(AMARI'S POV)
"The call isn't connecting," Rudina said. I let out a deep breath I didn't know I had been holding, then sank into an armchair.
To be honest, who I really wanted to call was Talon. I wanted to beg him for a chance to speak with Al or Elara. Just for a minute, even…
"Amari?" Rudina's voice was soft, but it still made me jump a little.
Her eyebrows knitted together. "You've been jumpy since you came back from breakfast. Did the Alpha hurt you?" She asked, her body shook slightly.
I quickly put an arm around her. "No, Ru. He didn't hurt me."
Her shoulders didn't relax. "Is he scary?"
"No."
It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the truth either.
I was still struggling with the right words that matched the emotions Alpha Kaelen made me feel. For now, all I could say was that he made me feel everything, all at once. He had the most oppressive energy, one that made me—
"I don't believe you." My sister pouted. "You came in here looking like you had breakfast with the Devil."
That's one way to put it.
I threw my hands up and stood up, resuming my pacing. "He didn't hurt me…"
"But?" My sister urged.
"There's just this way he makes me feel, Rudina. Like I'm on stage. And he looks at me like I'm in a glass cage." I rubbed my forehead.
Rudina stood up. "You look so stressed," she observed.
"I feel so—"
KNOCK! KNOCK!
She moved closer to me. "Maybe it's that beast," she glared at the closed door.
"No. He wouldn't knock." I smoothed my dress, gave her a nod, and then went to open the door.
That presence. That feeling.
I felt it before I even opened the door, somehow I knew it was him. And when I met those midnight eyes of his, a cold, hollow weight settled deep in my stomach.
Kaelen.
He had changed out of the soft grey sweatpants into something sharper—dark slacks, a thin knit sweater that stretched across his chest, the sleeves pushed up to show the bandages winding around his arm. The cast was a brutal white against all that black. His head bandage had been replaced with a smaller one, less bulky, revealing more of his face. His jaw was freshly shaved. His hair was still damp. He smelled like a custom-blended cologne made exclusively for him.
Heat climbed in to my face.
His dark eyes swept over me—the veil, the dress, the way my hands gripped the doorframe. Then he spoke.
"I need to speak with you. May I come in?"
"Of course." I stepped back and let him follow me inside.
Rudina was lingering, waiting by the inner door, she stepped back when Kaelen and I walked in.
"Kaelen, this is Rudina." I hurriedly said, sending all the signals I could send with my eyes.
"Haven't we already met?" He asked.
"If you don't remember me, I'm certain you don't remember her." The words came out faster than my breath. I turned to him with a skeptical look. "Or do you?"
Kaelen squinted at Rudina and then clicked his tongue.
"Not at all." He extended his hand. "It's good to meet you, sister-in-law."
"Good to meet you too," Rudina greeted, and then her eyes widened. "I-I mean, it's good to know that you're not dead. We were so worried." She broke into a nervous chuckle.
"It's great to be alive," he said smoothly before he released her hand and turned to me.
"We're leaving for Moon Haven now." he spoke indifferently, like he was talking about the weather.
"Moon Haven?" Rudina said, the same time I said, "Right now?"
Kaelen looked from Rudina to me. "You don't look excited to go home. Is something wrong?"
"No," we chorused.
"Good. We leave in ten minutes. We'll be taking a jet, so I need your travel passes."
My heart sank. "I don't have an independent travel pass and my mother only approved my travel pass for a one way train trip." I muttered, clutching my veil and staring down at his expensive shoes.
"Moon Pack restricts mixed blood?"
I managed to look up at his irritated expression.
"Mixed bloods until twenty-one, wolfless mixed bloods until twenty-eight," my shaky voice said.
It was shameful that even though Rudina was five years younger than me, she was old enough to approve her own travel pass. One of ten thousand reasons why it's important to have a wolf.
"Let's see someone stop us then," he challenged. "I'll be outside."
He had walked away within seconds.
Rudina turned to me, blinking rapidly with her jaw on the ground.
"Th-that's your husband? The real Kaelen?" She gaped.
"Hush!" I said, looking around, then I took her hand and pulled her into the room.
"He—he looks like a celebrity model! Is that really him? Oh, he's dreamy!" Rudina spoke like she was floating in the clouds.
I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
"Rudina! We must focus. He wants to take us home." I whispered sharply.
Rudina's face fell, and even though I felt guilty for bringing her back to our situation, it was necessary.
"What if the house is a mess? Or what if he finds out the truth somehow and thinks we planned it with Talon?" Now she was panicking.
I took her hand in mine and gently used the end of my veil to wipe the sweat that had broken out on her forehead.
"If we get home and see anything out of place, then we must act shocked too," I instructed. "Just control your emotions whatever the situation may be."
Rudina nodded, all color drained from her face.
I cupped her cheek sadly. "Everything will be fine, okay?"
She nodded slowly. I smiled.
"Come on. Let's get our stuff," I said softly, taking the phone from her.
When she turned around, I quickly dialed Elara's number. My heart raced. Sadly, the call ended. No connection.
The walls felt like they were actively closing in. I had to get going quickly, so that Rudina didn't panic more and most especially because Kaelen was waiting for us.
Just like Moon Haven was.