Warmth ✔

Chapter 20

I head to Matt's office and open the door.

"Why didn't you tell Alarick about Lucy?" I question him.

"I won't be the one to tell him. It will be you," he says as he points his finger at me. His eyes become soft as he asks, "Have you been crying?"

"No," I deny.

"Your eyes are red," he states. "Did you fight with Alarick?"

"No. In fact, the opposite happened," I tell him.

"What?"

"Alarick told me some things and I got emotional," I give a vague answer. If I tell him about Alarick's nightmares then I would betray Alarick's trust. And I don't want to do that.

Matt doesn't press me further about the matter, for which I'm grateful. I go to the bathroom to wash my face. After I'm done, I head to my room.

I lie down on the bed to relax. Just then, my phone beeps, indicating the incoming message. I pick up my phone to check the message.

I hope you're at the pack house. -Alarick.

I start typing. Yes. Reached safe and sound.

I hit send.

Just then my phone starts ringing. I'm surprised to find that it's Lucy's call.

I answer, "Hey."

"Hi," she greets me. "How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm not okay."

"What happened?" I question with a worried tone.

"After seeing you off at the airport, I returned to the pack house and the doctors told me that they had removed Kate from the ventilator since her physical condition was improving. I was so happy to hear that but my happiness didn't last for long when I learned about her mental instability. She has been crying ever since she became conscious. So, the doctors keep giving her sedatives to calm down her nerves. It pains me to see her in this state," she sobs as she finishes.

"Lucy, it will take time for her to heal. All you need to do is be there for her. You need to assure her that no one is going to harm her since you and Jeremy will be there to protect her. See, physical wounds heal faster but mental wounds take longer to heal. So, you guys need to be there for her for the emotional support."

"Yeah."

"How are Kate's parents?" I ask. When we had brought Kate back to Lucy's pack, we had informed her parents about her condition and they were devastated. When they had collected themselves, they went to the room where Kate was kept and refused to leave her side.

"They are better than they were when you last saw them," Lucy replies. "They are going to do anything and everything in their power to help their daughter heal."

After a pause, she continues, "You know, I can't help but wonder that things would've been different if Kate knew how to defend herself. If my pack leaders trained women then Kate would've been able to protect herself from those monsters." There's venom in her voice when she mentions Kate's assaulters.

"It's high time that leaders take women training seriously," I add.

The silence on the other side prompts me to ask, "Lucy, you there?"

"Yes, I'm here. Sorry for zoning out on you."

"It's okay."

I sense commotion on the line.

"Chriselda, I need to go. Kate needs me," Lucy says.

"Okay. Take care of her."

"I will."

And we end the call.

When I look up from the black screen of my phone, I find Darius standing at the doorway. "Who were you talking to?"

"By the look on your face, I can clearly tell that you know who I was talking to," I say. "Anyway, how much did you hear?"

"Pretty much everything."

I can't believe that I was so engrossed on the phone that I didn't feel his presence.

"Look," I start, "If you're here to tell me to stay away from Lucy-"

He interrupts me, "I'm not here to tell you anything. I'm just here to listen to you. I've heard Matt's point of view. And now, I want to hear yours."

I look at him. He doesn't have a judgmental look on his face. So, I start narrating to him the recent events. I tell him everything, from the start to the finish, without any exaggeration.

When I'm done, I gaze at him and find the cogs churning in his head.

"Who do you think is telling you the truth? Me or Matt?" I question.

"I think you both are," he replies. "It's just that you both have perceived the same incident differently. I wish I would've been there," he says the last sentence to himself.

"Whose story is more believable?" I ask since I'm not happy with his diplomatic response.

"I'm not going to choose sides, Chris. Matt, you and I are leaders of our pack. We are supposed to be a team. And a team doesn't have sides. A team works together."

"For a team to work together, all the members needs to have similar opinions about the same thing. Matt and I clearly lack similarity in our opinions," I argue.

He puts a hand on my shoulder as he comforts me, "Look, it's okay to have differences. What matters is that you don't let those differences bring out the worst in you."

"Who are you and what have you done to Darius?" I ask the classic question.

He laughs. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you have a childish personality, so hearing something wise and mature and serious coming out of your mouth feels weird to my ears," I say honestly to which he laughs.

"I don't not have a childish personality," he denies.

"Of course you do! Even you know that!"

And we continue to argue jokingly with each other to ease the earlier tense environment.

*

A week has passed and things are still tense between me and Matt. Matt refuses to talk to me unless the matter is of grave importance. He doesn't even look at me. Darius is trying his best to mend our friendship but all his attempts are in vain. Our pack house was once lively but now, it's just a house made of bricks. No one jokes around, everyone remains serious, and it's all because of the strained relationship between me and Matt.

Matt has changed, even the pack members have noticed. They have also noticed that things are not the same between him and me.

While Matt spent the week by giving me the silent treatment, I spent the week by supporting Alarick. On the day of his counseling session, I had gone to his pack house and had given him a big and warm hug before and after his session. And the rest of the days were spent in conversations with him as effective communication is important for a relationship to work.

Presently, I'm in my room, texting with Alarick. I can't stop myself from laughing when he mentions that Anne stalks Matt.

Whenever she drops by at the pack house, she boasts about her stalking skills. She tells me that she's so pro at stalking that even an Alpha like Matthew doesn't even realize her presence. And in my mind, I'm like, "Yeah, he surely does." -Alarick

They say that guys are so oblivious. But not in my sister's case. -Alarick.

I can't wait for Anne to turn eighteen. It definitely would be fun to see her jaw drop on the floor when she'll come to know about Matt being her mate.

As soon as I hit send, my moment of bliss is interrupted as Darius enters my room and announces, "Lucy is here."