*Grayson*
I stepped into the house, coming back from an instantaneous patrol I’d had to do around the pack right after the meeting with Keera’s team. As I entered the living room, my gaze swept across the space and I caught sight of Josie’s worried expression, her brow furrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line. I frowned, looking around as I took a few steps towards her. Has something happened? She looked up, hearing the sound of my footsteps.
“Josie, what’s wrong?” I asked, my tone instinctively gentle, concern etched on my face. Her eyes darted towards the stairs before returning to mine, filled with a mix of apprehension and hesitation. I immediately felt a cloud of darkness settle above me. She hadn’t said a word yet but I already knew it had something to do with Keera. If the way she’d slanted a look at the stairs hadn’t been an indication, the mate bond going a bit awry was a definite giveaway.
The crease between her brows deepened as she stared at the floor. “Keera… she fell down the stairs,” She stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. It was almost a little funny how I processed her words in bits. Keera. She. Fell. Down. The. Stairs. Her statement registered in my head and my calm shattered. In an instant, I was taking the stairs two at a time, my heart racing with every step. My mind replayed worst-case scenarios: Keera lying on her back with broken bones . Keera bleeding to death. Keera falling into unconsciousness.
I burst through Keera’s bedroom door, slamming it open. Elena looked up from her position beside Keera’s bed, visibly startled. Kathleen and Lexi exchanged surprised glances, their faces pale. Nyx and Ginny stood to the side, a mix of confusion, surprise and fright on their faces as they stared at me. I began marching towards Keera’s bed. Elena instinctively got to her feet. “Grayson, calm down,” She cautioned, holding her hands out as if to wade me off. I only halted when I could get a clear view of my mate.
I could barely make out Nyx’s voice, asking me to get a hold of myself. Didn’t they get it? I couldn’t calm down. Not with Keera lying unconscious, her face pale and bruised. This was my mate we were talking about for the goddess’s sake. Not only was it my responsibility to protect her, I had also given Trevor my word that I would keep her safe. How would he react to this? A faint scrape marred her cheekbone, and her lip was swollen. I ran my eyes over her form, taking in every detail, every bruise, every wound, every broken bone.
Elena took a step back when I turned my furious gaze to her, red blinding my vision as my chest rose and fell.
“What the fuck happened?” I demanded, my voice low and menacing, my eyes blazing with a mix of fear and anger. Elena tried to explain, her mouth opening and closing, but no words would come out. She knew better than to give a careless answer when I was already this furious. Ginny stepped into my line of sight from across the bed, her eyes warm and comforting even though there was still a hint of surprise in them.
“She fell down the staircase.” She quickly replied as Elena’s hands moved over Keera’s unconscious form in an attempt to check her vitals. “We’re not completely sure how it happened. It appeared that one minute she was walking up to her room and the next… she lost her balance. Maybe. We didn’t see it happen.” She ran a hand through her hair, her worried eyes falling back on Keera. I noticed the look Lexi and Kathleen shared between themselves and my curiosity piqued.
Their eyes met mine. Lexi worried bit her lower lip between her teeth. “The first step was slippery,” She blurted, gaining all our attention. “Keera had said something about it while we’d been carrying her here and we’d noticed it as well.” Her eyebrows narrowed. “I’m not sure how or why there was oil on the first step but I think that was what had made her slip and fall.” Different thoughts began dancing in my mind. I hadn’t noticed if the first step was slippery or not while I’d been coming up to her room.
Probably because I’d been so driven by the urgency to lay my hands on her.
As of Kathleen could read my thoughts, she added, “We already cleaned it out so someone else wouldn’t slip and fall.” That explained it then. My gaze returned to Keera’s face. The thought of anyone harming her, intentionally or not, made my blood boil. Elena continued to tend to her while I struggled with containing the urge to pace around the room. I secretly willed her to wake up as my eyes locked in her resting form, needing her to reassure me that she was okay.
Finally, Elena finished her examination and stepped back. “She’ll be fine, Grayson. Just a concussion and some bruising,” she reassured me, her expression softening. The others filed out of the room, casting concerned glances my way. I barely registered their departure, my focus solely on Keera. I heard the door click and then it was just Keera and I in the room. I dragged a seat beside her bed, taking her hand in mine. Her skin was cool to the touch, but I could feel her pulse beating steadily. I intertwined our fingers, holding her hand tightly.
I should never have left her alone.
I pushed her hair away from her face. “I’m here, Keera,” I whispered, my voice cracking, emotion welling up inside me. “I won’t leave your side.” I rubbed her hand distractedly, finally admitting the truth to myself. Who had I been fooling? Thinking that I could get involved with my mate and not catch feelings for her? I admitted the depth of my emotions to myself. This wasn’t just concern for someone under my care. This was something more. Something primal and raw.
I’d never felt this way about anyone before.
The intensity of my feelings scared me, but I couldn’t deny them. I couldn’t deny how frightened I was to have her leave after the case was over. Her hand stirred in mine just then, and I looked up, hope surging through me. “Keera?” I whispered, leaning forward. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she gazed up at me, confusion clouding her eyes. I smoothed her cheek, wondering if I was supposed to let Elena know she was awake.
“Grayson?” she whispered back, her voice barely audible. My heart swelled, and I smiled, relief washing over me. I let her know that I was here now, giving her hand a small squeeze. Her gaze drifted shut again and I settled in beside her, determined to stay by her side until she fully awakened. I watched her chest rise and fall with each gentle breath, glad that everyone had unanimously made the decision to let us be for a while.
I didn’t even want to think about what they would make of my reaction.
Keera was more important right now.
She woke up a few hours later and this time, I immediately sent for Elena. She arrived quickly, letting me know she needed privacy with Keera. I stepped out of the room and headed downstairs, a bit surprised to see that they were waiting their turn to go see her. I walked to the fridge, taking out a bottle of water. How long had they been here? I became increasingly aware of the weight of their gazes. Their curious glances made me realize my reaction had raised suspicions.
I’d lost control, revealing too much. I turned my attention to Nyx and Ginny. The concern etched on their faces wasn’t just for Keera’s well-being; it was also for mine, their Alpha’s. I’d always prided myself on my composure and my ability to remain level-headed no matter what I faced. But with Keera, all bets had been off. Just as I was contemplating damage control, Nyx walked across the living room and into the kitchen.
Her piercing eyes locked onto mine as she leaned against the kitchen island watching me raise the glass in my hand to my mouth. I already guessed what she wanted to talk about. Nyx was more than just my gamma female, she was also a trusted friend and confidante. My eyes met Ginny’s from across the room and I had no doubt I would also be talking to her soon enough. When I finished with the water, Nyx signaled for me to come with her with a jerk of her head.
I followed her into the cozy study I’d built downstairs. We stepped into the room, the air thick with the scent of old leather and parchment from the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that lines every corner of the room. Nyx closed the door behind us, her movements fluid and deliberate, and leaned against the doorframe. She turned to me, going straight to the point. “Grayson, what’s going on with you and Keera?” she asked, her voice low and measured.
Her eyes were trained on mine, probing for answers. I let out a small scoff, shrugging and trying to downplay my emotions. There was no need to ask her why she was asking that. We both already knew why. “We’re just getting to know each other Nyx, that’s all. She’s been helpful with the case.” My words sounded hollow, even to my own ears. Nyx knew me well enough to know when I wasn’t saying the whole truth.
She raised an eyebrow, her gaze piercing and I knew I wasn’t getting out of her hook so easily. She could be even more stubborn and hard-headed than Ginny when she really wanted to be. She folded her arms across her head, shaking her head slowly. “Don’t play dumb with me, Grayson. I’ve seen the way you look at her. The way you reacted when she got hurt… that wasn’t just concern for a friend.” Her voice was laced with a hint of amusement but I could also detect the worry underneath.
I tried again. “Nyx, there’s nothing going on between us. We’re just… we’re just cool, really.” My words were firmer this time, but they still held no conviction and Nyx was no fool. She scoffed, shaking her head and putting her hands on her waist. She seemed disappointed that I would even try to lie to her. It wasn’t that I wanted to. But how could I admit that I was slowly falling into a rabbit hole. One I wasn’t even sure I wanted to get out of?
She stepped closer, her eyes burning with an intensity mixed with a bit of anger and frustration. “Grayson, don’t lie to me. And more importantly, don’t lie to yourself.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re playing with fire, and you know it.” Her words struck a chord deep within me, especially because I knew she was right. My feelings for Keera went far beyond friendship, far beyond the casual relationship we were trying to hide from everyone. The realization terrified me.
“Be careful, Grayson,” Nyx advised, her voice laced with warning. “You know why.” She whispered. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I saw the unspoken words hanging between us; the law, the pack’s safety, the risks of exposure. Yes, I knew why. We both knew why. Werewolves were forbidden to get romantically involved with humans. The risks were too great; exposure, rejection or even worse. Our laws were clear, and as Alpha, I was expected to uphold them.
But for the first time ever, I was doing a shitty job.
I ran a hand down my face, watching Nyx’s expression soften. Her eyes filled with empathy. “I’m not just talking about the laws, Grayson. I’m talking about your heart. You’re playing with fire, and you could get burned.” Her words echoed in my mind long after our conversation ended. I walked back into Keera’a room, my entire body relaxing the second I laid eyes on her. As I took the seat beside her bed, I came to terms with my fate.
I would gladly get burned for her.