Chapter 45 45
ARIELLE'S POV
“Yes.” His answer had come, not curt, but deliberate. “But what else can you offer… other than rent?”
That question, delivered in that low, measured tone, got me completely baffled. Rent was the deal. Money for a room. What else was there?
My gaze searched his, trying to decipher his meaning. His face was an impassive mask, but his eyes… they weren’t looking at my face anymore. He seemed to make sure his own gaze was completely, painfully unambiguous. It traveled over me once more, a slow, assessing sweep that started at my head and drifted all the way down to my boots and back up.
It wasn’t a look about square footage or credit checks. It was a look that felt like a physical touch, intrusive and weighted with something dark and unspoken. It was the same look from the bar, from his foyer, but now it had a purpose.
Then it hit me. The implication landed in my gut like a block of ice.
And that same exact moment, he seemed to realize I’d gotten it. A flicker of something—satisfaction?—passed through his cool hazel eyes.
My lips tightened, pressing into a thin, pale line. The wary hope in my eyes hardened, crystallizing into something furious and cold. I almost snapped, the words burning on my tongue. Are you implying I should offer my body? Is that what this is? The sheer, disgusting audacity of it made my skin crawl.
But before the accusation could leap out, he spoke again, leaning in just a fraction. His voice was calm, almost reasonable. “Can you offer your loyalty?”
“Huh?” The sound was a startled puff of air. Loyalty? That wasn’t what I’d been thinking at all. The shift was so abrupt it left me dizzy.
“Yes,” he continued, his gaze holding mine, no trace of the previous leer. “I value that from people living under my shield. My pack’s protection isn’t just bought with currency. It’s earned with fealty. Can you swear not to cause trouble? To respect the rules of my house and my territory? To be, for all intents and purposes while you reside there, under my command?”
“Oh. Is that why you…?” I trailed off, the heat of my misplaced anger cooling into confusion and a sharp, self-conscious embarrassment. He hadn’t been propositioning me. He’d been testing me, seeing if I understood the weight of what I was asking for. Asking an Alpha for sanctuary, even temporary, wasn’t like renting an apartment. It came with strings. Invisible chains.
I nodded, the motion stiff. “Yes. I can offer loyalty. And I won’t cause any issues. I swear.”
He studied me for another long, silent moment, then gave a single, short nod. “Fine, then. I’ll see to it that accommodation is arranged for you.”
Just like that. The impossible hurdle was cleared. Mandy practically bounced over to me, her face split in a triumphant grin. “See? I told you it would work out! You can move in today if you want! We can go pack your stuff right now!”
“No,” I said quickly, the reality of it suddenly feeling too fast, too real. “School doesn’t start for a week. I… I need to go make preparations. At home.”
“Oh, right!” she said, undeterred. “You need a ride? My uncle’s driver can…”
“No,” I cut in, perhaps too sharply. I forced a smile. “I can get home by myself. Thank you, Mandy. Really.” I gave her a quick, tight hug, more to stop her from talking than anything else, and then I walked away, my legs carrying me on autopilot out of the building, into the light, and toward the nearest taxi stand. I didn’t look back.
\---
Sheila, of course, couldn’t let me have a moment of peace. She was in my room before I’d even finished telling my mother a vague story about “finalizing some college paperwork.” The second my bedroom door closed, she pounced.
“So? What’s the verdict? Did you find a closet to live in? A cardboard box under a bridge?”
I took a deep breath and laid it all out—the full dorms, the Registrar’s warning, Mandy’s push, the run-in with Aeson, the whole tense, bizarre conversation and his final, unexpected agreement.
When I was done, she just stared at me. Her face went through a series of rapid changes—shock, disbelief, and then a slow, dawning amusement that turned her cheeks pink. She clapped a hand over her mouth, but a giggle escaped.
“Oh my god,” she finally managed, her voice shaking with laughter. “I told you! I predicted this yesterday! You were all, ‘I’ll never, ever, ever,’ and now look at you! You’re moving into the Shadow Alpha’s pack! I’m a psychic!”
“Stop it, Sheila,” I groaned, flopping back onto my bed. “I had no other option. None.”
“Exactly!” she crowed, pointing a triumphant finger at me. “Just. Like. I. Predicted.”
I threw a pillow at her. She caught it, still giggling.
“Look,” I said, sitting up again, trying to sound rational. “It’s a week until classes start. There’s no way I could sort out a safe, affordable place closer to the College in that short a time. This is the… safer option. Logistically. And I’m sure I can find another place, away from his pack, after the fall semester. I won’t have to stay there the whole freshman year.”
Sheila’s grin turned knowing. She hugged the pillow to her chest. “Well, I don’t think so. Once you’re in, you’re in. You think the big, bad Alpha is just going to let his temporary little tenant go house-hunting on the side? ‘Oh, sure, Arielle, feel free to view apartments while enjoying my hospitality.’ Not likely.”
I gave her a serious, warning look. She mimed zipping her lips, locking them, and throwing away an invisible key. “Fine, fine. So… what happened after you asked? Did you have your first little death staring into his terrifyingly handsome face?”
I paused, knowing she was just teasing, but the memory of that assessing sweep made my skin prickle. “Honestly,” I said, ignoring her question, “I don’t want to miss freshman year. That’s the only reason I made this… drastic decision. I just hope I don’t end up regretting it.”
“So…?” she prompted, leaning forward.
“So, no one should know about this, Sheila.” I got up and moved closer to her, dropping my voice to a whisper. “No one. Not Granny, not Quinta, definitely not your parents. Especially not your mom. Don’t you dare blurt it out to her.” Aunt Everly had a way of finding things out, and if she knew, my mother would know within hours.
Sheila made a big show of zipping her lips again, this time with a solemn nod. Then she asked the hard, practical question. “But how are you going to keep it a secret for long? You’ll be living there. People will see you come and go.”
“It’s not for long,” I insisted. “Just a few months. I’ll handle it. I’ll be on the lookout for another place the whole time, especially if a spot opens up in the dorms.”
“It’s a new academic year,” she said, her tone pragmatic. “People drop out, but not usually until mid-terms at least. I think you’ll have to wait until after freshman year is over.”
“No,” I said, the refusal automatic. I couldn’t imagine a full year under that roof, under that gaze.
She shook her head, a pitying look on her face. “Honestly, Ari, you might just end up living in his pack all through your college years. It’s the perfect, twisted logic of it. Close to school, ‘safe,’ and now you’ve sworn loyalty.” She said the last word with a theatrical shudder.
“Never,” I said, my voice firm, leaving no room for argument. I met her eyes, pouring all my determination into the word. “That won’t happen.”