Chapter 80
"We'll figure this out, the two of us, like we always do." She tried to console me, but we had never had to work out a situation this crazy—something connected to a death wish.
Once more, there was a hush that fell between us as we absorbed our own thoughts.
"Will he come back?" Even though Vera's words were hardly audible, I could feel their anguish until it became stuck in between my ribs.
I wasn't sure whether I could trust my brother just yet, but since I had found my own partner, I had discovered that you couldn't be apart for very long.
I told her, "He will—I will make sure of it," and she raised her lips in a feeble smile.
"You know, this makes us a real family now." She seemed happy, and I mocked her, saying that she had been a part of my family for a long time before she discovered that my brother was her partner. My phone, however, vibrated during my response.
Eventually, I looked at it and discovered that the same person had sent a dozen messages.
I was too busy to even notice that my friend had started contacting me throughout the day. He sent lengthy texts outlining the specifics of his day, and others inquired about my well-being and asked if I needed anything.
Had fate not intervened, our relationship would have been ideal.
I navigated to his most recent message.
I was going to find out when I got back to the pack house whether it was succinct and direct or whether he was upset with my lack of response during the day. A car is waiting outside for you.
Vera was frowning and staring down at my phone when my attention went back to her.
"There is a car waiting for us, and I know you won't like it, but I need you to come and stay at the pack house with me." She appeared to flip the request over in her mind. "Kyle is trusting me to keep you safe, and the pack house is the safest place I can think of." When her mate's name was mentioned, her eyes blazed, and she nodded her head while getting up from the floor.
As promised, the automobile was waiting for us, parked close to the sidewalk. He had assigned a warrior-on-high alert as the driver for it. He turned to face us, his neatly tailored clothes falling to the ground as he bowed respectfully in front of me, and then shifted his narrowed stare to the woman next to me.
He made a move to let us in.
"Alpha Derrick is expecting you at the pack house soon." Despite his large build, he had a kind voice, carefully articulating his sentences and expressing his respect with each sound.
Before I shoved her in the direction of the open door, Vera gave a startled whistle at the fancy black automobile and our new driver. She gave me a halfhearted glare before entering, and I did the same behind her.
"He won't like it if you're late." As he slid into the driver's seat and inserted the keys into the ignition, the driver repeated himself. He observed us through the rearview mirror, his attention drawn to the additional passenger, which Derrick had not appeared to be able to accommodate.
"Can you tell him that we need to make a stop at my apartment to grab a few things?" The warrior arched his eyebrows at my request, as I stated softly.
If I had been marked, I could have told him myself just as easily because mind-linking your partner was a common and simple process, but I wasn't yet capable of doing that. To be honest, I could have given him a call, but at that point, I wasn't ready to respond to any of his inquiries.
While he transmitted the message via the pack link, the warrior remained silent. He turned in his seat to face me, and I examined him intently for any indication of what my partner was saying back, but his warrior displayed no real emotion on his face.
"You have ten minutes." Without giving us an opportunity to argue, he gave us an order and started to drive.
It was my turn to give Vera a stern look as she laughed to herself about my possessive partner.
"What? It's kind of adorable that he misses you, I guess." Before I could stop myself, the chuckle escaped my lips, and Vera followed in.
Even if he was the soul mate of your best friend, cute was absolutely not the term you used to describe an alpha king. The banality of our laughter obscured the high-stakes game we were playing between us.
We had a short drive to our apartment, and we settled in right away. While Vera packed her belongings, I waited, my heart pounding from the memory of what had happened the last time I was here by myself.
I was uncertain about whether I could rely on my brother or whether listening to him would lead me astray. I wanted to disregard the weight of the decision I had to make, but my mother was unforgiving. The piece of paper he had handed me was folded into my jeans pocket. Until she accomplished what she had set out to do all those years ago, she would not stop hurting me.
I was the only one who could stop her from using my magic to kill the only surviving royal and seize the throne for herself.
Vera drew me out of my own reverie as she carried two bags into the living room. I moved and grabbed one of the suitcases from her hands, but she seemed prepared to defend her choice of travel gear.
The warrior looked annoyed when Vera followed me back inside, so I knew it took more than ten minutes for us to get back in the car.
Finally, we arrived outside the pack house, and Vera began to survey the vast estate with a torrent of colorful phrases. Part of the same feeling had come over me the first time I saw the pack but this time I was fixated on a fragrance.