Chapter 9: No Home To Return To
Rosalie:
Eiden laughed for several long seconds before finally collecting himself. The sound filled the room in a way I hadn’t expected - warm, rich, and completely unrestrained. It didn’t sound mocking or cruel the way laughter usually did whenever people talked about rumors or weakness.
It sounded... genuine.
Which somehow made him even more dangerous. Because beautiful men who laughed like that should not exist.
Eventually, he let out a slow breath and lightly rubbed the corner of one eye before looking back at me with amusement still lingering in his deep blue gaze.
"My apologies," he said smoothly. "It’s just been a while since I last heard those particular rumors about myself." Another faint chuckle escaped him despite his obvious attempt to suppress it. "I got carried away."
I stared at him in surprise.
Honestly, I had expected irritation at the very least. Maybe even anger. Anyone would be upset hearing people accuse them of dark magic and punishment. But Eiden Thorn seemed almost entertained by it. And the realization confused me more than it should have.
He cleared his throat lightly, though the smile never quite left his lips as he spoke, "People can be surprisingly creative when left alone with their imaginations for too long."
Without thinking, I nodded quickly. "That’s true," I blurted out before my brain could catch up with my mouth. "Some people even said you were an ugly old man with horns on your head and-"
I stopped.
The words echoed loudly inside my own head while I stared at him in horror as realization slammed into me.
Did I seriously just say that out loud?
"...but that’s obviously not true," I muttered weakly at the end, my voice shrinking into embarrassment. I genuinely wanted the bed to swallow me whole.
Across from me, Eiden’s lips curved again. It wasn’t a full laugh this time, but that dangerously beautiful amused smile that made warmth spread across his face in a way that should honestly be illegal.
Goddess! Why did I keep humiliating myself in front of him? Maybe I really had hit my head harder than I thought.
Desperate to save what little dignity I had left, if any at all, I quickly changed the subject before he could comment further. "How did I end up here?"
Thankfully, he let me escape my embarrassment. The smile remained faintly on his lips, but he answered without teasing me further.
The last thing I remember was falling into the river. The cold water, darkness, pain, and the terrifying certainty that I wasn’t going to survive. Even now, remembering it made my chest tighten painfully.
I looked around slowly again, at the expensive room, the machines monitoring me, the warmth surrounding me like a shield against the nightmare outside. Then my gaze returned to him. I hesitated briefly before adding honestly, "I heard you don’t take patients."
Though admittedly... I was beginning to suspect most of the rumors surrounding Eiden Thorn were complete nonsense. Especially the ugly-with-horns part.
He leaned back slightly in the chair, studying me with an unreadable expression. That soft smile never fully disappeared from his face. Nor did he correct my statement.
Instead, he asked calmly, "How could I possibly refuse to take you in when the Moon Goddess practically delivered you directly to me?"
I blinked in confusion. "What?"
He folded his hands loosely together, his silver hair slipping slightly over his shoulder as he spoke. "I found you four days ago."
My breath caught slightly as I repeated, "Four...?"
He nodded.
"I was running near the riverbank when I sensed something." His gaze remained steady on mine. "At first, I thought it was debris carried by the storm. Then I realized it was a person."
A strange expression flickered briefly across his features before disappearing. "You were unconscious. Badly injured. Hypothermic. And barely breathing."
The words settled heavily in the room.
I swallowed slowly as the image formed vividly in my mind despite myself - my broken body washed onto an unfamiliar shore. Alone. Forgotten... Abandoned.
"And it’s really been four days?" I asked quietly.
He nodded again. "Yes."
Something sharp twisted painfully inside my chest. Four entire days had passed since that night. Since my world ended.
The realization hit differently than I expected. It felt too heavy and too real. It meant four days had passed since Alastor looked through me like I was nothing. Four days since Darien stood beside another woman and announced her as his mate. Four days since Kaiser wrapped his arm around Charlotte while I stood there breaking apart in front of everyone.
And four days since they decided my existence was disposable.
My fingers tightened weakly against the blanket beneath me as the pain in my chest returned instantly. It wasn’t physical this time, but far worse. Hot and suffocating tears threatened to rise again, but I forced them back with everything I had.
No. I wouldn’t cry. Not for the men who betrayed my love, my trust, and my loyalty. Not for the men who trampled over my dignity in front of both packs and then tried to erase me completely.
Because that was the truth now, wasn’t it?
The realization no longer felt uncertain. They wanted me gone. Dead and out of the way so their precious fated mate could have her perfect future without complications.
The thought hollowed something inside me.
I lowered my gaze slightly, breathing carefully through the ache in my chest. Only then did I realize Eiden had been watching me quietly the entire time. Not intrusively, just observing. As if waiting for me to gather myself without forcing comfort onto me.
It felt strangely respectful.
Then, after a moment, he asked softly, "What’s your name?"
The question startled me slightly. My lips parted before I answered automatically. "Rosalie." My voice sounded smaller than usual. "Rosalie Hale."
He repeated my name silently beneath his breath, almost thoughtfully. And for some reason, hearing my name in his voice sent something strange fluttering through my chest.
I quickly ignored it.
"There’s not much else to say about me," I added quietly before the silence stretched too long. My gaze drifted toward the blankets covering me.
"I don’t have family." The words hurt less than they used to. Maybe because I had already lost everyone important long ago. "My parents died two years ago." I swallowed. "I don’t have any relatives either."
The next words felt heavier. "I don’t really have a home to return to anymore."
A small part of me waited for questions after that. For suspicion, or curiosity. Something. Most people would ask how I ended up broken in a river. Where had I been living all these years? What happened to me?
But Eiden didn’t ask any of it. Not a single question. Instead, he simply stood from the chair beside my bed.
The movement drew my attention upward instantly. Even standing casually, he somehow carried an effortless grace that made it difficult not to stare at him again.
"Rest," he said quietly. His voice had softened noticeably as he added, "You are safe here."
The words settled into me far deeper than they should have.
Safe.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone genuinely meant those words when saying them to me.
Eiden adjusted the blanket slightly near my injured arm before continuing, "Right now, your only responsibility is recovering."
Then, he said my name again. "Understood, Rosalie?"
My breath caught.
It was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. And yet, hearing my name spoken in his low voice did something strange to me - something warm and unfamiliar that made my heart stumble painfully against my ribs.
For one terrifying second, I almost forgot how to breathe. And somehow... that frightened me more than anything else.
