Chasing Tail [Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x Sʜɪꜰᴛᴇʀs Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ]

Part 22

Y/N POV

Caught up as you and Ash are in each other, it takes you some time to get up, change into new clothes, and head downstairs. With every step, you feel a tight soreness at your core that reminds you of the wild night and wild morning you've just spent.

Your friends are still hanging around the main floor of the house, lounging around and playing games on the console connected to the big flatscreen TV. Tanya and Vincent look up from where they're working on their laptops to greet the two of you.

Lexi meets your gaze as you enter the living room area, and gives you a knowing grin and a wink.

You turn and whisper to Ash, "Do you think everybody heard us from upstairs?"

"I did tell you to be loud for me. You listen so well." He sends you a wink of his own.

"Damn it. They were already speculating about you, me, and Cody. Now we've gone and confirmed their suspicions."

"I guess the cat's out of the bag," Ash comments with a shit-eating grin.

The look you spear him with could make flowers wither. "Cut the puns, Ash, this is serious."

"I am serious. And I'm glad your friends all heard that you're mine." His tone turns dark. "It's a good reminder in case anyone else gets any fucking ideas about whom you belong to."

It's then that you spot Cody in a corner of the living room. He's sprawled across a bean bag chair, but his posture is tense and his claws are out, absently ripping into the chair's faux-velvet lining. Little beans are starting to spill out the sides.

As soon as he catches sight of you, his demeanor softens and he sighs. Relief seems to sweep the tension from his body. He gets up to stand next to you, scanning your body the way both your shifters have been doing lately, looking for injuries.

His eyes linger on the new mark, on the opposite shoulder from his own, barely visible by the neckline of the t-shirt you've changed into. Cody looks to Ash and they exchange a nod. You release a breath, realizing that you were still holding onto some concern that they might start fighting or be angry with you about the events of the last day and night.

Looking around the open living space, you notice there's just one person missing from the group. You're almost afraid to ask. "Where's Kyle?"

"He went home early," Lexi answers with a frown. "I guess he was feeling sick or something."

"He left his own birthday trip?" you ask skeptically.

She shrugs. "Yeah, I don't know. It was weird and really sudden. But he talked to Cody and said he didn't want to ruin the trip for the rest of us, so he got a ride back early."

Your heart jumps with a shot of adrenaline. You turn a stern glare on both shifters and hiss. "I need to talk to you. Outside."

To your chagrin, they both look unconcerned. "Sure," Ash says, guiding you out the double glass doors. "After you."

As soon as the door slides closed, you head down the deck to the lakeside, scanning the area for signs of a struggle. You're half-expecting to see blood splatters and signs of a massacre.

An image of Cody in his direwolf form last night, bearing down on Kyle's unconscious form in the stable-shed with clear intent to kill, surfaces in your mind. You managed to distract him away then, but you weren't there to interfere this time. You grit your teeth, cursing your own thoughtlessness. You can't believe you let Ash distract you so easily while Cody was out here doing god knows what to a defenseless human.

Breathing deep to steady yourself, you turn to Cody. "Did you kill him?"

He crosses his arms. "Why do you care what happened to that bastard? After the way he hurt you, he deserved everything I did to him and more."