Aysel
Skylar was insufferable.
She didn’t stop grinning the entire time we walked out of the restaurant.
“The naked chef,” Skylar whispered, her voice dripping with glee.
“I can’t believe that’s what I’m calling him now.
The naked chef sent his personal guard to protect you.”
“Skylar, I swear to the gods…”
“Did you see their faces when they came in?
They looked like they were ready to tear Caleb apart limb from limb.
And then they just…
bowed to you.
Like you were royalty.” She elbowed me in the ribs.
“Like you were their Luna.”
“I’m not his Luna, Skylar,” I said “I barely know Magnus.
We have…
an arrangement.
A business arrangement.
That’s all.”
“Right.” Skylar’s tone was deliberately neutral.
“A business arrangement where he sends his most trusted men to protect you, even though he might be wounded, where he….”
“It’s not like that.
He’s just…
he’s trying to get something from me.
Information.
Leverage.
Whatever his agenda is, it has nothing to do with….”
“Ms.
Stormborn.”
I turned to find one of Magnus’s men, the one who had spoken to me in the restaurant, had stepped forward.
“Yes?”
“Alpha Magnus instructed us to protect you with our lives.” The man’s tone was respectful.
“His last conscious command was to ensure your safety above all else.”
“His exact words were: ‘Protect her.
Above all else.
Let nothing touch her.'” The man’s jaw tightened.
“I have served Alpha Magnus for fifteen years.
I have never heard him prioritize anyone over his own survival.
Not once.”
Skylar was very, very quiet beside me.
The man’s words were burrowing into my chest, taking root in places I didn’t want them to grow.
Magnus had been dying.
Magnus had been dying, and his last thought had been of me.
Why?
What could I possibly mean to him that would warrant that kind of sacrifice?
“What…
what exactly happened to him?” The question escaped before I could stop it.
“He’s actually recovered.
He’s already regained consciousness, though he’s still weak but this information is classified and no one knows yet.”
“In addition more,” the man continued.
“Alpha Magnus instructed us to bring you back to the pack.
There’s an important lead and he believes you need to know.”
My mind was racing.
Information.
He only wanted to share information with me.
“I can’t just follow you back to shadowbane yet” I replied.
“I need to make sure Skylar home first.
She was just attacked because of me.
I’m not leaving her unprotected while I go running off to play politics.”
The lead man hesitated, then nodded slowly.
“As you wish, Ms.
Stormborn.
I’ll select the best available men.”
“Not just any men,” Skylar interjected playful.
“I have requirements.”
The lead man looked utterly bewildered.
“Requirements?”
“Of course.” Skylar grinned, clearly trying to lighten the tension.
“If I’m going to have a bodyguard, he needs to be handsome.
Really handsome.
Like, unfairly attractive.”
“Sky…” I started, but she wasn’t finished.
“And he needs to be muscular.
Not just fit, you know?
He has to come with the whole six pack body structure.”
The men exchanged confused glances.
“Also,” Skylar continued, “he has to be able to cook.”
She gave me a wink at all.
I couldn’t help it….I burst out laughing.
“You’re impossible,” I managed, still laughing.
“Absolutely impossible.”
“I’m practical,” she corrected.
“If I’m going to have a shadow, I want him to be nice to look at.
Is that a crime?”
The lead man had pulled out a small notebook with serious concentration was writing.
Skylar’s eyes went wide as I laughed harder.
“Oh my gods, he has been writing it down.”
I bent over, gasping for air, tears streaming down my face.
The absurdity of the situation, the fight with Caleb, the news of Magnus’s injury, the tension that had been coiling in my chest for hours, all of it came pouring out in helpless laughter.
Skylar joined in, her giggles mixing with mine.
“The gods, Skylar.
You’re going to be the death of me, aren’t you?” I said, finally getting my laughter under control.
“That’s the plan,” she confirmed, grinning.
“Besides, if I’m going to be in danger because of your drama, I’m going to enjoy every perk I can extract from it.”
I shook my head, still smiling.
But beneath the humor, I knew Skylar was trying to make light of a terrifying situation, and give me something to laugh about instead of focusing on the danger.
And it was working.
“The guard detail will be assigned by tonight,” the lead man said, tucking his notebook away.
“I’ll personally ensure that only the best are considered for the position.”
“Thank you,” I said, meeting his eyes.
“I mean it.”
He inclined his head.
“It’s our honor to serve, Ms.
Stormborn.”
***
Damon
The phone rang again.
And again.
And again.
Each unanswered call increased my frustration further.
“Pick up, Skylar.
Please just pick up.”
Nothing.
I ended the call and immediately tried again, my thumb stabbing at the screen with more force than necessary but it was the same result.
She wasn’t answering.
Of course she wasn’t answering.
Why would she?
After what I’d done to her friend?
I dropped my phone onto the bed and ran both hands through my hair as the memory of Aysel’s hurt expression kept replaying in my mind.
I’d been an absolute bastard.
I’d ignored my mate for my dead brother’s wife.
And now I couldn’t even apologize.
I couldn’t even get through to her phone or Skylar’s phone.
“Still trying to reach that girl?”
I looked up to find my mother standing in the doorway of my room with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Her name is Aysel,” I said flatly.
“And yes, I’m trying to reach her because I need to apologize.”
“Apologize.” My mother’s voice was sharp.
“For what, exactly?”
“For being a fool.” The words came out more bitterly than I intended.
“For treating her like that when she was clearly everything to me.”
“Clearly.” My mother shook her head slowly.
“I don’t know what’s happened to you, Damon.
You were never this…
emotional before.
So easily swayed by some woman’s pretty face.”
“It’s not about her face, Mom.” I replied.
“Then what is it about?”
I couldn’t answer that.
I couldn’t explain the warmth I felt anytime I was in her presence
I couldn’t explain what her scent did to me.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said finally.
“What matters is that I was wrong, and I need to make it right.”
“If you ask me…”
“I’m not asking you.”
The words came out sharper than I intended, and my mother’s expression hardened in response.
“Watch your tone, Damon.
I am still your mother.”
“I know.” I took a breath, trying to calm the frustration building in my chest.
“I know.
I’m sorry.
But Mother, please…I don’t need you to tell me what I should think about Aysel.
I need you to let me figure this out on my own.”
My mother was silent for a long moment, her eyes searching my face.
Then she shook her head slowly.
“You’re making a mistake.
That girl is not worth the trouble you’re putting yourself through.”
“She is my mate, Mother.
We were supposed to be married by now.”
I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have someone I need to see.”
“And where exactly do you think you’re going?”
“I don’t know yet.” I pulled my phone out again, checking for any messages.
Still nothing.
“But I’ll figure it out.”
“You’re impossible.” My mother shook her head in exasperation.
“Absolutely impossible.
You’ve never been like this about anyone before.”
“Maybe that should tell you something.”
I was reaching for the door when my phone finally rang.
I grabbed it so quickly I nearly dropped it, but the caller was Skylar or Aysel.
Still, I answered.
“Hello?”
“Damon.”
The voice on the other end was familiar, Alpha Remus.
Why was he calling me?
“Alpha Remus?
What…”
“I have Aysel’s address.” He said, cutting me off.
“I thought you might need it.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“You…
how did you know I was looking for it?”
“I’ve been keeping tabs on the situation.” There was something in his voice I couldn’t quite identify.
“I know you might have been trying to reach her.
I thought this might be…
easier.”
I frowned.
For as long as I had known Alpha Remus, he wasn’t exactly fond of his daughter so this felt calculated.
But I didn’t have time to analyze it.
I needed that address.
I needed to see Aysel.
“Thank you,” I said quickly.
“I appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Remus’s voice was smooth.
“I’ll text it to you now.
And Damon?”
I paused.
“Yes?”
“When you go to check on her, be sure to report back to me immediately if anything seems unusual.”
“Of course,” I said automatically.
“Whatever you need.”
I ended the call just as the text came through with the address.
My heart was pounding as I read it, memorizing the location.
“I’m leaving,” I said, not looking at my mother.
“I’ll be back later.”
I was out the door before she could say another word.
I needed to tell her everything I should have said before she left.