Violet
By the look on his face, I could tell he didn’t believe a single word that left my mouth-and neither did I.
Would I, really?
He chuckled. “Because I see the way you look at him, Violet. And it’s not the look you give to someone you’re about to reject.”
I swallowed, feeling confused by my own thoughts. There was only one look I ever gave him, and that was a hateful one, right?
“I get why you’d want to reject him, though,” Nate shrugged as he lowered his gaze. “He has his moments, but he’s…complicated. He’s not always a good person.”
The pain in his voice was obvious. Whatever happened between the two of them had clearly left a scar because Nate was able to see something that even his own brother refused to see.
Kylan was not always a good person.
“What happened between the two of you?” I approached the situation with caution.
Nate smiled softly, looking up to hold my gaze. “I just tried to get him to talk about his feelings, like I always do…”
He drifted into thought, his jaw tightening a bit.
“And then?”
He took a quick breath, continuing as if it was nothing. “And then he called me my father’s ‘Lunaris-sniffing son’ and a ‘servant.'”
What?
I bit my lip, struggling to keep myself from laughing. It was horrible, I know-but just the thought of Kylan saying that, with a straight face, was too much for me.
Nate noticed and chuckled. “You can laugh. I laugh about it myself sometimes,” he admitted. “Kylan’s got a…let’s call it a creative way with words.”
“I’m not laughing,” I defended, though my voice turned high-pitched, and the big smile on my face had already exposed me. “That’s actually a really terrible thing to say to someone.”
Nate sighed. “Yes.”
“But if it helps,” I added, grinning, “I told him I’d rather get fucked by his dozen brothers than let him touch me again.”
Nate’s eyes widened. “Again?”
Heat rushed to my face as I had exposed myself for yet a second time. I turned away, feeling ashamed. “If you ever need someone to talk to,” I said, hoping to change the topic. “I’m here.”
Nate nudged my shoulder, laughing. “Look at you, trying to change the subject.”
“No, I’m not,” I pouted. “I mean it-you can talk to me. Always.”
He had always been looking out for everyone else-but who was looking out for him? I gave him a warm smile, hoping he could feel that I meant it.
“Thanks,” Nate smiled back, stretching out his fist.
I bumped it back. “You’re welcome.”
“And,” he then scratched the back of his neck. “I should probably apologize for my sister?”
I shook my head quickly. “No, you really don’t have to-”
“Trust me, I do,” Nate stated. “She gets so fucking possessive over Kylan, it’s weird…” he trailed off, looking frustrated. “She probably either doesn’t suspect anything or does not sees you as a real threat yet. Because if she did, you would’ve been dead by now-”
I raised a hand, cutting him off. “Honestly, let’s not go there. If I said what I really think about her, you’d probably kick me out of your room.”
Possesive, weird-all of it was nothing new as I had already concluded what kind of person she was, the minute she had told me to stay away from Kylan.
Nate grinned. “Fair point.”
A silence fell between us, but it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful, and it felt like we both needed the silence to gather our thoughts for a moment. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I realized it was already past curfew.
“So,” I broke the silence with a breath, “if we’re not having sex, what are we doing tonight?”
“What do you want to do?” Nate asked.
“We could play a game, watch a movie…” I listed off some ideas. “Or do something easy like share our frustrations about Kylan.”
Nate cracked a laugh, only I wasn’t joking. “That last one could go all night,” he rolled his eyes. “I’d rather keep it at a movie.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “Do you have something I can sleep in?”
“Sure,” Nate got up before disappearing to his closet.
It felt nice to be here with him. There was no awkwardness, no forceful situation, I didn’t have to worry about whether he wanted me here in the first place-because I felt welcome. It wasn’t his body I needed, it was his comfort.
When he came back, he tossed a black hoodie my way. I caught it just in time, feeling the warm fabric on the inside.
“My favorite,” Nate said. “Treat it with respect.”
“Thanks,” I beamed, holding it in the air for a second. “I’ll make sure to treat it with respect.”
Curious, I inspected the hoodie as I went to the bathroom to put it on. It had a symbol of a shield and sword in the center, with the initials ‘LRA’ stitched in red underneath.
I pulled the oversized hoodie over my head. It was way too big, but it felt nice, and it still smelled a bit like Nate. He always smelled good.
When I walked out again, Nate was already sitting on his bed with a laptop on his lap.
“And?” I called out, spreading my arms. “How do I look?”
Nate turned his head, giving me an amused look. “Like a kid who raided my closet.”
“No, I do not!” I gasped, climbing into bed beside him. I didn’t feel awkward at all. It was different from that time in Kylan’s room. Back then, I was so nervous, I couldn’t even breathe.
Even after feeling a bit more comfortable after a while, the nerves had never fully disappeared.
With Nate, there was no reason to be nervous because after canceling our initial plan, I had no expectations.
He was just Nate.
Not my mate, not someone I had kissed before, not someone whose clothes I wanted to rip off-he was nothing more than my teammate and close friend.
I scooted closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Have you picked one yet?” I murmured, glancing at the movies on his laptop. “What are we watching?”
Nate shook his head, tilting the screen toward me. “I don’t know-you tell me.”
Casually, he slung one arm over my shoulder, pulling me closer as his curious brown eyes stared into mine.
“Let’s see,” I said with a shy smile, taking control of the laptop.
Family day had almost turned into a disaster, but somehow, Nate had managed to turn it all around.