Chapter 232

Grace

The morning arrived like a veil of fury. The sun was too bright. The bed was hard. The sheets were itchy. I was pissed for reasons I couldn't understand. I woke up with a knot in my stomach, an inexplicable irritation that cast a shadow over my mood.

Everything irritated me

As I went through the motions of getting ready, my frustration and irritation got worse and worse. I tried to figure out what it was. Was it the unresolved tension with Charles? The extra debt? The knowledge that I still had to figure out what would happen with Devin or what. Maybe it was just the lingering echo of the disappointment I felt leaving his office?

Whatever the reason, I had no patience. Even the mundane task of choosing an outfit felt like something ready to make me blow my top. I felt like I was going to scream. My hands were shaking, looking into my closet. My eyes burned. My whole body felt like it was screaming.

My irritation intensified as I descended the stairs and found Eason in the kitchen, his back ramrod straight, jaw clenched as he devoured his breakfast. None of the stuff on this plate I didn't recognize. The silence that hung between us was thicker and heavier than ever. He didn't even look at me.

When he was angry, Eason always became reserved when we were younger. But this silence held a different edge, a simmering anger that reminded me more of his high school days. His expression irritated me more. It was getting under my skin the more I thought. Back then, he'd retreat into a stoic silence like this; his emotions were always bottled up until he eventually exploded in a burst of frustration.

I didn't know what would happen if he did explode.

I cleared my throat.

"Morning, Eason," I said, my voice strained.

He glanced at me. His eyes glint brighter than ever.

"Morning." His voice was just as strained, and there was something else in his eyes than the usual light. He dropped his gaze back to his food. I walked past, and he didn't even bother to look up from his plate. His lack of acknowledgment did nothing to quell the rising tide of annoyance within me. I walked away from him. I couldn't bother to deal with him when I was trying to figure out what was going on with me. With a quick glance in his direction, I mumbled something about needing to check on a few things at the company. Eason didn't say anything, but he sent the plates into the kitchen, then he headed out the back door.

A rush of cool morning air washed in from outside. I grabbed some food, but my stomach seemed unsettled. I turned and saw Eason walking over to Esme outside. He stripped off his shirt. His hair whipped around in the wind. His skin looked like it was glowing. Esme looked troubled and started gesturing, conjuring waves of light. Eason's face was an unreadable mask as he started sending blasts of light into the targets Esme had conjured. His magic crackled around his outstretched hand as he launched bolts of energy at the targets.

Esme watched him intently, her brow furrowed in concern. She looked nervous, and it stirred more irritation in me.

Eason, of course, was getting more attention than me. Esme was supposed to be here for me, to help me through the aftermath of the case. Eason. Northfall. Magic. I bit my lip. My mind was spiraling. Memories I couldn't even process washing through my mind, but my whole body was getting angrier and angrier by the second.

The sight of him casting spells fueled my irritation more. My mind went back to when I applied to Northfall. The rejection had hit me so hard. I remembered him getting accepted and swallowing it down and burning with fury inside.

I could feel it all over again.

The drug would have been easier to synthesize if I had magic. I wouldn't have needed all the help I did. Worse than all of that, here I was, facing a mountain of challenges as Alpha, and he was outside... doing what? Target practice? Acting like he was so wronged? Angry about what? I was the one on the edge of financial ruin. I was the one dealing with the company. What was his problem? Everything in me wanted to tell him about himself, and I thought about it.

Then, my phone chimed, telling me that it was time to get out of here. I grabbed my stuff and glared through the back doors at him. I'd deal with him. I was the alpha of Mooncrest. He owed me respect as his older sister, as the alpha--it didn't matter what issues he might have had with me.

The sight of Eason outside sent wave after wave crashing over me. I clenched my fists at my sides, and I quickened my pace toward the door. Reaching the front doors, I threw them open with unnecessary force. They squeaked and groaned. The sounds echoed through the empty hallway. As I stormed outside, I nearly collided with the group of three figures standing just inside the entrance.

At the forefront stood Ethan. He looked in between too healthy and not tired enough for having been in custody. Flanking him were two imposing enforcers, their expressions stoic and professional. My initial surge of anger momentarily stalled, replaced by a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

I glared at the trio. My arms crossed defensively. "What's going on?"

The enforcers, unfazed by my hostile demeanor, inclined their heads in a respectful bow.

"Alpha Wolfe," one of them rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly. "We apologize for the intrusion. We are here to deliver Mr. Darrow to you per the agreement."

My frown deepened. "Agreement? What agreement?"

The enforcer held out a document, his hand steady. "This one, Alpha Wolfe."

I squinted at the proffered document, a vague sense of unease prickling at my skin. It looked familiar, the official seal of the Mooncrest pack emblazoned at the top. But the details remained blurry, lost in the fog of the past few weeks.

Hesitantly, I took the document, my fingers tracing the cold, official lettering. As I scanned the contents, a jolt of memory ripped through me.

I was back in Devin's office. I was married again. Cecil had just been born. The air was thick with tension as he shoved a stack of papers towards me. His voice had been cloying, echoing in my ears. He'd put the pages in front of me.

It's better this way so you can focus on the baby.

I tumbled through time to the day of the divorce when he shoved the pages in my face, mocking me. The memories sent a wave of nausea washing over me. My grip tightened on the document, my knuckles turning white. I could see him in my mind's eye. I could see his smirk broadening and filled with triumph.

Looking back, it should have been the moment that I should have known that I had been played. What had I signed that day? Or rather, what else had I signed that day? What had Devin managed to get away with that day other than dumping off the full custody of our kids? I tried to remember what else I had agreed to for that divorce.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to remain composed. But I could hear his laughter echoing in the back of my mind. The memory faded as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a surge of anger hotter than before.

"I... I don't..." I stammered my voice barely above a whisper.

I looked up at the enforcers. The enforcer's face remained impassive.

"With all due respect, Alpha," he said, "your signature is on the document, along with the official stamp of the pack. As per your request, Mr. Darrow is here."

"Request..." I whispered.

My mind reeled. How could I have forgotten something so important? Shame burned in my throat, a bitter aftertaste of my own negligence and forgetfulness. I hadn't remembered making that request.

For Eason.

I'd made the decision for Eason, I was sure, but I hated the thought, especially when he was being an ass to me. Raising my head, I met Ethan's gaze. He looked a bit wary of me, but not like he was going to run.

I glared at him and was about to rip the agreement. My hands trembled, the document crumpling in my tightening grip. The urge to rip it to shreds, to scream at the enforcers to take Ethan away and throw him in jail, was overwhelming.

Just as I was about to unleash my fury, a familiar voice spoke from behind them.

"Have you changed your mind, Alpha Wolfe?" George asked. "If so, he'll be taken to his mother's coven."

I frowned and narrowed my eyes. "Which is...?"

"The Noir coven."