Elena’s POV
After indulging in the most luxurious shower of my life, with water cascading like gentle rain from an overhead fixture that belonged in a five-star hotel, I towel-dried my hair and slipped into comfortable clothes. The loose shirt and shorts felt like freedom against my skin.
The fireplace had transford the room into a sanctuary of warmth. I sank into the bed and felt my body disappear into what had to be the softest mattress in existence. After years of makeshift sleeping arrangents, this felt like floating on a cloud.
The temptation to burrow under those sumptuous blankets and never erge was overwhelming.
Morning sunlight streaming through the windows pulled from sleep. The clock read nine AM, and I stared at it in disbelief. When was the last ti I had slept past dawn? The luxury of uninterrupted rest felt almost foreign.
The night had been a mixed blessing. I had awakened several tis, my body still adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings, but sohow I had managed to drift back into peaceful slumber each ti.
Now, however, anxiety twisted in my stomach like a living thing.
I made my way downstairs, desperate for coffee and hoping it might settle the butterflies threatening to tear apart from the inside.
"Morning. How did you sleep?" Gage appeared in the kitchen, looking refreshed and annoyingly cheerful.
"Really great. That bed is amazing." The words ca out automatically, though my voice betrayed my underlying tension.
"Really? I thought it was one of the less impressive ones in the house." His eyebrows rose in surprise.
"I’ve been sleeping on a couch for the last five years." The admission slipped out before I could stop it.
"Oh, well in that case, yeah, that bed is pretty great." Gage’s expression softened with understanding.
"Yeah." I wrapped my hands around the warm coffee mug, seeking comfort in its heat.
"Are you alright? You look nervous about sothing." His perceptive gaze made squirm.
"I’m terrified." The honesty felt raw leaving my throat.
"You’re scared that he’s going to find you?" Gage’s voice dropped to a more serious tone.
"Of course I am." The fear I had been trying to suppress bubbled to the surface.
"It’s alright. You don’t need to be scared of him. Damien isn’t going to let him know that you’re here. And if he cos snooping around, Damien will deal with it. He’s not going to send you back to that place." Gage’s reassurance felt hollow against the weight of my dread.
"I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of ." The guilt was suffocating.
"And they’re not going to." Damien’s voice cut through the kitchen as he entered, his presence imdiately commanding attention.
"You don’t know that." I challenged, though my voice wavered.
"Yeah, I do. I just got off the phone with Marcus. He threatened . He said that if you were here and I wasn’t telling him, he was going to rain hell down on us." Damien’s matter-of-fact delivery made my blood run cold.
"He already figured it out." The words ca out as barely a whisper.
"He’s calling every pack that he can think of. He’s only threatening because we spoke at that party." Damien’s calm deanor did nothing to ease my panic.
"But he has no proof that you’re here. We were careful." Gage interjected, though doubt crept into his voice.
"And my warrior said that you left a blood trail from a staged car accident in the woods." Damien’s approval was evident in his tone.
"I needed to slow him down sohow." The mory of that desperate plan made shudder.
"That’s brilliant. He doesn’t really think that you’re here then. He’s just making sure that no one has taken you." Damien’s confidence was infectious, and I felt a small asure of relief.
"Don’t stress about it. Really. Now, what are we going to do today?" Gage’s deliberate change of subject was welco.
"I really want to go and check out that college campus." The prospect of focusing on sothing positive lifted my spirits slightly.
"You can take her to do that. You know a lot of people there." Damien addressed Gage with the casual authority of soone accustod to making decisions.
"Sure. I’ll be your tour guide." Gage’s enthusiasm was genuine.
"I appreciate it." Gratitude ward my chest.
I retreated to the back patio with my coffee and a cigarette, seeking a mont of solitude. Several pack mbers passed by during my brief respite, their curious and sowhat suspicious glances making acutely aware of my outsider status. Clearly, strangers were not a common sight around the packhouse.
After finishing my smoke, I headed back inside for another shower. The hot water helped wash away so of my lingering anxiety. I dressed carefully, choosing clothes that would help blend in during our campus visit.
Gage was waiting for when I returned downstairs, ready for our excursion.
We left the packhouse and began walking through the town. In daylight, the community revealed itself to be much larger than I had realized the previous evening. Gage insisted on walking so he could provide a proper tour, though he ntioned that normally people would drive to get around the pack territory.
The residential areas sprawled comfortably, with houses spaced generously apart, a stark contrast to the cramped conditions I had known before. The town possessed a clean, welcoming atmosphere that made sothing inside relax for the first ti in years. This place felt like it could beco ho.
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