Evaline:
With all my friends gone, I locked the dorm’s main entrance before finally turning to face Draven.
I cleared my throat. "And you are taking to your mansion for the holidays...?"
His expression softened, and he nodded. "That’s exactly it. I’ll drive you there, and then you’ll stay with us during the holidays - with , Oscar, Kieran, River. I promise you will have a great ti there with us,."
I blinked, not sure where to begin about how many things were wrong with this plan. "I-Draven, I’m grateful. I really am, but I don’t think it’s right. Kieran and River, they don’t even know about my mate bonds with you and Oscar. What it’s gonna look like to them if I turned up at your house like an uninvited guest. We can’t even say that I’m your friend."
That’s right. There wasn’t a single possible excuse for to spend the holidays at the Rogue Alphas’ Mansion even if I had a reason and even a right to be there.
Draven watched with that soft look in his eyes. "You worry too much, Eva." He then took out his phone from his jacket’s pocket and started dialing a number.
"Kieran?" he asked softly. His tone pulsed with both respect and ease. "Could you... tell Eva what you said to earlier about her staying at the mansion for holidays? She might want to hear it from you."
I took the phone when he handed it over. My fingers curled around the cool edge as if holding onto safety.
"Professor?"
I heard soft crackle coming. His voice was carrying strength, warmth, and a subtle apology all at once as he spoke. "Miss Evaline. Please accept our offer. Stay with us for the holidays."
"Professor, it’s so nice of you to consider inviting . But I don’t think it’s appropriate for to stay at your mansion." I quickly spoke my thoughts. But I soon found that these n had made up their mind.
"Miss Evaline, let apologise first. And I insist that you accept our invitation. After all, we are the reason you no longer have a family, ho, or pack to return to."
My throat tightened, not because I felt sad about not having a ho, but because they still believed I ever had a ho and a family to begin with.
"I... I don’t know what to say," I whispered, voice thin as frost.
"You don’t have to say anything, just co. We want you there," he said.
Draven nodded at , his eyes gentle as if he was affirming his brother’s words.
We ended the call, and for a mont the air was thick - with snow, with hesitance, with possibility.
Draven took my hand in his. "I’ll help you pack. We have the evening. Most students will be gone, so we’ll be able to slip out without getting noticed."
I nodded softly before leading him to my room. The mont we stepped through the door, sothing clicked in my mind and I ended up chuckling which made him arch his eyebrows.
"What’s so funny?"
"I just realized this is your first ti using the main door instead of the balcony ones to step into my room," I said and watched as realization hit him too.
"That’s... well... it is what it is." He shrugged and moved to grab my suitcase while I started taking out clothes from my closet.
Woolen tops, trousers, sweaters, long winter coats, thermal wear, casual clothes, pajamas, a robe, inner wears, socks, a pair of shoes, toiletries, skincare and little bit of makeup, my dicines - Draven kept checking items on so invisible list as he helped pack.
It took barely half an hour for us to pack enough for to survive two weeks at the mansion.
Once we were done packing, I quickly fixed my bed and double-checked whether the balcony door was locked or not. Then, the two of us moved to the common room along with my suitcase.
"Have you already taken care of your friends’ Christmas presents? I didn’t see them just now." He asked as the two if us settled down on the big couch in front of the fireplace.
"I did yesterday." I replied, letting him pull my head to rest against his chest.
Fortunately, the Academy provided the courier service for Christmas. So I visited the office previous evening and posted all the presents.
The fire crackled gently as snow began to swirl against the windowpanes. I nestled into Draven’s chest, allowing the warmth to soak into my bones.
He stroked my hair softly. "You are a wonderful friend. Your friends are lucky."
I closed my eyes. "I’m lucky." I leaned up and kissed his jaw. It was a soft, lingering brush of lips that made his breath hitch.
The two of us fell quiet, wrapped in each other’s presence. There were no more questions, no more talking for a while, only the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat beneath . Minutes ticked by until he finally whispered, "Are you ready?"
I nodded. "I feel ready. At least as much as I ever can to face that place of yours."
It wasn’t like I hadn’t returned to the mansion at all ever since getting admitted to Silver Moon, but that brief visit barely counted compared to the two weeks I was about to spend there. Not only I didn’t have great mories of that place, but I was still wondering on how River was going to react to my presence in his house.
"Stop worrying," Draven whispered as he tightened the blanket around us before placing a kiss on the top of my head. "We still have nearly two hours to wait. You can get so sleep in the anti if you want."
I relaxed fully, letting his steady warmth lull toward sleep. The crackle of the fire and the soft click of the clock’s pendulum lulled into that drift between wakefulness and dreams.
His voice, low and almost reverent, pulled back. "I’ll wake you up once it’s ti."
I nodded through my sleep-fogged mind. "Mmm."
He chuckled quietly, and I felt him kissing my hair again.
And before I even knew it, I was lost in the world of pleasant dreams.
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