448- The Alpha's Chalet
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
Myrion's house was a beautiful and cozy chalet, completely different from what I had imagined. Like Edric and Lunara's home, it had large windows overlooking the dense forest that surrounded us. He had built a gravel road leading up to the porch.
Aurelka and Anton went ahead, dragging Myrion along. He seemed even more worn out than before, as though the alcohol in his bloodstream had started to bore him. The she-wolf opened the door, which didn't appear to be locked, and turned on the lights.
“Come in.” She gestured toward us. “This one is about to pass out, and no one will hear from him again until tomorrow night.”
Anton pulled his brother inside, and we followed.
The chalet was even more refined on the inside. The living room and kitchen shared an open-concept layout, and the furniture was dark, masculine, and elegant. The eldest Eldoria took his brother through one of the partially open doors. There were at least four of them that I could see.
Aurelka walked over to a glass cabinet that covered an entire side wall of the living room. Countless bottles of every imaginable brand were displayed inside, illuminated by LED strips on each shelf.
“What would you like to drink?”
Lana stepped forward.
“Does he still have that chocolate liqueur?”
Aurelka shot her friend a look, as if she were sharing in the idea.
“I think so. He always does.” She smiled.
I dragged my gaze toward the door through which Anton had disappeared with the wolf. From what little I could see, it was obvious that it could only be his bedroom. His scent was much stronger in that room.
“Doesn't he get sick after drinking so much?” I asked, turning my attention back to them.
I wasn't used to drinking, but I remembered seeing humans vomiting and nearly passing out after overdoing it.
“Our metabolism is accelerated. We process alcohol much faster,” Aurelka said, leaning toward the shelves as she read the labels on the bottles.
Lana huffed.
“Especially since they're part of a newer wolf lineage, like them.” She pointed toward her friend.
I arched an eyebrow.
“Let me guess, they're gifted even at that?” I teased.
Aurelka laughed before gasping. She stretched out her arms, opened the glass doors protecting the bottles, and pulled one from the shelf.
“We are incredible.”
Anton’s voice sounded beside me on my right.
I turned my head and watched him leave Myrion's room and walk toward me.
“I found the chocolate liqueur! I told you he had some!” Aurelka shouted, bouncing with excitement.
Anton stopped beside me and crossed his arms.
“We do get drunk, as you can see. But our bodies process alcohol much faster. That's why one good night's sleep will be enough to leave Myrion good as new tomorrow,” he explained, even though I hadn't asked him anything.
“That sounds useful,” I replied, keeping my gaze far away from the alpha.
He leaned toward me, making my body stiffen.
“And in case you're wondering—or considering the possibility—that works for any kind of poison too,” he whispered into my ear.
“But, as you well know, we're immune to silver, so use belladonna if you decide to try. It won't kill me, but it'll burn a lot more.”
I twisted my lips into a grimace and looked at him through narrowed eyes.
“I wouldn't waste my time trying to poison you when you have a heart that clearly beats. One stab in the right place and my problems are solved,” I murmured quietly.
The gleam in his eyes made me snort.
A mocking smile spread across his lips.
“You wouldn't do it. You don't have enough courage.”
“And who told you that?”
He shrugged.
“I'm far too incredible to die in such a pathetic way. What would your life be without me? Who would save you?”
“As far as I remember, you were the one who ended up with a dagger lodged in your chest,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
He blinked slowly, his long lashes casting shadows across his cheeks.
“That wasn't exactly an advantage. I was distracted.”
“Is that what you tell yourself to feel better?” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Anyway, if you think back to that fateful day, you'll remember that I managed to pin you to the ground. Therefore, I disarmed you and, on top of that, saved you by bringing you to Eldoria.”
I bit the inside of my cheeks, irritated, nervous, and a little... amused by the conversation.
“That wasn't exactly an advantage. I was distracted,” I repeated, throwing his own words back at him.
Anton gasped and pressed a hand dramatically over his heart, as though he had been struck directly through it.
“Now that was cruel, Little Beast.”
I growled, making him laugh.
“Stop calling me that.”
“Why would I? The nickname suits you perfectly.”
I turned fully toward him, facing him head-on.
I ignored the fact that he seemed even more handsome that night. The white short-sleeved cotton shirt he wore was nearly transparent, revealing the tone of his skin beneath the fabric. The defined muscles of his abdomen were impossible to miss. His arms were strong and sculpted, even while relaxed.
I stared into the blue eyes that, at that moment, seemed to have the silver around the pupils dominating the irises. His full, well-defined lips were pursed in an ironic half-smile.
"How does your family manage to put up with you?" I asked, trying to break free from the magnetism of his beauty.
One thick eyebrow arched over his eye.
"Because he's merely tolerable," Aurelka interjected, stopping beside me and extending a glass with a dark liquid. "Chocolate liqueur, the best of all."
"Tolerable, little sister?" he retorted.
I took the glass from her hand and brought it straight to my lips, swallowing it all without first tasting it. If Anton kept provoking me like that, only alcohol would be able to help me.
"Wow, you were thirsty," the girl commented.
Anton laughed.