Battle of the Roses [Book 2]

Chapter 36

Enjoy :)

Chapter Quote:
"Oh gods! My eyes! My innocence!"
~Connor, Bloodrose
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Chapter 36

Josilyn

After Elsa left, I went back to reading my book. The next time I heard footsteps, I knew it wasn't my friend. They were too heavy. In fact, you could really never hear Elsa walking so if you could, you knew it wasn't her. I turned to face the new visitor. He was a tall, dark-haired Searcher. When his eyes landed on me, he flashed me a smile.

"Hi there," he said.

"Hi," I replied nervously.

"I'm Nick. You're part of the Laroche pack right?"

"Yeah, I'm Josilyn. I'm Ren's second's daughter."

"You're Shiloh's daughter? Wow, your temperament is so different from your fathers," Nick laughed.

I smiled. "My brother got that gene. I inherited my mother's temperament. So what's your job as a Searcher?"

"I'm a Striker," he answered, sitting on the bench with me. I pulled my legs up closer to my chest. This guy, while he seemed nice, was still kind of creeping me out.

"What are you doing out here? I don't come across many people this time of night unless it's one of my pack."

"Thought I'd go for a walk. It was getting too stuffy in the dining hall. What about you? What book are you reading?"

"Oh, um, I didn't want to read in my room. And I'm reading Anna Karenina. Elsa recommended it to me. She had to go do something but she should be back soon."

"Hopefully not too soon. I'm enjoying talking to you, and considering you're always with your family, that's kind of hard to do."

I shifted uncomfortably on the bench, pulling out my phone and texting Elsa an 'SOS' message. "She texted me saying she'll be here in a couple minutes. She had to go talk to her brother. As for me always with my family, it's a pack mentality. None of us really go anywhere without one of the others. And that's not just because we're being hunted. We do it when we're not being hunted too."

"Do you ever get tired of constantly being surrounded though? Surely you like alone time?"

"No, I like being with my pack mates pretty much constantly. I mean not all of us are like that. I know Elsa, Gracie, and Diana like to be by themselves. But other than that, the whole pack likes being together."

"So why were you out here alone when I came around?"

"Like I said, I'd been talking to Elsa. She had to go talk her brother really quick."

"Wasn't she supposed to be here by now?"

"Um, no. She still has a few minutes," I lied.

"This is going to sound really straightforward so please forgive me, but you are absolutely stunning," Nick complimented.

I blushed. "Oh, thank you. You're handsome yourself."

He smiled. "You're cute when you blush."

"So do you have a boyfriend? I heard you were dating the Laroche alpha but I never see you two together."

"Um, we're-"

"Hey, there you are. I've been searching all over for you," Hunter said, walking up to me and giving me a kiss. While I was glad he was here, there was no mistaking why he was here. Someone was moving in on his mate, and he was here to make sure the newcomer knew his place. It was an unmistakable act of dominance and possession.