AllFreeNovel
Share Us
2
I followed Star down the long hall, past several doors until we reached a room at the end.
“It’s all yours,” Star said. “I call it the yellow room.”
“Well, that’s dubious,” I said as I pushed open the door. Everything in the room was an overwhelming shade of yellow. My lips parted. “You weren’t joking. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much yellow in one place before.”
The wallpaper was yellow and white striped, the bed was covered in a pale-yellow quilt, and the lampshades were an almost neon lemon color. I stepped into the room, noting the huge yellow and orange rug that covered most of the wood floor. “Your choices or did it come with the house?”
“It came this way. I didn’t ask.” She walked toward a closet and slid open a mirrored door. “It also came with this.”
Inside the closet were men’s suits, dress shirts, and ties hung in neat rows. My brow furrowed. “It just showed up in the closet?”
“Maybe Winter thought I’d have a friend over some day. I’ve learned not to question the fae too deeply,” Star said. “The other rooms are the same, but some have womens’ clothes. You can investigate more tomorrow if you want. I’m sure your friends will let you explore. I forget which room had which stuff in it. Should have checked before I set everyone up.”
“It’s totally fine.” I honestly didn’t care what kind of clothes I had as long as they were clean. It was nice to know I could put something else on, even if it did look like it would be several sizes too big.
“Shower’s in the bathroom in the hall. Towels are in the linen closet. Help yourself,” she said.
“Thank you for all this,” I said. “I know you didn’t really want to do this. I hope Alec paid you well.”
“He told me how he got the money. I didn’t ask him to do that to you,” she said.
“I know,” I replied.
“But I did ask for the funds. I’ve been trying to buy my way out of here. I guess it worked out in a way. If your dad actually pulls this shit off, I’ll get what I wanted,” she said.
I tried not to think about the fact that Alec’s turning me over to Ace was all for nothing. We didn’t complete the spell, and now Star didn’t even need the extra money. I could have avoided that whole week of torture. It was too much. I pushed the thoughts aside.
“Well, it sounds like everyone is going to get what they want.” I let out a long breath, leaving all the shit I had to go through unsaid. It was a lot and so much could go wrong along the way.
“You and I both know it’s far more complicated than that. We also both know that any time someone gets what they want, it means others get hurt. Take that mating bond of yours for example. You want out. You break the bond with your mate, he lives with the humiliation,” Star said. “You get what you want, he pays the price.”
“He deserves worse,” I said. “That’s a terrible example. I want the assholes to get what’s coming to them.”
“If you do this, many of them will,” she said.
My brow furrowed. I recalled that Star could see the future, but she’d withheld the details of her abilities. “You know something, don’t you?”
She shook her head. “There’s too much in my mind right now. Your future keeps changing. You’re connected to more than you realize. The actions of everyone in this house, of everyone in your old pack, and the choices you make will dictate which path comes to fruition.”
“But you see something about Tyler.” I hated that concern was welling up inside me again. I wanted to be free of him, but the words escaped my lips before I could stop myself.
“I did,” she confirmed.
“And?” I was already committed to this. She already heard the worry in my voice.
She stared at me in silence, her expression unreadable. Then I noticed the tiniest flicker of sympathy. It faded quickly. “I can’t say. It will complicate things for you.”
I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep myself from begging for answers. It felt like my wolf was clawing at my insides, urging me to press the issue. I shouldn’t care. I didn’t want to care. But things were complicated with him. I refused to be with him, but I couldn’t make all the feelings go away. Would they fade or break once the bond was gone?
“You should rest,” Star said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I nodded and maintained my composure until she left. As soon as the door closed, I fell to the ground, sucking in air as I fought against the overwhelming emotions inside. It was difficult to even determine what was real anymore. I found myself confused and torn about my next steps. Who was I supposed to trust? How was any of this going to get me to where I needed to be?
Taking down a king was bad enough, but it didn’t eliminate my previous problem. Tyler was creeping into my mind more often lately. I didn’t want to admit it, but the bond was growing more intense. I’d even had a few moments of wondering if there was anything to salvage between us. It wasn’t something I’d admit to anyone. It took all my courage to even admit it to myself.
Tyler was a fixture in my thoughts since seeing him again in the woods. Alec had nearly died saving me, but I didn’t feel the concern I should. Every time I wondered about Alec, Tyler was there. He wouldn’t leave my mind or my heart even though I never asked him to be there.
