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“I can’t lose my status,” She whispered into my shirt. “I can’t be demoted, not after everything I went through to get here. If I fall, my family will have been right.”
My hands tightened on the handles. “Your family was never right about you. Don’t let their hatred control your thoughts.”
“You first,” she grunted.
I wished I had a good comeback, but she had a point—I had my own family issues, ones that constantly let my thoughts seep into despair. I shook it off; it wasn’t the time to think about that, it was time to help Eden.
“Let’s get you home,” was all I was able to say before I took off down the road.
***
It took a lot longer to get Eden back to Compound since I had to drive slower to make sure she didn’t fall off. Although as Ibridowyn our bodies could withstand basically all injuries—even ones fatal to most—that didn’t mean I wanted her to be unnecessarily hurt.
We finally made it back, pulling in front of the townhouse she shared with Greyson. All Hierarchy members had a living space in this sequestered area of the Compound. Traditionally, each Keturi member had their own private townhouse and their secondaries shared the unit attached to their own. However, almost half of the houses were now empty. I had moved out of mine a few months back, Emric lived off Compound with his husband, and of course, the Alpha House had been empty since Logan’s departure. My eyes peeked over quickly to the darkened windows of the empty house attached to Eden and Greyson’s, my muscles tensing.
It wouldn’t be empty for much longer.
I ignored the thought and turned back to Eden, helping her off the bike and toward the house. I kicked the door a few times so I didn’t lose my hold on her.
Greyson pulled the door open seconds later, his usually stoic, sharply-edged face slacking in shock, his nut-brown eyes widening with surprise. “What happened?”
“She drowned her sorrows at the Blood Moon.”
Greyson sighed, coming forward and untangling her from me before sweeping her up in his arms. “Eden, you should have brought me with you.”
“I didn’t want to disappoint you,” she mumbled into his broad chest, her grip circling his long neck, her fingertips tangling in his coal-black hair. “I’m going to lose my job…what will you think of me then?”
The three of us walked into the entryway, ascending the stairs to their bedrooms. “I’ll think that you did the right thing, and I will keep thinking that when I most likely lose my job, too.”
Eden grunted. “You didn’t nearly act as insubordinate as I did.”
“I did.” He kicked open her bedroom door, gently placing her on her bed. “I was just a bit quieter about it than you.”
“Ha, what else is new,” she sighed, burying herself in the small mountain of laurel green and crème pillows she kept on the bed. “You’re too perfect to lose your job, the new Alpha will love you. But me…”
“We can’t worry about that now,” I said, yanking her boots off. “You don’t know what the new Alpha will think about us until he gets here and makes his opinions known. Worrying about it now will only make you sick.”
My words were true, but like Eden, even I struggled to accept them. Nolan would be here in three days, and most likely would have read the extra thick file detailing all of the transgressions we had achieved over the past year. None of us were safe from his judgment.
Chapter Five
Three days passed too quickly for comfort.
I wished I could have had more courage, could have walked onto Compound that morning with my head held high, acting as if his appearance didn’t faze me in the least.
Unfortunately, I was not that person.
I trudged down the steps from my bedroom, the clinking of metal on metal welcoming me as I turned the corner into the kitchen. Lea was already dressed in her work clothes, the plain gray cotton shirt and black pants perfect for a long day at the forge, excellently molded to her curvy body to make sure no loose fabric caught fire but still protected her skin from the heat. Although—even though it was terrible practice—she tended to remove the long-sleeved shirt during her shift and work in the sleeveless top hidden underneath. No matter how many times I chastised her when I patched up a new burn on her lovely, tawny skin, she never cared; she always said scars showed how successful she was as a smithy.
“Morning.” She smiled at me, sliding a cup of coffee across the table. “Why aren’t you dressed for work?”
I took the cup, pulling a long sip before looking up to her. “Taking the day off.”
“But isn’t today…?”
“Yup,” I said before taking another sip of coffee, letting it help dissipate the usual morning fog that plagued my mind.
“And you’re avoiding him?”
