Chapter 28
Astrid’s POV
Kaeleen finally made it back to the room, but he seed...off. He was usually so calm, so collected, but right now, his shoulders were tight, and his eyes darted around like he was expecting sothing to jump out at him.
"What happened?" I asked, my voice soft. I reached out and touched his arm, trying to ground him. "You seem anxious."
"How are you?" He asked , ignoring my question. "Does your body hurt?"
I shook my head. "I’m alright but what’s wrong with you?" I asked him softly.
He forced a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "It’s nothing, Astrid. Just pack business."
I didn’t believe him for a second. I’d only known him for a short ti, but I could already tell when he was holding sothing back. Before I could press him, a head popped into the doorway. It was Rebecca, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Pack business my ass." She said as she walked into the room.
"Rebecca.." Kaeleen groaned.
"Oh, he’s definitely rethinking his decisions," she announced with a laugh, her gaze fixed on Kaeleen.
My stomach dropped. What decisions? Was he regretting inviting to Erald Glade? Was I already becoming a burden?
A wave of panic washed over . I hadn’t even arrived yet, and I was already causing problems. Maybe I had been too hasty in accepting his offer. Maybe I should just pack my bags and disappear before I make things worse.
"Kaeleen?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Are you...are you regretting asking to co with you?"
"I’m sorry." I said to him, I should have known that my decision would bring a burden to him. I should have known that this wouldn’t just happen so easily but I was delusional. I had thought that things would change for the better but maybe I was wrong.
Rebecca paused, "Oh, no, honey, it’s nothing like that at all!" she exclaid, rushing towards . "If anything, Kaeleen is overjoyed that you’re coming with us. He’s been talking about you non-stop since we left. And believe , his presence is annoying but he’s more annoying when he blabbers."
I looked at Kaeleen, searching for confirmation. He t my gaze, his expression softening.
"She’s right, Astrid," he said, his voice gentle. "I’m not regretting anything. I’m excited that you’re coming to Erald Glade. I want you there."
His words eased so of my anxiety, but a small seed of doubt still lingered. I’d been hurt so many tis in the past that it was hard to trust that things would actually work out.
Rebecca, sensing my hesitation, stepped forward and took my hand. "Listen, Astrid," she said, her voice earnest. "Kaeleen can be an idiot sotis, but he’s a good idiot. And if he ever even thinks about throwing you away, you co to . I’ll set him straight."
Kaeleen flipped her off, but his eyes were smiling. "I’m never going to get rid of Astrid," he said, his voice firm. "She’s stuck with now."
Alex, who had been leaning against the doorfra, chuckled. "The reason why Kaeleen is anxious is because Kaeleen neglected his brotherly duties," he said with a laugh. "Serena is going to kill him when she finds out he didn’t tell her about Astrid himself."
I frowned, confused. "Serena? Who’s Serena? And what brotherly duties?"
Rebecca groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, you’re in for a treat," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Serena is our older sister, and she’s...well, she’s a bit overprotective, to say the least. Especially when it cos to Kaeleen."
Kaeleen shuddered. "Don’t even remind ," he said, his voice filled with dread. "She’s going to lecture for hours. Maybe days."
"Why is she like that?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
Kaeleen sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It’s a long story," he said. "But basically, when I was a kid, I was always getting sick. One ti, I was playing with Serena, and I almost died. She still blas herself, even though it wasn’t her fault. Ever since then, she’s been obsessed with taking care of . Making sure I’m safe, making sure I’m healthy, making sure I’m not getting into trouble." He shuddered.
Rebecca snorted. "He loves the attention, though," she teased. "He pretends to hate it, but he secretly thrives on it."
Kaeleen shuddered again. "Please, no. The thought of Serena babying makes want to run for the hills."
I couldn’t help but smile. It was clear that Kaeleen and his siblings had a close bond, even if they did tease each other rcilessly. It was the kind of family dynamic I had always longed for. And I thought it would have had that with my sister but it seed that wasn’t going to happen not with everything going on.
"How about you?" Kaeleen asked .
I frowned, not understanding what he was saying. "What about ?"
"You said you were going to speak with Clara." He said to ,
"Clara?" Rebecca asked as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. "You an the Luna, Leon’s mate?"
"Yes." I said to her with a nod.
"What does she have to do with anything?" She asked .
"She is my sister."
"Really?" She asked with wide eyes.
"Yes." I said softly then turned to Kaeleen with a smile. "She doesn’t want to co with ."
I had tried to convince Clara to co with . To leave Leon because if he could hurt , it ant that he could hurt her also. He was going to discard her when the ti ca. I was sure of it but Clara never even gave the opportunity to speak with her at least at first. When I finally did, she told I could run away since it’s what I always did. I had tried to explain to her that this was different but she wasn’t hearing it. She clearly thought I was in the wrong for what happened years ago. She blad for sothing I had no power over.
I had said my goodbyes but still told her the invitation was open until the day we left. She ignored , choosing to busy herself with sothing other than . I didn’t want to give up like I had done in the past. I wanted to hold onto her this ti. To keep her safe since it had been my fault the last ti. But there was only so little I could do. I just hoped that she changed her mind soon.
Kaeleen nodded. "I kinda expected that would be the case." He said to ,
"Yeah.. too." I said softly.
"So...how exactly do we get her out of here without the big bad boss knowing?" Rebecca asked.
The big bad boss she was talking about was Leon and her referring to him that way made chuckle.
"You couldn’t think of a better na?" Alex asked her with a laugh.
"Misogynistic jerk? Hater of won? Bastard?" Rebecca asked, ticking each of them off her finger.
I frowned. "Did sothing happen?" I asked her.
"Safe to say the eting needed up not exactly the way your ex alpha wanted it." She said,
I almost laughed at her calling Leon my ex alpha but I was more concerned at the fact that sothing had happened. Sothing that may likely have affected her also.
"What happened?" I asked her.
"More like what didn’t happen. If I was given the opportunity then I would have smacked him because how is it that he doesn’t think. He didn’t even co up with ways to bypass our argunt. To ensure the werewolf community would be protected. He did none of that." She said,
"Which is why I think that there is more to this. He has sothing at stake here. He stands to gain sothing." Alex said.
I was still confused and Kaeleen seed to notice because he then explained everything to . Everything that had gone down. He basically gave a play by play of what happened that felt like I was right there with them.
"And that’s why we need to start getting ready to leave. I don’t trust that Leon wouldn’t pull sothing shutty if we stay longer." He said as he finished his tale.
"But we can’t leave now. It’s already night. We can leave first thing in the morning and besides, we don’t want it to seem like we are running away right?" Rebecca asked with a smile.
I gave them a nod. When Leon had first brought up this alliance with the humans, I had helped him point out the issues with it. Back then I was still his Luna. He had promised to work on the loopholes. But that was all he did, promise. It seed he didn’t work on it but instead showed that he was exactly what I had always known he was. Soone who disrespected won. I had thought he would control himself due to how important the alliance was but it seed I was wrong.
"If we are leaving tomorrow morning, we need to think of a way to get her out without him knowing." Alex pointed out.
"Do you have any ideas?" Kaeleen asked .
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