Mathias's POV
In a matter of days, everything changed again; the O'Connell trackers were sent on a break, Arabella was sent back to her coven with the new treaty for them to sign, and Nina gave in to sensibility of using Arabella's gift, allowing Rogan to take the potion and live a somewhat normal life, for a short while.
Things even changed for Nadia and I; the pub landlady passed away, and the pub closed, leaving us out of work.
With the full moon fast approaching, everyone was on edge. No one knew if Arabella's concoction, an untested method, would work. Even with Rogan's power as an Alpha, and a twin, the full moon would have unrestricted control over his wolf; unless the potion worked.
"MAT! The kitchen is a mess! Why do I always come home to a mess every day?" Nina sounded close to tears.
"Nina, it's only lunch time. It'll be done, I promise."
She screamed, and then the front door slammed shut.
I sighed; I felt so out of place and useless, and maybe that was my fault. I had been awake for hours, and all I'd done, was sit on the sofa, with a cup of tea, and watching Netflix through the TV.
I sat up a little straighter, reached for the remote, and turned the TV off.
As I lifted myself from the sofa, I picked up my empty mug, and again, that sense of uselessness came over me. Everyone had their own things to do, bar Nadia and I.
Sure, it was nice, in some ways, not having to work, but in the same breath, it was one of the worst feelings in the world.
Reluctantly, I made my way to the kitchen; Nina was right, it was a mess.
As I reached the sink, the highest C of the piano rang out through the flat. The sound made me realize, despite the constant stream of guests, the flat had been nigh on silent since Christmas. So much had happened, that I hadn't had the chance to sit and play.
Again, the high C note, rang through the flat. I smiled, put my empty mug in the sink, and moved through to where the piano stood.
"I always wanted to learn to play." Nadia sat at the piano, her back to me, and her slender fingers gracefully stroking the ivory keys. "Mum could never afford to send me for lessons." She depressed the highest note a third time. "She always felt bad; any money she did get, had to go on Noah's hearing aids and sign language lessons." She turned to look at me, a sad, reminiscent smile on her face. "Will you teach me?" Her smile, though sad, was full of hope. "Please?"
I took her face in my hands, my thumbs softly caressing her cheeks.
"If you want to learn to play, I'll teach you." I kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll try to, anyway." As the words left my mouth, Nadia's delicate laugh filled my ears.
"Thank you, Mat." Her smiled turned from sad and reminiscent, to genuine happiness.
"You are very welcome, sweetheart." Again, I kissed her nose. "I would do anything for you."
Nina's POV
I woke with the sunrise, to an empty bed. Of course, it wasn't for the first time. Since taking Arabella's potion, Rogan had moved from the sofa, to my room, and yet for some reason, I had woken both days to find him on the floor.
"Rogan, why won't you spend an entire night beside me?" While he looked to be sleeping, I knew he was listening intently, almost as though he were a guard dog.
"I thought I would be better to keep a distance until we know the concoction worked. I'm trying to keep you safe." He didn't so much as turn over to look at me when he spoke.
