Chapter 42

Rowena & Eric

Rowena

The dining room smelled like garlic and roast chicken, the only sounds that of cutlery on dishes and soft classical music in the background. My parents sat on either end of the table, wearing their more dressed-down—but still dressy enough for a family dinner—clothes. Eric and I sat between them, our gazes fixed on our plates.

This was our monthly occasion—every last Friday of the month, we had a family dinner with just the four of us. I always looked forward to it, as it was a chance for the four of us to get together and catch up.

With my father always busy with his Alpha duties, it was a chance for us to talk and enjoy some quality time. Usually we would have dinner, then retreat to the living room for movies or games, popcorn, and laughter.

But this month, I was dreading it more than anything. Especially with Eric sitting right across from me.

“Rowena?” my mother said, cocking her head at me.

“Hm?” I picked my head up from where I had been leaning my cheek against my fist and quickly realized that I had not only been zoning out while my mother was speaking to me, but that I also had my elbow rudely on the table. “Oh. Sorry.”

My parents exchanged glances. Meanwhile, Eric’s focus remained on his plate, where he was pushing his potatoes around without taking a bite.

“What’s going on with you two?” my father suddenly asked, setting his fork down. “It’s not like you two to be so quiet.”

Eric slowly lifted his head. Without looking at me, he turned toward my father. “I’m not feeling well,” he suddenly said.

Our father raised an eyebrow. “Are you sick?”

“Something like that,” Eric replied, and for a moment I thought that I saw his blue eyes flicker toward me—but it was gone just as quickly as it happened, leading me to wonder if I had imagined it.

My mother sighed. “Well, I think I’m full anyway,” she said, rising from her chair. “I’ll clean this up—”

“I’ll do it.” I suddenly stood and grabbed her plate before she could protest.

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the kitchen sink, scraping and cleaning dishes. I normally hated doing the dishes, but tonight, anything was better than having to sit across from my brother.

Or at least, that was how I felt for a time.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught my attention. I glanced over my shoulder and felt my stomach sink upon seeing Eric come in with another pile of serving dishes in his hands.

“Where should I put these?”

“Right there is fine,” I said tersely, nodding my head toward the counter next to me.

With a sigh, Eric crossed over and set the dishes down. He lingered there for a moment, our shoulders nearly bumping—and as I looked up into the window over the sink, with the sky dark enough outside so that we could see our reflections in the glass, I saw that he was looking right at me.

My face instantly flushed red, and I quickly grabbed another plate and began scrubbing furiously.

“What?” I muttered.

Eric said nothing. He just stood there for a long moment, silent and still. I chanced another glance up at him in the window’s reflection then, my face flushing an even deeper shade of red as our eyes met.

And then, without a word, he turned on his heel and left. The last I saw of him was the flash of his jacket as he grabbed it off of the hook, and then he was out the door.

As I stood there, my hands partially submerged under the soapy water, I couldn’t help but kick myself internally. Coward, I thought to myself. I should have confronted him, told him about my ultimatum.

But instead of doing that, all I had thought about was his missing talisman.

…

Eric

The man standing beside me was incredibly unimposing—khaki pants, a neat button-down, hair combed to the side and wearing leather loafers—but I knew better. This was an envoy from the North.

And I knew why he was coming.

I had caught wind of his arrival at the warrior camp, and instantly I knew that I had to intercept him. So that was why, now, instead of training, I was standing in front of my parents’ study door with this man at my side.

“Ah,” my father said as he opened the door. “You must be Gerald.”

“Pleasure,” the man replied, holding out his hand to shake my father’s. “Mr. Griffith, is it?”

My father nodded and shook the man’s hand—but I knew from his body language that he was feeling anything but welcoming. His eyes flitted over to me momentarily, a terse nod in my direction.

“We’ve been expecting you,” my father said, gesturing for the envoy to enter the study where my mother was also waiting. “Now, let’s talk about…”

Before I could follow them inside, my father’s eyes suddenly shot over to me again—a warning. The door then closed in my face, and their voices faded.

That was it. That was all I was going to get in return for intercepting this envoy and bringing him here, where my parents could handle him: a curt nod and a door closed in my face.

But it wasn’t going to stop me from eavesdropping, which was exactly what I did. Pressing my ear against the door, I steadied my breathing and borrowed some of my wolf’s senses in order to hear better.

“So, Gerald,” my father said. “You’ve come seeking my daughter, yes?”

“Indeed.” The envoy cleared his throat. “We believe that she may be—”

“Who is ‘we’?” That was my mother, her voice as stern as ever. “We know that she’s on the list. Surely you don’t intend on muddying the poor girl’s mind with such preposterous lies.”

“No, not at all,” the envoy replied, sounding somewhat frazzled now. I could practically picture both of my parents standing in front of him, intimidating him with their poised and powerful figures. “But you must understand, the resemblance is simply uncanny.”

“Uncanny.” My father scoffed. “We are aware of her appearance, but I can assure you, she is biologically ours.”

“And she’s just beginning her studies as a combat manager,” my mother chimed in. “You wouldn’t propose interrupting a young woman’s studies, would you?”

“If only I could speak with the girl—”

“The girl?” my father interrupted. “She is the daughter of an Alpha, you know. Not only will I not have you speaking so plainly in reference to her, but I will not have the likes of you speaking with her at all.”

My mother sighed. “Unless you’d like to face the consequences of harassing an Alpha’s daughter, of course.”

The man was silent for some time. Then, I heard a soft mutter: “I think it’s best if I see myself out.”

“Yes,” my father said. “I think so, too. Don’t you, dear?”

“Oh, yes, my love,” my mother replied. “Take care now, Gerald.”

No sooner had I just barely managed to jump out of the way did the door swing open. A moment later, the envoy slipped out of the room. His beady eyes met mine in the dimly lit hallway, narrowing ever so slightly. before he quickly scurried away. I watched him all the way until he finally walked out the front door.

Shaking my head at my parents’ thinly veiled threats, I turned to leave. But before I could slip away, I heard my father’s voice call out to me.

“Eric, I know you’re there. Come in; we have much to discuss.”