112

112
“I thought it was my turn!”, Eoff whined as he attempted to snatch the bottle from Sia.
“It was,” Ruarc said. “But as you can see, your elder brother is quite anxious to get back to his plaything.”
“She’s not my plaything!”, Sia growled as he reached for another bottle and uncorked it, having finished the other.
“Then what is she, if not your plaything?”, I ask him. “She’s definitely not your mate or whore so what is Pharix to you?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure we’re still talking about Pharix here?”
“Definitely. What is she to you?”
“Why do you care?”
“Why shouldn’t I? If the father of my unborn child is exchanging liberties with another woman, then I need to know.”
There it was, my secret out in the open.
Sia set down the bottle, purple eyes meeting mine. “You’re…you’re pregnant?”
I wanted to lie. I felt like lying but they need to know. He needs to know. After all, if I don’t tell him, he would eventually find out once my baby bump starts to show.
“Yes, I am. I know it’s impossible to be, but I am”, I confess, the words rushing out of my mouth. Goddess, I am so nervous. “You don’t seem to be happy.”
“He’s in shock,” Ruarc whispered. “We all are!”
“Say something!”, I yell, resisting the urge to scream. “Any one of you!”
They remain quiet and I rise, exiting the circle. “It’s been a nice night and I’m sorry that I had to ruin it. Goodnight.”
Before any of them could speak, I grab Ruarc’s arm forcing him to teleport me back to the South Wing.
“It’s okay. I can take it from here,” I tell him.
“Will you be, okay?”, he asks, concerned eyes glazing over me.
“I would be fine. Now just go back to your little party.”
“Crinka, it’s not like he doesn’t want it. He does. He’s just in shock,” Ruarc explained.
“I’m sure your brother can speak for himself Ruarc. Now go.”
I don’t wait for him to leave, walking down to Sia’s room. I open the door and I nearly have a heart attack when I see Sia standing by the windowsill, a lit cigar between his lips.
I didn’t know he smoked.
“You should have told me,” he said, turning to me.
“Told you what?”
“That you are pregnant. That you’re going to be a mother.”
“I was going to tell you once you were free.”
“I am free now, so tell me. Are you truly pregnant?”
I am baffled by his question. “You think I’m lying about being pregnant?”
“I don’t know what to think Crinka. Just a few days ago we were discussing the possibility of you being pregnant and now you’re actually pregnant!”, he exclaimed, disposing of the cigarette.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. This has never happened before Crinka. It’s unheard of. A werewolf conceiving an Icelander. Only humans and Icelanders have a chance and the last time I checked, you’re still a werewolf.”
“Well, it’s happened. You know, I kind of expected you to be happy.”
“Happy?”, he asks. “I can only be happy once I’m certain the child is mine.”
Is he serious right now? “Sia, of course the child is yours! How can you even think that it’s not?”
“Well, after your sexual escapades with Sycamore, I am liable to think anything.”
I froze. He knows. Fuck, how does he know? Sycamore said that Sia has no idea what happens when he takes over, so how does Sia know?
“Surprised?”, he asks. “I didn’t expect anything less.”
“I… Sycamore is not the father, you are.”
He laughed. It was bitter. “You didn’t even deny the fact that you two slept together.”
“You’re jealous. You have no right to be jealous. It’s practically the same body.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s the same people. Crinka, I have every right to be jealous. You fucked him.”
“And so, what huh? I had needs, he met them. Sia, if you’re jealous it means you care.”
“You cheated on me Crinka. You cheated!”
“It’s only cheating if we were in a relationship Sia. And stop acting like a saint, you are no better.”
“I never slept with Pharix, so I’ll like to think that I am better.”
“If it’s an apology you want, you’re never going to get it because I do not regret any of it.”
He slapped me. I didn’t even realize it until pain resonated through my cheek. Eyes wide, I stared at him, holding my cheek.
“You slapped me?”
“And I’ll do it again until you learn some respect. Crinka, just because I never loved you doesn’t mean we were not in a relationship. We were, and I treasured every moment of it. Finding out about your affair with him hurt me and it’s because of what you’ve done that I’m not so quick to believe that the kid in your belly, if there be one is mine. Therefore, tomorrow I’d have Izal examine you just to be sure.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“And he’s not? Crinka, he’s a much bigger asshole than I.”
At least he admitted to being an asshole. “I don’t care. He might be an asshole but he would never physically assault me like you do.”
He scoffed. “You don’t know that man Crinka. No one does. He hurts Crinka. That’s what he does.”
“And you don’t? You’re no different from him Sia? You fucking slapped me!”
“I did it to correct you.”
“Correct me? Do you realize how pathetic that sounds?”
“Yes. That is why I don’t approve of what he did to you.”
My eyes widen. His eyes are no longer purple but violet. His voice is huskier and has that lazy drawl I have come to love.
“Sycamore?”
He smirks and there are goosebumps on my skin. “The one and only. Did you miss me?”
“Was I supposed to?”
He pouted. It was adorable. “Come on Crimson, don’t be like that.”
I frown. “Crimson?”
“My nickname for you. You like it?”
I chuckled, amazed. “You… you do realize that’s the color of my wolf, don’t you?”
He smiles. “It is?”
I laugh again. “Yeah.”
He licked his lips, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
“So, did you miss me?”
“Why did you leave?”
His smile dropped. “You don’t answer a question with a question Crimson. That’s so unladylike and unattractive.”
“Just answer it. Why did you leave? After we…”
His eyes briefed mine. “After we what?”
I sigh. “After we had sex, why did you leave without saying goodbye?”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to say goodbye.”
“Sycamore, that is not the point here and you know it.”
He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look him in the eye. “Then, what is the point?”
“Why did you leave?”
He chuckled lowly. “You’re doing it again Crimson.”
“And I will keep doing so until you answer the question Sycamore. Why did you leave?”
“I left because I didn’t want to stay.”
His reply hurt. It wasn’t supposed to but it did. “Why didn’t you want to stay?”
“I answered your question, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did that’s why I’m asking another one. Why didn’t you want to stay?”
He remained silent. I pressed on. “Didn’t you enjoy it? Or was I too, I don’t know, boring?”
He exhaled sharply. “You were not boring Crimson.”
“Then what is it?”, I yell. “Why didn’t you stay?”
“I didn’t stay because I needed to leave. And no, it’s not the sex. In fact, it was more than amazing.”
It clicked. “And that’s the problem”, I voice out, stepping away from him. “It was more than amazing that you began to feel. And because those feelings became too much for you to bear, you had to leave because if you didn’t, those feelings would have consumed you so much that you would have lost control. And from the way I see it, you love being in control. Am I correct?”
“Crinka, if I had lost control, let’s just say you would have ended up like the whore I fucked after.”
So, my theory was correct. And what whore is he talking about?
“You fucked someone after me?”
He clicked his tongue. “That shouldn’t come as a surprise to you darling.”
“I’m not surprised, just angry. You can’t just go around and be using Sia’s body for nonsense.”
“You didn’t seem to care about that when you begged me to take you.”
I glared at him. “What we shared earlier was not nonsense.”
“Then what was it?”, he asked, leaning in. “What did we share Crimson?”
“I…I don’t know. I don’t think I can describe it”, I murmur, looking away.
“Well, I can. And do you know how I describe it?”, he asked, jerking a finger under my chin so I could look at him. I look away, not wanting to hear it, afraid that it might not be the response I desire.
“I don’t want to know.”
“You seemed very eager to know in the beginning.”
“That was then. I do not want to know.”
“I will tell you anyways. Crinka, I didn’t have sex with you because I felt something. I slept with you because it was a necessary step to enable you complete the transition faster.”
My heart sank. “You slept with me so that I don’t waste time becoming like you?”
“Something along the lines, yes. Now don’t look so forlorn. Men have slept with women for worse reasons.”
“Those were men who didn’t care about the woman in question. You care about me Sycamore. I saw it when you spared my life. I felt it in your touch and gentle caresses. You do care, but you won’t admit it and I want to know why.”
“You ask too much,” he said, lightly touching my hair. “And it’s fine to want to know more Crimson. What isn’t fine, however, is asking the wrong man.”
“You look pretty right to me,” I muttered, slapping his hand away. “I want to know Sycamore. Your answer would determine how I am to address you.”
“There’s only one way to address a hell hound, and that is by his name. I will answer your questions in due time Crimson, so please exercise patience.”
And with that, he left me again, hungrier than before.
I have definitely lost it.