Chapter 107 Chapter~107~Home at last.
Chapter 107 Chapter~107~Home at last.
Nick~
Harley's gaze darts across the windshield, tracing the sharp architecture of Moon Hill Manor. It loomed ahead, a fortress of grey stone that seemed to consume the morning light.
Memories hit hard: days gone by of Sean and me running through those halls, clueless. My throat tightens, and I try to swallow the forming boulder.
"Nick, it's incredible," she says, placing a hand over her heart, her voice barely a breath.
"That's one way to put it," I say, opening the driver's door to a crisp bite of mountain air. "I'm glad you like it."
Before I'm fully out, Eason, my father's personal butler, is already exiting the manor. His polished dress shoes echoed on the stone steps as he hurried. "Morning, Alpha," Eason says, voice immaculate, opening the car door. "Your parents are waiting in the breakfast room."
Harley waits, her eyes wide, staring at Eason as I move to the passenger side. Opening the door, I offered her my arm and pulled her close.
She leans into me, pouring her balance into my soul, and I inhale the familiar aroma of pine and wet stone. She linked her arm in mine, and we moved toward the heavy front doors.
In the grand hallway, oil-slicked paintings of a dozen Reins Alphas lined the walls. Our feet shuffled down the carpeted hardwood as their fixed gazes, heavy with the aroma of old canvas and ancestral pride, followed us.
We passed the stern, weathered face of my great-great-grandfather, Alpha Bryson, and ended at the fresh lacquer of the portraits featuring Sean and me.
The threshold into the dining room serves as a gateway to hell as the air grew brittle. Dominated by the rhythmic clink-clink of silver against china and the ruffle of fabric.
Ruby was a blur of silk as she rose and rounded the table, pulling me into an embrace that smelled of jasmine and desperate relief.
When she pulled back, her eyes were glassy, her focus shifting to Harley. With a soft gasp and a tentative hand, she reached out and touched her swollen belly.
"My, aren't you beautiful," she whispered. She glanced toward the head of the table, her voice fluttering. "Titus, look." My father raised his brow at Harley. "Come, sit." Ruby entwined her arm with Harley's, guiding her toward the heavy mahogany chairs.
We sat across from my parents. "Father," I said, my voice sounding thin and still; I forced myself to meet his eyes. Or rather, two chips of flint peeling back my skin. "It's good to see you." I paused and broke his gaze. "Ponzie told me Sean is in the hospital."
Two Omegas glided in, carrying hot plates smelling of rosemary and salt. Kelly, who had served this family since before I could walk, set my plate down with a sharp, intentional clatter, her mouth pulled into a tight line of judgment.
My father didn't look up from his steak as the blade of his knife grated against the plate. "Same to you, son. Your brother has been ill for quite a while."
A suffocating silence fell following his statement, heavy enough to dampen the sound of our breathing. Ruby finally broke it, her fork trembling slightly. "We'll go see Sean after breakfast," she said, turning a fragile smile toward Harley. "So, tell us how your paths first crossed?"
The question caught Harley mid-sip; she set the porcelain cup back on its saucer and traced the rim with an unsteady finger. "I am....." She corrected herself, the past tense landing like a weight. "I was a homicide detective in LA. Nick was working a case with me."
My father's chest heaved with a dry, splintering grunt. His gaze shifted from his plate to me, then settled on Harley. "Is that so?" He paused and lifted his hand between himself and Ruby. "This is news to us; do tell."
Here we go. I cleared my throat and instantaneously regretted it when I got Titus's full attention. "Kyle sent me to protect Harley from Ian."
"So you can now add felony impersonation to your resume, son? Impressive."
Before I could respond, Harley's head tilted and her gaze sliced toward my father in a predatory shift of focus. "Alpha Titus," she said, her voice a low hum. "With all due respect, I don't appreciate your narrow-minded view of my husband. Your son saved my life. If it weren't for him, your grandchild and I wouldn't be here now."
Titus and Harley remained locked in eye contact, neither warrior looking away. Amusement ghosted across Titus's face. However, it was only a twitch at the edge of his mouth and quickly under control.
Ruby's throat-clearing cut through the mounting pressure like a blade of salvation. "We need to get to the hospital," she muttered, already getting to her feet.
Titus follows suit, tossing his napkin onto the table. The screech of the chair against the hardwood is sharp under his weight. Before he can mask it, I catch the precise moment exhaustion settles into the deep lines around his eyes.
Across the table, my mother immediately fixes her gaze on a microscopic spot on the tablecloth, avoiding mine entirely. Instead, I offer my hand to Harley; her skin is cool and soft as I pull her up.
We trailed my parents, moving from the stifling dining room down the narrow hallway. The kitchen still smells of sage as we pass through and exit into the bright promise of the coming day.
The backyard air is thick, perfume-heavy with the sweet scent of my mother's roses. Passing through the back gate, we entered the heart of Moon Hill, the courtyard.
Time stands still as my pack recognizes me. Now the only sound comes from the lighthouse fountain in the middle of the courtyard.
The rhythmic hum of the motor becomes an eerie vibration through the stone path beneath our feet as we move toward the hospital.
Some faces are harsher than others, but all are curious. My rock to my right returned their stare with some of her own, and my chest tightened.
It's a tight five-minute walk to the clinic entrance. No sweat, yet by the time we reach it, Titus is fighting for breath and trying to hide his heaving chest.
When I step in front of him to pull open the heavy glass door, he shoots me a side-eye that feels like it could freeze over. Inside, we stop at the reception desk to check in.