Chapter 102

Kayla

Over the following days, Nicholas and I turned to a familiar routine. There was a new distance between us, but no animosity. Or at least, it didn’t seem that way.

If Nicholas had any particular thoughts on the way I had effectively put an end to the more romantic side of our relationship, he didn’t show it. In fact, it was the very next day that his smile was firmly back in place, and he was throwing himself into his work as usual.

According to Nicholas, the majority of the guild members would be going on their biannual auditing tour of the packs soon. That meant that the guild hall would be far emptier than it normally was, and thus security would be just a little less tight.

“Tell Grace that we’ll be breaking her out this Friday night,” Nicholas instructed Noah. “She’ll be moving to the safe house, where she’ll remain until I become a chairman.”

Noah promised to relay the information to Grace, who we couldn’t speak to personally due to our untimely ban from the guild hall. But our suspension didn’t seem to set Nicholas back in the slightest; if anything, it just seemed to fuel him.

Now, more than ever, Nicholas seemed determined to become a chairman of the guild. It no longer seemed like a distant dream of his, but rather something fully within reach.

I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of a fire had been lit under Nicholas’s ass. No one else seemed to know, either. But none of us could find a reason why he shouldn’t be capable.

However, since we couldn’t go to the guild hall ourselves—even with more than half of the guild away on the audit—Nicholas couldn’t free Grace himself.

But of course, he kept insisting.

“No one will see me,” he said, puffing his chest out. “Have a little faith.”

Marcus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alpha, forgive me, but it’s not a good idea for you to go to the guild hall right now. I’ll do it.”

Nicholas bristled. “I need you here, Marcus. You’re my Beta. If anything were to go south, I’d need you on the outside.”

Suddenly, Noah cut in. “I’ll do it.”

We all turned toward Noah, who was leaning against the window overlooking the gardens—which were entirely covered with snow by now. He was looking much healthier as of late, his skin vibrant with color again and his cheeks and eyes no longer gaunt.

But Nicholas was as protective as ever.

“After what Gray did to you?” Nicholas scoffed. “I won’t see my friend put in danger like that again.”

“Which is exactly why I need to do it,” Noah explained. “Gray won’t expect me to put myself on the line so soon after that coma. I can go in under the guise of working late, then sneak Grace out.”

Nicholas hesitated for a moment, then glanced at me in question. I had to give him credit; despite the fact that our romantic relationship had come to an end, he still treated me like an equal, his partner.

I paused briefly, considering. The whole plan was risky no matter what, but Noah was the only one out of any of us who could get away with being at the guild hall after hours. He worked there, after all.

“I say we do it,” I said simply.

Noah grinned. Nicholas looked a little exasperated, but said, “If my Luna wills it, then it shall be done.”

I blushed a little at that statement, but didn’t press further.

And so it was settled. That Friday, we would finally break Grace out of her prison. For the first time in years, she would feel the air on her skin. For a little while, anyway; and then she would be a prisoner in the safe house Nicholas had supposedly prepared.

I trusted that Nicholas had prepared it well for her, but just to be safe, I put together a small basket of things to help ease Grace into her new home. That evening, I sat in my shed and folded up some blankets, extra clothes, a few books, and some knitting supplies to keep her busy.

Truthfully, I didn’t even know if Grace knew how to knit. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give her something to do. I knew that if I were in her position, I would want something—anything—to keep my hands busy.

As I knelt on the floor, packing up the small basket, I glanced up at the skylight overhead. The moon was nowhere to be found tonight, meaning that the stars were on full display.

I couldn’t help myself. Setting aside the basket for now, I scurried over to my telescope and peered through. I adjusted the dials and swung the scope around to get a good view of Orion.

But it was then that I heard it: a cough outside. I glanced over my shoulder, and there, through the window, I could see Noah sitting alone in the garden. He was smoking a cigarette.

I grabbed my jacket and left the shed, walking up to him. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

I must have startled him, because he immediately dropped the cigarette in the snow and coughed again. “I, uh—I don’t,” he said. “Figured I’d give it a try.”

I cocked my head and frowned. “Why? You know it’s terrible for you.”

Noah simply shrugged. “I’m nervous about Friday. About everything lately, really. Someone said that cigarettes can calm you down when you’re nervous.”

With a sigh, I took a seat on the stone bench beside him. Our shoulders brushed as I settled in, and Noah’s posture subtly stiffened. “There are other ways to handle your anxiety, you know,” I said softly. “But I get it. I’m nervous, too.”

Noah snorted and stretched his long legs out in front of him, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It feels like the world just keeps getting more and more complicated by the day.”

“Tell me about it.”

We sat in silence for a few moments. The air was particularly cold, nipping at every inch of exposed skin, but I didn’t mind. If anything, it was soothing.

“Thank you,” I suddenly said. “For putting yourself on the line to rescue Grace. That’s… brave of you.”

He cast me a sideways glance. “It’s the least I can do. After you saved my life.”

My breath caught a little. I hadn’t thought much about those moments in the jail lately, the moments when Noah had been convulsing on the ground while Gray and the guards had simply… ignored him.

“I did what anyone would have done,” I muttered.

Noah shrugged. “Perhaps. But no one else was doing it at the time. They might have let me die if you hadn’t said what you said.”

I pursed my lips. I didn’t want to believe that a member of the guild, an institution that was supposed to serve and protect us, would let a fellow werewolf die all for some petty scheme.

But they would. And they had. Grace’s mother… Nicholas’s mother… And now Noah.

“Do you believe that Nicholas will actually become a chairman and fix everything?” I suddenly blurted out.

Noah blinked. “I… would like to hope that he will,” he said after a moment. “Yes, I think he will. Someday. Hopefully soon. Before more people get hurt.”

I swallowed hard, nodding. “He missed you dearly, you know. While you were hurt. I’m not sure if he even slept that entire time.”

Noah chuckled. “He’s a better man than I am, then. If I had been in his position, then I might have said, ‘good riddance’.”

“You don’t mean that.”

He shrugged. “I was trying to steal him from you, Kayla. I know now that you’re not my fated mate, but I still do like you—and I’d try to steal you again, given the chance. The fact that he not only forgave me, but even trusts me now, is more than most people would do.”

My chest tightened. I knew that Noah still had feelings for me, but hearing him say it out loud was almost too much to bear.

“Noah…”

He held his hand up to stop me. “I’m not going to try to win you over, Kayla. That ship has sailed. I know now what you and Nicholas are to each other.”

“We’re not—We haven’t—Not more than once, anyway—”

“It doesn’t matter.” Noah looked almost amused, but it was tinged with something else. Something softer. Resignation, perhaps. “He cares for you, Kayla. More than he’s ever cared for anyone.”

My face heated, and I looked away. “Yeah, well… He might have a baby on the way. So it’s not happening.”

Noah shook his head. “Don’t let that baby get between you. I fear you both might regret it if you do.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but thankfully, Noah seemed to be finished. He stood and, with a nod and a tiny smile, bid me goodnight before he strode away. The cigarette was still smoking slightly on the ground, and I picked it up and put it out fully before tucking it in my pocket to throw away later.

After sitting there in contemplation for a few minutes, I made my way to bed as well. Nicholas’s study lamp was on when I passed, spilling amber light across the hardwood floors of the hall.

I hesitated, considering briefly if I should go to him. I wanted to.

But I didn’t. Instead, I went to my room and didn’t come out for the rest of the night.