Chapter 22 22
I looked at her, the whole surreal truth pressing against my ribs. “There’s something strange about him. And the worst thing is…” I paused, the words sticking in my throat. I dropped my voice to a whisper. “…he’s her uncle.”
“Her uncle? Who’s ‘her’?”
“Mandy’s uncle.”
“What? No,” Sheila said instantly, shaking her head. “You’re mistaken. Mandy’s uncle is the Shadow Alpha of the Dead Moon Pack. That’s, like, a whole different species of person. You don’t just run into him at a bar and…”
She trailed off. My expression hadn’t changed. I wasn’t confused or questioning. I was just… aware. Horribly, certainly aware. Her eyes widened. She gasped, a soft, sharp intake of breath.
“You kissed Alpha Aeson?”
“Yes. I had no idea it was him. I thought he was just some… intense, older guy drinking his troubles away because his wife left him or something. But it turned out to be him.”
Sheila just stared at me, her mouth slightly agape. She slowly sat back on the bed, absorbing it.
“OMG,” she finally breathed. “That’s… a lot.” She gulped. “You know, Alpha Aeson rarely appears during the day. That’s why they call him the Shadow Alpha. He’s like a rumor most of the time. And you met him for the first time in a bar… and kissed him.” She looked at me then, her curiosity overtaking her shock. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Please tell me it was divine.”
I threw a look at her. “Seriously? That’s what you’re focusing on?”
“No! I mean, yes! I just want to know about the experience! Was he at least good-looking? And did he kiss you back or was it just a sad, limp—”
“Stop it, Sheila.”
She inhaled, reigning herself in. “My bad. You’re right. Sorry.” She chewed her lip for a second.
“You know, I’m more worried that he’s Mandy’s uncle. And I went to the Dead Moon Pack earlier to see her.”
Her eyes widened, silently questioning me about him.
“I saw him there,” I confirmed, the dread of that moment washing over me again. “In the house.”
“Wow. And isn’t Mandy going to be living with him until she finishes college?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then you have to tell her the truth.”
“No.” The refusal was instant, absolute.
“Why not? ‘Hey, Mandy, funny story, I kissed your uncle. He was irresistible.’ Simple.”
I gave her a chiding look that could have curdled milk. “No. It’s going to be a secret. For now. I won’t let her know. It’s too humiliating, and it would make everything weird.”
“Hmm,” she said, not convinced but letting it drop. She tilted her head, thinking. “Okay. But talking about Alpha Aeson… there are rumors, you know. Rumors that he’s had some… acquaintance with this pack.”
“Our pack?” My brows creased in genuine disbelief. “No. I don’t think so. I’ve never heard his name mentioned here. Ever.”
“Don’t be so sure,” she said, her voice thoughtful. “Your mother might know him. Or your father did.”
“Neither,” I said, a flicker of that old frustration reigniting. “Especially my mother. If she knew him, she’d have given me a three-hour lecture on why he’s the worst person alive. She just gives me strict rules, no reasons.” I sighed, the mystery of it gnawing at me. “You know the Dead Moon Pack and the Nightshade Pack? Those are the two she’s forbidden me from ever setting foot in. I’ve tried to find out why, Sheila. I’ve asked, I’ve hinted, I’ve snooped. Nothing. It’s like this giant, silent mystery, and it feels like everyone knows the answer except for me.”
Sheila gave a half-shrug, a gesture of solidarity in ignorance. “Well, I don’t know either. So that makes two of us in this pack, Arielle.”
My shoulders just dropped, the weight of everything, the whole tangled mess, pressing down until I felt physically smaller. Sheila saw it. She drew closer on the bed, her own dramatic energy softening. She gently bumped my shoulder with hers. “Don’t worry. Breathe. You should ask your wolf what she thinks about all this…”
She realized her mistake the second the words left her mouth.
My head snapped up, and I cast a look at her that wasn’t quite a glare, but it was close—a flat, tired warning.
Her eyes went wide with genuine horror. “Oops. Shit. Sorry. You don’t have one.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m an idiot. I’m so sorry, Ari.”
I waited for it. For the clumsy backtracking, the awkward attempt to turn it into one of her jokes, or worse, some pep talk about how being human made me ‘unique.’ But her face didn’t shift into teasing mode. It stayed etched with real remorse. The joke had been a cruel one, even if she hadn’t meant it that way, a failed attempt to lighten the mood that had just stomped right on the most tender bruise I had.
I nodded slowly, accepting the apology. “It’s fine. Better your bad humour than silence, Sheila.”
She nodded back, her expression serious. “And… I’ll respect your decision. I won’t, by some stupid mistake, reveal it to Mandy. Not even in some dumb attempt to prove I’m the ‘better’ best friend you can trust with a secret.” She rolled her eyes at her own potential for drama.
“Glad you’re promising that without me having to ask,” I said, a tiny, real smile touching my lips for the first time in what felt like days.
Then my phone, lying on the bed between us, beeped with a new message notification. The screen lit up.
My eyes flicked down, scanned the preview, and widened. My breath hitched.
“Hey, what is it?” Sheila leaned in, trying to see.
I looked at her, the words tasting strange as I said them aloud. “Mandy… she’s asking me to come have dinner with her. And… her uncle.”