Chapter 58: Rhys
“Why are you upset?” I asked Grace when I felt her emotions shift from nervous and scared to angry.
I had known Arlo for a long time. He was a good guy, and I had known she would be safe with him. But somehow, she seemed to be twisting my good intentions into something more.
“You were testing me,” She seethed, and I was taken aback by her angry tone.
“What?”
“You were freaking testing me.” She said again, shooting a glare my way. “You would know if anything inappropriate happened, blah blah blah. It didn’t matter that you knew I was uncomfortable and didn’t want to be there in the first place and then you freaking left me. I thought you weren’t supposed to do that crap to your mate.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I grabbed her arm gently, stopping her from walking any farther. “There was no test. I was not testing you. I just wanted you to meet someone who could understand what you’re going through but also teach you what you need. I would love to personally teach you everything. I would love to be the one to experience your every new experience, but Grace, I’m the Alpha King. You know this. I have a lot of responsibilities. People who are relying on me. And I’m also trying to search for your old pack. So, I can’t be the one who teaches you. I just don’t have the time, and when we have time together, I’d rather us be able to enjoy it instead of trying to cram lessons into it.”
She looked unconvinced, so I repeated myself. “There was no test. I knew you were safe.”
She rolled her eyes, and pulled away from me, and once again I worried that her agitation would cause an uncontrolled shift, breaking the binds holding her.
“Gracie,” I said gently, pulling her back to me. “I know you don’t believe me, but I have no reason to test you. I know today has been a lot. And you don’t really have any good reason to believe me, but I’m begging you to please understand that I just want what’s best for you.”
She softened a little with that, but she was clearly still on edge, so I ran my hands soothingly along her back.
“Why are you worried then?” She asked hesitantly.
“Well,” I thought about lying, but then decided that could only end badly for me. “Your powers might be quite strong, and I know you have a lot of heightened emotions right now, and I’m worried that you might lose control of them and have an uncontrolled shift that breaks through the binds holding you. I know we want to break the binds, but an uncontrolled shift could be really dangerous for both you and anyone around you.”
Her face fell, and I knew I had scared her a little. “Oh.” was all she said.
“I’m not saying it will happen, love. I just think it’s something we need to be aware of as a possibility.” I rubbed small circles into her back, and she seemed to deflate, all the fight she was feeling leaving her, but I wasn’t sure it was any better. I didn’t like the feeling of defeat that was coming from her now or the pure anxiety.
“It’s going to be okay, Gracie,” I said gently. She blinked quickly, and I realized she was trying not to cry. “We are going to get through this, together.”
She didn’t say anything, but I knew she was trying her best.
“Come on,” I told her gently, pulling her slightly up the path again. “It’s getting late. How about I have dinner brought up to our room, and you then you take a nice long bath to help calm your nerves?”
She nodded, and I wrapped my arm around her as tightly as I could. She was mine. And these feelings of inner turmoil she was feeling were my fault in every way. I just hoped I would be able to fix it.
Dinner was in full swing when we entered the pack house. I always loved the chaos of this time a day. It was always nice to see families and friends eating a meal together at the end of a long day. However, Gracie just tucked herself further into me as I walked to the line to grab us two plates. I knew she felt like she was an intruder or imposter in this pack, but I would work every day to change her perception of herself. She was their Luna, and they would love her.
“Hi Grace!” Alana exclaimed happily when she saw us.
Grace smiled at her and actually moved slightly from my side to my surprise.
“Do you guys want to have dinner with me and my friends?” Alana asked a little uncertainly.
I could feel Grace’s desire for it, but also her hesitation because we had made ‘plans’. “I actually have some work to do, but Grace, I think wants to?”
Grace nodded and tried to pull away from me, but I squeezed her back, and kissed her cheek before letting her go, her face heating as she walked away with her friend.
I watched her go before grabbing a plate and heading up to my office. It wasn’t a lie; I really did have work to be doing.
I opened my office door and to my surprise, Allison was sitting in my chair, clearly waiting for me.
“How did you get in here?” I demanded angrily.
“Tsk, tsk, Rhys, that is not how to great an old friend.” She smiled snidely. She once again was wearing the most revealing clothes as if I would be so easily enticed. “I just came to ask you to join me for dinner tonight?”
“No. I have more important things to be doing right now, Allison.”
“Your new girl seems too busy for you,” She gestured to the dinner plate I was carrying. “She can’t even eat with her Alpha.”
“Get out, Allison.” I growled slightly. “You are not supposed to be in here, nor are you supposed to be talking about my mate like you have any idea what’s going on between us. So get lost.”
“Oh come on, Rhys, I would be a far better partner than that thing,” She tried, and I decided I didn’t have to deal with this.
“Leon, come get Allison out of my office and make sure she doesn’t take anything with her.” I mindlinked my beta.
“Copy that.” He answered.
“Wait!” Allison called out as I turned away from her. "Don't go! Let me remind you of how good we are together!”
“No.” I answered, but I didn’t stop. We weren’t good together. We were nothing at all, and the sooner or later she would need to get that through her head.
I made my way all the way up to my floor and ate in my small office as I did some work. But my mind couldn’t focus very well, and I had the strongest desire to go find Grace. So, after about a half an hour of wasted time, I was on a hunt to find my mate.
I scanned the dining room, but there was no sign of Alana or the usual crew she sat with. However, my wolf told me he could sense her near and led me outside to the gardens and then I saw her.
She was laying on her back next to Sawyer watching the stars as they chatted, and my heart fluttered as I watched her without her knowing in the simplicity of this moment. This is what I wanted our forever to look like.
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