VEUX

Thirty Nine

March 21

"I told you so."

Saoirse, seated behind the small table with only four chairs in the smaller kitchen, looked up as Obsidian served her a plate of food. "Told me what?"

Obsidian smiled to himself as he sat down beside Saoirse. "That you could handle my she-wolves for a little."

Saoirse rolled her eyes, "You are worried about the wrong wolves."

Dinner was meant to be harmless, at least Saoirse thought so. While the rest of the pack ate their dinners in the regular dining hall fitted for such a large number of people, these two shared their meal in the refined kitchen. More so meant for quick snacks and to be prepared by thyself, unlike the larger kitchen used by the actual cooks of the pack. Before her, Saoirse's plate consisted of a heavily salted steak and roasted peppers on the side.

But she could feel the harm in her blood as she sat at that damning table.  Saoirse felt the rise in her hackles down her back, that feeling of half-wanting to shift in the sense of danger. All because Oak lurked in that house, waiting to pounce on her, and Obsidian had set her up like an apple in a pig's mouth. 

If only she had jumped out of her chair the second she sat down in it, or better yet, never sat down in the first place. Then maybe she would have been able to make it a mile down the road before that feeling became true. 

A cry creaking out from the wooden floor chilled Saoirse to her bones. 

"Well, well, well," And his voice froze her into stone. 

But Saoirse didn't crack like the stone would, not so quickly anyways. Looking into such deeply dark eyes caught her breath in her throat, clenching it tightly as she became the prey in front of its predator. 

"Looky what we have here." Oak's artificial cheeriness had his steps quick and swift over those hardboard floors as he hunted his victim. 

Observing Saoirse's fretful appearance, Obsidian cleared his throat to speak up. "Oak," In a condescending tone, "We are having dinner."

"That, I do see," Oak untucked a chair one away from Saoirse, sitting so casually with his gaze trained on her. He appeared so casually that as he began to continue his sentence, he stopped, and stared a little longer at Saoirse. "Breathe, puppy. Ain't no big bad wolf here." 

HIs words, meant to be reassuring, were all but as her heart stopped when he winked. 

"I do see that, and I just wanted to pop by while I could." He paused for dramatic effect. "You know, considering how much alone time I do rarely get with her. Sid, make her breathe." 

Obsidian's palm smoothed over Saoirse's back as she was stoic in her chair, he rubbed up and down and told her to just breathe, but my God she could not. When she looked at him, she felt every emotion on the spectrum from sad to angry, but not once happy. 

She was scared of him. She feared the amount of brute strength and force he hid on his body, but had been chosen by his brothers to train her. She was terror-stricken with the image of him battling his brother for days and then slitting Eye's throat in seconds. She was horrified by the idea of Gabby and Oak in the same realm of existence. 

Yet she also wanted to murder him. She wanted-- more like needed, revenge. For so many people. For one little future. 

Obsidian had risen from his chair, rounding the other side of Saoirse so that he had become a block between them. And when Saoirse could no longer see Oak, then she could finally breathe. 

"Not right now, brother." Obsidian's tone was firm. 

"I just need ten minutes to sign some files," Oak was stern back.