CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A sweet scent.

That was the first thing Estella noticed when she woke up. She opened her eyes, but had to blink them against the bright light of the sun, which steamed in through the window and hit her directly on the face.

When her eyes had adjusted, she finally noticed the flowers on her bedside drawer, glowing with an almost ethereal halo under the morning sunlight.

Of course, that was where the sweet scent came from. Leaning against the vase of the flower was a card.

It was leaning against the vase. It was open. The font was large enough.

She didn't even need to use her hands in order to read the card. On it was just four words.

Much love

From mate

Estella felt her cheeks flush hot. Then tears sprang to her eyes. Before her parents died, she always woke on her birthdays to such bouquets. And they always had four words too.

Much love. Mum, Dad.

She almost felt as if she was still cocooned in her parents' love. How had Brian known she needed just this?

Of course, she had no doubt the flowers were from Brian. The way he had loitered around her the past two days was something else.

He reminded her of a homeless puppy she once adopted, drooling with love at his benevolent mistress.

When she had mentioned this to him, he had only laughed. "That's how mates act. Don't worry, when your wolf is no more suppressed, I'm sure you would act worse than I am," he said.

Estella had doubted it, but kept her doubts to herself. For one, she wasn't even sure of her feelings for the man. He was handsome, and she had always daydreamed about a handsome mate. But, now, she's scared of getting rejected again.

The same way Dexter once rejected her.

And he was a lycan. Who has ever heard of lycans giving werewolves any sort of worth?

Estella sighed. She didn't know what to feel. She didn't want to get her heart broken again.

"Why didn't Shelby draw these blinds?" Brian's voice drew her out of her thoughts.

He was standing at the door, frowning.

"Oh, they're no problem at all," Estella replied quickly.

"You were squinting against the sun. That is a problem,"

In a few quick strides, he crossed over to the window and drew the blinds closed.

"The flowers don't glow anymore," Estella whispered to herself.

But Brian heard her. "You like them glowy?" he asked her.

Estella bit her lips. It was more than liking them glowy. It was more about her parents. But she didn't want to discuss that with him, yet.

"Yeah…um…"

She quickly cast about for a change of topic. Her eyes landed on the thin white line stretching from the bridge of his nose to his cheekbones. She had seen it before now, but then, she had been barely awake and didn't ask about it.

"That doesn't seem like a very good tattoo. What did you want to draw there?" She asked.

Brian's hand strayed to the scar unconsciously. He had even forgotten about it. It was all but healed by now and didn't give him any problem whatsoever.

Except for some occasional itching. He suspected the blade that gave him the wound was laced with poison. But luckily, it posed no problem to his lycan immune system.

"Um…" Brian didn't know how to tell her he got it while trying the get the antidote to the poison she fed herself.

He didn't feel comfortable discussing her near suicide with her.

He finally settled for, "Let's just say I had a brush with Loki."

At the mention of the name, anger flared across her eyes momentarily. It was quickly replaced by guilt, but Brian caught it. He made a mental note to deny Loki and his son a quick death when he finally got around to killing them.

"When you came to rescue me?"

"Yes," Brian lied.

"Thanks," Estella whispered gratefully. "You don't know how much that means me."

"What are mates for?" Brian replied quickly.

"But, how did you know I was your mate all the way from Winter Reigns pack? Can lycan sense where their mate is?"

"I was around the area when I sensed you –"

He didn't feel comfortable lying to his mate, so he quickly changed the topic.

"Why the heck is Shelby still keeping you here? You look strong enough to me," Brian said.

Estella smiled to herself. Seems like she's not the only one hiding things.

"The toxins," Estella replied. She still looked ashamed of talking about her suicide attempt. *Dr. Shelby said the vial you got was not enough. He's trying to brew a sort of replica. And I need crutches too. Dexter broke my ankles."

The rage flared in Brian's eyes again. "Bastards," he muttered savagely. Estella nodded in agreement.

"Who was the other man? I heard two men when you broke into the dungeon." Estella asked Brian.

"That was my beta. His name is Ethan," Brian replied.

Estella nodded. Silence fell between them. Estella was surprised it wasn't an awkward silence. She felt comfortable in it.

Suddenly, her face twisted.

"What's it?" Brian asked, alarmed.

"I need to …" she hesitated. "I'm pressed," she finally said, gesturing to her ankles, which Dr. Shelby had put in a cast.

"You will need help," Brian noted. Estella blushed a deep scarlet.