Chapter 24: Two Different Storms (IV)
Rosalie:
The moment they stiffened, panic immediately rose inside me.
Noticing the subtle tension that had suddenly settled between them, I quickly leaned forward on the couch and explained myself before either of them could misunderstand.
"I-I only need to get my mother’s bracelet from the Blackthorn pack house," I said softly, my fingers tightening around the warm teacup sitting between my palms. "That’s all. I’m not planning to stay there longer than necessary."
The storm outside rumbled violently, rain crashing harder against the glass walls of the study, but somehow the silence inside the room still felt heavier.
I swallowed slowly before continuing, quieter this time. "It’s the only thing I have left of her."
The words hurt far more than I expected.
For a moment, memories of my mother flooded my chest so suddenly it became difficult to breathe. Her soft hands brushing through my hair. Her gentle voice humming old pack lullabies while preparing dinner. The gold bracelet around her wrist that used to clink softly whenever she moved. I remembered sitting on her lap as a child and playing with the tiny moon charms attached to it while she laughed and told me I would one day grow into a beautiful wolf blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.
Instead, I had grown into the weak girl everyone pitied. And now both my parents were gone. That bracelet was all I had left of a life that no longer existed.
"I won’t speak a single word about either of you," I added quickly, pulling myself out of those painful memories. "Not about Eiden saving me or about the Nightfang Pack. I won’t mention my plans to anyone either. I just... need that bracelet before I leave everything behind."
Across from me, Zaiden remained unreadable with his sharp eyes fixed steadily on my face while Eiden watched me with that same quiet softness that always made my chest tighten strangely.
The tension in the room eased slightly. Not fully, but enough.
Then Eiden finally spoke, his voice calm and warm like always. "Will you be alright going back there alone?"
The concern in his tone caught me off guard. I looked at him properly, startled by how genuine he sounded. It wasn’t pity or suspicion, but worry... for me. And somehow that realization felt far more dangerous than it should have. Because these two men clearly knew more than they were letting on. Maybe they had already figured out things without asking. Maybe Eiden had seen enough during my nightmares and panic attacks to understand that my departure from Blackthorn Pack hadn’t exactly been peaceful.
Or maybe they were simply observant enough to realize no one would nearly die trying to escape a place they still considered home.
Whatever the reason, I forced a small reassuring smile onto my lips and shook my head lightly. "I’ll be alright," I told him. At least I hoped I wold being going back to Blackthorn Pack House on my own.
The words sounded far less convincing aloud. Still, I pushed forward before either of them could object. "After this one last visit, I won’t have anything tying me to Blackthorn Pack anymore."
And I meant it.
Joining the Nightfang Rogue Pack wasn’t something I was taking lightly. Even I knew the reputation surrounding the Rogue Pack. Wolves who joined them abandoned their old allegiances completely if any. They became part of something new. Loyal only to Nightfang.
So I lifted my gaze toward Zaiden and spoke carefully. "I understand what it means to join your pack. I won’t keep connections with anyone outside of it. Especially not with Blackthorn Pack or Crescent Wolf Pack."
Silence stretched through the room again before I noticed the two men exchange a glance. Something unspoken passed between them, and then Zaiden finally nodded once as he spoke calmly, "You can go."
Relief loosened the tight knot in my chest instantly.
"But," he continued before I could speak, "you’ll settle into the Nightfang Pack first."
I blinked at him.
He leaned back slightly against the couch, resting one arm lazily along the armrest while the storm outside flashed behind him, illuminating his sharp features for half a second. "You can return to Blackthorn a few days later."
Honestly, the suggestion sounded perfect. Because despite what I had said earlier, I still wasn’t ready to face them, to stand in front of Alastor, Darien, and Kaiser again and pretend my heart wouldn’t shatter all over.
I wasn’t ready to see Charlotte beside them, nor was I ready to discover whether they regretted losing me at all.
So the idea of having a few more days to breathe, to settle somewhere new before confronting the remains of my old life, felt like mercy.
I nodded almost immediately. "Okay," I agreed softly. "That’s fine."
Eiden set his teacup down gently. "I’ll have Aria arrange everything. You should be able to move into your new house within the next two days."
My eyes widened slightly. A house? For me? Emotion clogged my throat so suddenly I almost forgot how to speak.
"Thank you," I whispered quickly, looking between both men. "Really... thank you."
No matter what happened now, even if they rejected me this very moment, even if these mate bonds were nothing more than unfortunate complications for them, I would still remain grateful.
Because when the rest of the world abandoned me, these two had given me shelter, safety, kindness, a future. And perhaps that was already more than I deserved.
But neither of them mentioned the bonds, nor did they reject me. And with each passing minute, my brain started to race.
Maybe they simply hadn’t brought up the mate bonds because I just recovered from my injuries. Maybe they planned to reject me after I settled into the Nightfang Pack. Maybe they didn’t know how to approach the situation either. Maybe-
A sudden light tap landed against the tip of my nose, and my entire body froze.
I blinked in shock and looked up straight into Eiden’s eyes. He had leaned closer without me even realizing it. Close enough for me to notice every detail of him beneath the warm dim lights of the study. The soft strands of silver hair falling beside his face. The deep blue eyes watching me with quiet amusement. The faint scent of herbs and lotus surrounding him.
And then the mate bond reacted. Violently.
Warmth bloomed through my chest so fast and intensely that my breath nearly caught in my throat. It spread everywhere at once - through my ribs, my stomach, my pulse - like something inside me had suddenly awakened and reached for him desperately.
My heart skipped so hard it physically hurt.
I stared at him with wide eyes. Meanwhile, he only smiled softly, completely calm despite the chaos erupting inside me.
"Stop running your head so much," he murmured gently. "You look like you are doing exactly that."
And somehow, with just those words and that impossibly soft look in his eyes, my entire storm quieted for one terrifying moment.
