*Keera*
If anyone had told me I would get to a point where I would enjoy spending time with a six year old, I would definitely have laughed in their faces. If they’d been more specific and said that the six year old in question was a werewolf pup, I might have even cut their heads off. But here, I was actually spending time with one of the spawns of the species which is to not be named. I slanted a glance at Ellie from my spot on a small bean bag in the room. She was lying on her stomach on my bed, her nose stuck in her damn coloring book.
I swear she was obsessed with that stuff.
I studied her discreetly, wondering how Nyx and Jax had managed to birth such a smart child. She wasn’t eighteen yet so she could assess all of her abilities as a werewolf. Everything she knew she had gotten from asking questions and paying attention. And she knew a whole lot. I’d been reluctant to be put on babysitting duty in the morning but after spending half the day with her, I was pretty impressed.
Her eyelids lifted like she could feel my gaze on her.
I didn’t bother trying to quickly look away. She was just going to ask why I’d been staring. She simply gave me a small smile before moving back to her coloring book, her hands dragging lazily over the pages. I moved my attention back to the window, letting my mind run a mile a minute . I’d heard something about a security squad arriving in the pack today. I hadn’t stepped downstairs since this morning but I could bet decent money that they’d probably arrived by now.
Which was more than okay by me.
I could stay right in my room with Ellie all day and not have a problem with it. Ellie was bubbly and smart but she was also a bit mature for her age. When she wasn’t being her usual curious self that is. Other than asking a few questions here and there, eating her food and scribbling in her coloring book, she left me to be in my thoughts. And my thoughts were more or less centered around one person. Well, two people actually. But mostly one person.
The Alpha of Moon Valley pack.
And his twin sister.
But again, mostly the Alpha of Moon Valley pack.
Grayson was beginning to do things to me that I never thought him capable of doing. What happened yesterday had entirely been my fault, I didn’t kid myself about that. I should have known better than to touch myself in his house, when he can smell my scent for even a mile away. I’d let my own lust get the better of me and I’d done what I’d wanted to in the moment. What I had never expected was him walking into my bathroom.
Without my flipping permission.
Then again, he wouldn’t be Grayson if he didn’t feel the need to leave traces of his arrogance everywhere he went. He should never have touched me. I should never have let him touch me. A prickling sensation skated through me as images of his tongue gliding across my fingers flashed through my mind. Even now, I was still shaken by what he’d done. It had been so. . .
Primal.
It had been difficult acting like things were still natural between us this morning. We’d both flirted with a dangerous line. More than that, I had the feeling it was only a matter of time before we destroyed the line completely. And we both knew it. Ellie called out to me, tugging me from my trance. “What’s wrong?” I asked, noticing the discomfort on her face.
She stared at me from under her lashes, obviously trying to charm me. I shook my head and let out a light laugh, already knowing what she wanted. It almost felt like I’d known her my whole life. “I want some juice,” She admitted softly. I expelled a long breath, pinching her nose as I walked by her before heading for the kitchen downstairs.
“Keera?” A voice called out from behind me, startling me even though I didn’t let it show. I turned towards the voice, still gripping the cup in my hand tightly. My eyebrows jumped when I realized who exactly I was looking at. Gabriel Lockhart. We’d worked together on a case in the past where he’d been asked to give private security to the team I’d been working with. Seeing him standing only a few feet away from me in his work clothes, I quickly connected all the dots.
He was a part of the security squad.
I carefully dropped the cup on the kitchen island, a breathy laugh escaping my lips. “Oh my word, Gabe!” I exclaimed heartily, running into his arms to accept his hug. My feet left the ground as he twirled me around once, his chuckle echoing in my ear. I smiled widely, staying in his hold for a second, my arms wound around his neck. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed another human presence beside my team members until now. I reopened my eyes and froze. Grayson stood at the corner of the sitting room.
And he was staring straight at us.
His eyes were boring a hole in the spot where Gabe had his arms wrapped around my waist. He lifted his eyes back to mine, his gaze suddenly as hard as stone. The smile on my face slowly disappeared as I awkwardly tried to disentangle myself from Gabe. Luckily, Gabe noticed my sudden discomfort and easily let go of me, though he didn’t notice Grayson standing miles behind him.
“I should have guessed you were going to be on the team I had been informed was here to help,” He stated, his dark eyes twinkling with excitement and pride. He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, taking a step away from me so he could fully take me in. “It’s been what? Two years?” He asked, running a hand over his jaw, his smile still in place on his face. “I feel like it’s been ages since we worked together on that last case.”
I couldn’t help but agree with a nod, noting at the back of my mind that Grayson was no longer standing there. I wondered what had been going through his head, walking in on the scene that he had. There was no way he knew Gabe and I already knew each other. Mostly because neither Gabe nor I had expected the other person to be in the pack.
“You’re a part of the security squad?” I asked, getting back to pouring the juice into a plastic cup so I could take it upstairs to Ellie. He confirmed it, letting me know he was in fact the team head. We made small talk after that, him taunting me about my disdain for werewolves and me playfully flipping him off.
Ellie was practically bouncing in my bed by the time I got back. She asked why I’d wasted so much time and I just let her know I’d run into a friend downstairs. We were playing a game of scrabble when my phone beeped with a text from Nyx, asking that I bring Ellie downstairs since they wanted to leave. I tidied Ellie up, packed her colouring books together with her crayons and then we headed downstairs.
“Thank you so much for looking after her,” Nyx said, smoothing her hand down Ellie’s hair after Ellie had given me a hug. I waved my hand in the air, letting her know that it was okay and watching as they left the house. I turned, walking back to the stairs and pausing when something caught the corner of my eyes. I felt a surge of something dark and hot piercing my midriff as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.
Grayson and Ria were standing in the exact same spot I’d been standing with Gabe hours ago and in the exact position. I stood motionless for a second, simply taking in the sight of his arms curled around her waist and hers wound around his neck. Even from my spot by the foot of the stairs I could tell this hug was way tighter than mine and Gabe’s had been. I should leave, I told myself. Now. When my legs remained firmly planted on the ground, I cursed myself in my head.
Because now Grayson was staring right at me.
Like I’d stared at him from over Gabe’s shoulder.
Only that he didn’t seem to feel the same awkwardness I had felt. If anything, I watched him give her side a small squeeze as they pulled away from each other, his eyes still fixed on me. It took Ria’s standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek for me to finally take the stairs before she turned and found me staring at them like some kind of creep. As I took the stairs, I wondered if that had been some kind of weird ridiculous payback. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
Was that really what it had been?
He’d seen me with Gabe and from his subtle reaction had obviously misunderstood the situation and so he’d tried to. . . To what exactly? Get back at me? More than that, I was angry that it had actually worked. I closed my bedroom door, careful not to slam it and then leaned against it. I was more angry he’d decided to pull off his stupid stuny with Ria.
Because I was becoming more and more certain she didn’t like me.
My gaze landed on my coat hanging on the dressing chair, and even before I pulled away from the door I’d already made up my mind. I needed some time away from the pack house anyway. I grabbed my coat and rushed down the stairs, making sure no one saw me on my way out. I wasn’t entirely sure of my destination. Only that I needed to put some distance between Grayson and I and the image that had somehow instantly ingrained itself in my memory.
Before I lost my mind.
Whatever was left of it anyway.
I walked for hours, never minding the fact that I’d gone deep into the forest at this point. I only stopped when I spotted a startling reflection of light in front of me. Moving myself closer, I realized it was in fact a lake. I stared in surprise, admiring the view. It was easily the most beautiful lake I’d ever seen. Trees fenced it beautifully and the water seemed to have some ethereal sparkle as the sun was setting. A paddock had been built but the wood looked old and worn out.
People didn’t come here often.
Hell, I was willing to bet not many people knew the lake even existed. Before I could think better of it, I tried off my boots and stripped down to my underwear, gently folding my clothes and my coat and piling them up neatly on the paddock. The feel of the water against my skin was just what I needed to calm my mind down and remind myself why I’d come to the pack in the first place.
I jumped into the lake, instantly resurfacing and letting myself partially float on the water, my hair flowing along with me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done something like this. It felt like I was in a giant bath tub in a bathroom with no roof. Strangely I wasn’t scared of being alone out here. Though I had to admit it might have something to do with the fact that I’d carried my glock. It was nice to have some time to myself for a few hours. I didn’t even let myself think about anything.
It was just me and the lake.
Until he showed up.