Howls of Cursed Fate

꧁ 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓲𝓿𝓮 ꧂

I knew the website thing would work, but not that this fast.

My mind raced. Savannah was in my room—right now. That fact alone made that the longest two-minute shower of my life. I scrubbed furiously, trying to hurry, but not too fast.

The thought of her out there, casually putting away the clothes I'd bought from her website, was a mix of surreal and nerve-wracking.

I could hear faint movements through the closed bathroom door, her quiet presence filling the space just outside. Gosh, she was humming a song.

I wasn't even sure why I felt this nervous. She was simply putting away clothes. Clothes I had bought just to have some excuse to interact with her. Now, here she was, in my room, touching my things, getting familiar with the place that had been mine.

I rinsed off the last bit of soap and stood under the water for a second longer than I needed to, gathering my thoughts. Keep it cool, Gideon. Don't make it weird. You've got this.

I stepped out of the shower and quickly wrapped a towel around my waist. Drying off as fast as I could, I glanced at the mirror. My hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction and needing my hand to take care of it. Perfect.

Before going into the shower I hadn't been overthinking how I should dress. I had grabbed first things so she wouldn't be with my half naked self there for too long, but now I was staring at the pile. Too mundane, damn it.

Taking a deep breath, I put on shorts and black shirt.

When I walked back into the room, it seemed almost surreal. Savannah was still by the closet, carefully hanging the clothes. She looked completely at ease, like she did this all the time. And I was just relieved I'd reorganized everything there days ago.

Her back was to me, her long brown hair falling over her whole back as she reached for another hanger. I stood there for a moment, not sure what to say, not wanting to push too hard.

"I hope you're dressed this time," she joked quietly.

I laughed but it for sure sounded too nervous.

I had to remind myself that she was still seventeen and I was already nineteen. That gap felt like a chasm, but it gave me enough time before thinking hard about the mating bond. So, I kept my distance, unsure of how to break the sudden silence.

She spoke first, maybe sensing my quiet tension. "Caden apologized to me." Her voice was casual but carried a hint of amusement. "A very heartfelt apology, actually. I didn't know he had it in him."

I blinked, trying to keep up. Caden? Apologizing? "Really?" I asked, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge. "How do you feel?"

She turned slightly, still focused on hanging the clothes, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "He gave me a bag full of treats. But I had to tell him he's going to have to try harder if he thinks that'll smooth everything over."

I made a sound of acknowledgement and shook my head. "I'm sorry about Caden. He's... wild, but he can be a good friend."

Savannah finally turned to face me, her grin widening into something mischievous. "Oh, I know he meant the apology. Every word. I just told him that so I could get more snacks out of him later."

I stared at her, caught between disbelief and admiration. "You did what?"

She laughed, the sound filling the room, and it was contagious. "Yeah. I figured, why not? If he's that desperate to make things right, I might as well milk it for all it's worth."

No way. Caden was not allowed to find out this.

I was thoroughly impressed. "You're... something else."