Harlow, my girlfriend.”
“Nice to meet you,” I managed. “I’ll catch you all at dinner. I’m going to go – um – unpack my stuff.”
“Do you need a hand?” Lila asked, her voice soothing. I didn’t dare look at anyone else in the room, as I was afraid that if I met their sympathetic eyes, I would burst.
“Nah, no. Thank you.”
As I walked past Kieran and into the corridor where the stairs were, I felt the tears roll down my face and heard the whimper of my wolf as she cried too.
Even if I sat as far away as possible, I was aware of his every movement.
I’d usually bathe in his manly scent for the past two hours. I’d get lost in my favourite scent, feeling content and happy. But it felt suffocating when I reminded myself that we weren’t together anymore or that he didn’t want me.
Kieran was pretty quiet, but he did occasionally look over at me. My wolf would purr every time he secretly glanced at us. I really wanted to wipe away the little bit of food that had got stuck in the corner of his mouth. Every time I saw Pamela join his hands with her own, I had to bite the bullet and stop the growl that wanted to escape from my lips.
“Talia,” Cruz groaned, smacking his forehead with his hand. “Can you tell them to stop please?”
I couldn’t help laughing when he gestured towards Brielle and Beck, who were having a bit of a tiff. They sat opposite each other, leaning forward, in the heat of the moment. Logan, sitting next to Beck, looked at them with wide eyes.
“Hear me out, Beckett Morven –,” Brielle said, her face going red.
“Only if you promise to talk dirty, babe,” Beck said, winking and crossing his arms over his chest. His grey eyes twinkled with amusement as Brielle’s green ones glared at him.