Chapter 80

“Then why did you take me with you?” I wondered.

“Because according to tradition, both you and I are required to attend these. But I wanted you there to calm down my wolf and offer them a better hearing than if I were to be alone,” he explained. “Happy now, Aelin?”

“No.”

He rolled his eyes, “I don’t have the patience for this today.”

“You could’ve informed me beforehand, I looked like a fool in there,” I objected.

“No, you didn’t. If anything, you looked a bit lost, so what? First hearing you attend to,” he shrugged it off.

“Arsen, I stood alongside you without opening my mouth as they disrespected me. Alexis didn’t even call *you* by your title in the hearing *and* Olan was happy calling you Alpha but I was always Aelin. Not one of them addressed me for my title and maybe Alexis earned her right to not call you Alpha by sleeping with you countless times but none of them received permission from my or your end to call me anything other than Luna or Luna Aelin,” I continued arguing. “I looked like a fool, taking blow after blow, for my vote and my testimony to be both taken away from me without warning.”

“After tomorrow’s sentences, I’m sure they’ll never call you for anything other than your title,” he ended the conversation. “Tomorrow we’re leaving in the morning to go back home, pack your bags and get a good night rest,” he ordered.

“Aren’t you going to stay at the house?” I asked.

“I will, but I don’t know at what time I’ll be back,” he informed me.

“Can I know why that is?” I wondered.

“No.”

***

I woke up the next morning and there was no sign of Arsen. I had gone to bed alone and awoken up the same. For all I knew, he may have not even slept in this bed tonight.

I decided to shower and get changed into today’s outfit before going down to grab some food. I put on a comfy yet cute outfit and made my way down stairs. My hair was still wet, damping my t-shirt, but I was too hungry to worry about drying it all.

I landed in the kitchen to find no one there once again. I wondered if everyone had suddenly decided to give me the silent treatment. I doubted Arsen would have left completely on my own, so someone must’ve been around, but it was too silent for me to rest assured.

I grabbed the same ingredients as always to make myself my usual breakfast. I was being a bit louder than normal, hoping maybe that would catch someone’s attention and come to the kitchen if anyone was in the house apart from me.

I ate all my food in silence. Completely alone. I wasn’t that bothered by it other than confused. I sat still on the stool, facing down, looking at the empty white plate in front of me, consumed in thought.

“Your t-shirt is all wet, Aelin,” Arsen informed me, scaring me as I hadn’t heard him arrive.

I jumped scared, but I tried as much as possible to hide it. I braced myself, I sat up straight on my seat and looked forward, not caring to face him. His hand landed on my back, feeling the cold, wet material that was now being pressed against my skin.

“Go change,” he commanded me, “I’ll clean this up. I don’t want you getting sick.”

I wasn’t sure of his behavior, while his words on his own made me feel as though he was actively caring for me, his tone said otherwise. Harsh and cold.

I sighed through my noise and turned my head to face him as he studied me. I frowned.

“Where did you sleep tonight?” I asked.

“I didn’t sleep,” he answered.

“And what were you doing all night?” I wondered.

“Are you accusing me of something, Aelin?” He asked, frowning back at me.

I smiled, “I actually wasn’t, I was merely curious. But, since you’re getting so defensive all of a sudden, is there something I should accuse you of?”

“Nothing to worry about,” he answered. He grabbed me by my chin and angled my face for him to examine it better. “Now, go change.” His hand moved away from my face, pulling away with it the sparkles that now felt foreign on my skin.

I got off the stool and began to make my way to the stairs, when I turned around and I faced him.

“Arsen.”

“Tell me.”

“Why is no one here?” I asked.

“You mean, just the two of us?”

“Yes.”

“I told everyone to stay somewhere else for the night,” he explained.

“Why?”

“Because I prefer it that way,” he answered. I rolled my eyes, unhappy with his answer.

“So, you left me here alone in the house until now when you arrived?” I asked.

A hint of a smile appeared on his face, “why are you asking me this, Aelin?”

Because you would have never done that before, I felt like answering, but I didn’t. I shrugged, “just wondering.”

He narrowed his eyes and stared at me for a solid second before I spun on my heels and went upstairs to change my t-shirt like Arsen wanted me too.

Arsen barged into the room as I was changing clothes, “what are you doing?” I asked, suddenly feeling shy and holding some of my tops in front of my body, semi-nude body.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he answered calmly.

I furrowed my eyebrows, “um, changing my t-shirts like you told me to?” I replied sarcastically.

“No. What is up with you and all your questions? What are you scared of? That I am doing what exactly?” He asked me.

“I don’t know, Arsen, but it’s just this isn’t your normal behavior,” I explained.

“My normal behavior? What are you expecting, Aelin, just yesterday you were fully convinced on rejecting me and leaving me for Ascian- a vampire to make things worse- and I’m supposed to behave how exactly?”

My gaze softened.

“I had spent all my days that I was away worrying sick about you, your safety, if I had let something slide and they had gotten to you. I had everyone that I could get my hands on working on keeping the Vampires away and you here, and when I finally make some progress and I can get you back home, I am met with my own pack on the verge of killing you,” he continued. “I resolve the situation to only have you say you want to leave me? You know what that feels like, Aelin? Genuinely. Do you think about how my wolf is taking all of this? Or are you too stubborn to see past the fact that I slept with Alexis before I met you?”