Chapter 43: Meet her eyes.
June 23 2026, 10:32am.
It has been three days since the wedding and for some reason, Nyx’ara has not seen any of the quadruplets even once. It seemed as though they had disappeared into thin air after marrying her, leaving her to wonder what sort of punishment they had next in store for her.
In those three days, she had healed enough to notice that her hips were beginning to fill out. The gnarly marks spread across her back were also slowly healing and fading out. Dr Jemima made it a point to inform her that she had been healing fine because she had stopped being micro poisoned, but even after hearing that, she wouldn’t believe it.
She knew she was unloved back at her old pack but being slowly poisoned? That was a stretch.
So discarding this thought, she pulled on a pair of matching tank tops and shorts. She then rolled up her long hair into a messy bun and stepped outside.
She needed to go for a run and clear her mind.
For most werewolves, going for a run would mean being in their wolf forms but not for her. Even though she could always hear her wolf in her mind and talk to her, she could never shift. She was weak.
The run lasted for about thirty minutes. She ran through the orchard and the gardens, and by the time she was done and panting uncontrollably, most of the thoughts troubling her had somehow dissipated.
Her body shook uncontrollably as she was still heavily malnourished and she stumbled into the house only to collide against a wall of muscle. Her breath left her lips in one whoosh and she found herself standing face to face with... Draven with her heart racing so fast, the speed could rival that of a Lamborghini.
Her throat locked tight.
For a moment, none of them moved nor spoke. Draven could only allow his eyes to trail from her flushed cheeks to the mark branding her as theirs on her delicate neck.
His eyes darkened for a fraction of a second as he took in her messy state from her wet silvery hair plastered to her temple to her soaked tank top, her flushed face, and down to the way she bounced from foot to foot on her worn-out sneakers.
Something about the way she looked so exquisite this morning made his body stiffen. He drawled; "You went for a run?"
The words sounded more like a statement than a question and it made Nyx’ara frown slightly before nodding.
"Y-yes."
A beat of silence settled between them, and Nyx’ara, thinking that there was nothing left to say, bowed slightly before carefully sidestepping him. "I-I’d like to-to leave now, Al-Alpha."
Her voice was thin. It sounded like it was being dragged across sandpaper. She moved quietly, but just as she took her first step, a large heavy hand clasped around her wrist, keeping her in place.
Her body instantly went into overdrive as soon as their skins touched. Sparks flew with a vengeance. Her mind buzzed with a million and one reasons he’d try to hold her back, but none of those reasons went close to the words he said next.
He drawled; "Wait."
She waited.
"Azriel told us you wanted to ask us for something."
His domineering presence pressed down on her as he spoke and for a very brief second, she couldn’t help wondering if there was ever a time he ever let his guard down. If there were times he could be less intimidating, if—
"You know you’re not in the right position to ask for favors, little murderer?" He drawled suddenly, jolting her out of her thoughts.
For some reason today, those words didn’t hold the same amount of anger they usually would and that made Nyx’ara’s body thrum. He continued; "You should not be making requests when just by sparing your life, we have already done you a huge favor."
’I know, I know.’ She almost yelled in his face, but deciding that her life was precious— at least to her, she gulped instead and whispered;
"I-it is so-something small."
After hearing that, he took a step back, raked his eyes over her body one more time, and commanded; "Go to your room and freshen up, and by the time you’re done, ask Eloise to take you to our study, we’ll be waiting for you to discuss what you want... and what we want in return."
In return?
Did he just say in return?
Wasn’t she calling in favors because they’d used her for some political scheme?
Wasn’t she doing this because they’d humiliated her in that toilet stall?
That thought alone brought a fresh wave of embarrassment rushing through her veins but before she could voice her thoughts, Draven had walked off.
In fact, he had disappeared.
She blinked at the spot where he once stood, feeling her body thrum with several emotions ranging from anger and despair to an unfamiliar ache settling at the base of her stomach.
Whenever she was near them, her body would act up. Her wolf would go silent and be meek... and she hated it.
With a snort, she stormed to her room but she made sure to stop by their statues as she went, eyed them for a long minute, and sneered;
"Eg-egoistic bastards!"
And this time, someone heard her and it wasn’t Draven. It was Rhys.
He smiled.
—
Nyx’ara cleaned up in record time. She also changed into a clean pair of grey slacks, a white top, and a fluffy slipper that Eloise had told her belonged to Jemima before she stopped living in the main house.
Her steps were light behind Eloise as they made their way through a series of corridors until they reached a wing that felt quieter and more sophisticated than the rest of the house.
A large double door stood intimidatingly up front and as soon as Eloise pushed it open, Nyx’ara’s breath caught somewhere in her throat.
Her heart plummeted into the deepest part of her stomach and blood instantly rushed out of her face when she saw the scene happening before her.
She gulped. "W-what is happening here?"
Why?
Because standing in front of her were the quad Alphas themselves, but they were not alone.
Flynn and Elara were standing to the side too and so was Tristan. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.