“Well, does Violet know we might go to trial?” Mallory asked.
“No.” I voiced, monotone.
Mallory looked at me in slight disbelief, “then how are we-”
“Listen, nothing is final yet, I haven’t heard from the lovely king yet,” I cut him off, getting slightly ticked, “so, I’m not telling her about it yet.”
“But do you think that’s the best idea?” Garret challenged, “I mean, the sooner you tell her, that could give her more time to get comfortable with the idea and the topic.”
“Yes, I agree. You know she won’t be willing to talk about it right away.” Mallory backed him up causing a small growl from me. I knew they were right, I just hated how Mallory assumed he knew her so well.
“Oh my fucking God, then I’ll tell her.” I snapped at them. They raised their hands in mock surrender as they eyed me at my unusual behavior. “Mallory- how’s the information about that fucktard? Progress?”
He sighed, “no,” he seemed frustrated at the topic, but I didn’t care.
“Then what have you been doing?” I huffed out.
“Trying to figure it out. He supposedly went back to his pack, but he, his Beta, and Gamma haven’t been responding to anything. There’s no data on them.” he rubbed his forehead, growing annoyed at the topic.
Chris was supposedly currently in his pathetic pack. He was in my cellars, but the King told me he has to investigate the shit before I could do anything to him. Or else it’d be a crime and blah blah blah.
The conversation didn’t end that well.
So I had to let that bastard go, lucky for him I didn’t get to do much.
“Okay, whatever.” I puffed out.
“Dude, what the hell is up your ass today?” Garret raised an amused eyebrow at me.
“Your butt plug,” I growled at him.
That caused Mallory to laugh before he chimed in, “dude, seriously what’s with you?”
“Nothing just went to sleep late last night.” I rolled my eyes, relaxing back into my chair.
“Oh, late…” Mallory wiggled his eyebrows at Garret and I scowled at them.
“You’re getting action from Violet?” Garret asked, a small smile playing at his lips.
Yes, but not that type. Instead of verbally answering, I growled at them, narrowing my eyes.
“Oh, wait! Garret, what if Derek here is suffering from the good old ‘blue balls’?” he chuckled.
“Shut the fuck up. I’m getting action practically every night, just not from Violet.” I shrugged and the moment I said that Mallory and Garret lost any signs of amusement.
“Dude-” Garret started.
“Derek, you’re cheating on Viv?” Mallory asked, slightly shocked with his mouth open. “Why the hell are you doing that? Does she even know?” he was getting pissed at me and that rubbed me wrong.
“Yes. She even walked in on me fucking someone.” I fired back, smugly.
Garret shook his head, looking down.
“What the hell is wrong with you? She’s you mate-” I was getting real ticked with him and this power he thought he had to talk about my mate like that.
“Do you have a problem with it, Hamlin?” I questioned, sneering his forename and cocking an eyebrow at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but I wasn’t in the mood, “might I remind you, she’s my mate, Hamlin. It’s my relationship. I don’t need you to tell me how to run it. Understand, Hamlin?” I told him in disdain.
He kissed his teeth before averting eye contact and nodding in distaste.
I gave a dry, false smirk, “Garret, do you have anything to add?”
He shook his head, “leave.” I instructed both of them.
I didn’t need their fucking opinions. Correction- I didn’t need Mallory’s. I called Garret back in.
“Yeah?” He asked, sitting back down after he closed the door. I stared at him for a second before I sighed out.
“How’s Hannah?”
“She’s fine, you saw her last week,” he raised an eyebrow at my question. “Not even, on Sunday.” He seemed to have a slight attitude with me- I knew it was because I said I was sleeping with girls that weren’t Violet.
“Drop the Attitude. Back to where I was going,” I glared at him. “You think she’ll like Violet?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, I haven’t met her. Hannah wants to meet her, she’s nice.”
“Yeah,” I mused, leaning back in my chair. “But she’s quiet, doesn’t talk a lot. Do shy people get along?”
“She’s not shy or quiet,” he laughed, “she just doesn’t really speak to you. Nothing personal, just doesn’t have topics in common. Hannah talks to me all the time, I love it.”
I tilted my head nodding- so I can have Violet meet her.
“Hannah talks to you a lot?”
Garret blinked at me for a second. “Yeah… She’s my mate.”
“Well yeah- but- Violet’s more on the quiet side,” I told him, I was silently looking for advice.
He nodded. “I know, I heard she had a past, Mallory told me-”
I growled- cutting him off. Why was Mallory talking about her?
“What did he say?” I barked.
“She was ‘shy, pretty, quiet, traumatized’,” he recited and I wanted to drag Mallory back here and punch him. Why did he call her pretty? She is- no question about it- but it just makes me wonder.
I breathed out.
“Look, man. For starters, if you want her to open up to you, be nice to her. Stop sleeping with people,” he glared and I glared back. “Talking sounds come naturally to mates, it’s comforting to us. Touching is a good one too, it doesn’t have to be big, just small like holding her hand, or brushing her hair, kissing her cheek, you know?”
I shook my head. “I can’t touch her like that, she doesn’t like it. Trauma.”
“Do you know her coping mechanisms?”
“Self-harm.”
“Oh,” he frowned. “Maybe read up on different types of trauma,” I already have. “And ask her about it? Eat with her, say goodnight to her, something, Derek. It’s not about the ‘gesture’ but more about the meaning, you know what I’m trying to say?”
I nodded. I did that, walking with her when she couldn’t go to bed- the moment she felt tired I just wanted to pick her up and take her home and let her sleep.
But she wouldn’t have liked that. I dismissed him, thinking of my precious Flower.