Chapter 46 Again
Kristen's POV
Today is Luna Layla's funeral, exactly a week after she was murdered on the yacht. Even though I have a lot going on at school, I still squeezed out time from my busy schedule to attend, since it's a Tuesday. I haven't spoken to Mom or even Calhoun since my near-drowning experience. After that terrible evening, I woke up and found myself at my apartment with my friends. They stayed with me until I was able to feel whole again.
I can't recall how I was saved but they said it was Calhoun who rescued me from drowning.
I never saw Ben in class because he was at home with his father and younger brother, mourning their wife and mother.
Right now, I am parked in front of their estate, trying to recollect myself as much as I can because I know I'll see Mom today... and Calhoun.
After alighting from the car, I fumble with my hands because it's cold out here. Several cars are already driving into the estate, and a few people are walking on foot. Dressed completely in depressing black for Layla's funeral.
"Kristen," someone calls my name and when I stare ahead of me, it's Bruce I see. Calhoun's Beta.
"Hey," I try to smile but my face isn't being cooperative with my intention. So, I hold my purse and maintain eye contact. "How have you been?"
"Good."
"Is my mom here?"
"Yes, and Calhoun."
Wordlessly, I nod.
I'll have to see them either way, whether I like it or not.
Bruce takes a step closer to me and I'm wondering what he's up to until he puts his hand on the small of my back.
"I know what happened that day before the attack," Bruce rakes his hand through his hair as he looks at me with worry. Confused, I lower my eyes, "What do you mean?"
"About you and Natalie. I know she was trying to hurt you because of Calhoun," Bruce points out.
My eyelids flutter as this unsettling feeling rests in my stomach.
"Nothing of that sort happened, my mom would never hurt me. She doesn't even know anything about Calhoun," I am too ashamed to admit the truth.
"I overheard everything, Kristen. I saw how you looked when I broke down that door, you were bleeding, had bruises on your body." His gaze is serious this time.
"We only had a mild argument, and I fell while we were at it," I lie.
Bruce thins his lips and shakes his head at me.
"Look, Kristen, trying to cover up for your mom isn't any good," he warns at last.
"Why do you even care, remember the talk you gave me before I was rejected by Calhoun? You made me feel low." I am suddenly offended upon recalling his harsh and hurtful words that day.
"I was upset so it made me edgy, but that doesn't mean I'll sit back and watch you get hurt like that. Natalie's behavior is toxic towards you, and something needs to be done about it."
"Stay out of this, Bruce. I don't understand why you're being so nosy, it's normal for a parent to have a fight with their children sometimes," I side-step him but he catches up with me once more.
"Do you think Natalie sees you as a child? I thought you were smart at least."
"What do you mean?"
"She sees you as a woman who tried to take Calhoun away from her. She isn't aware that you were mates before but she knows you two fucked sometimes and Calhoun couldn't touch her the whole time he was seeing you."
The way Bruce puts it just adds a stamp to the fact that om will always see me as a threat. My mind goes down to the horrible flashback of the torture in the yacht's bathroom. Mom would've hurt me more if Calhoun's Beta hadn't shown up. She even shifted to bite me.
All the hair in my pores rises when I remember this. One moment she was innocent, and the next she was malicious. All her beauty and motherliness washes out and in comes the nefarious, emotionless beast.
Fear forms a lump in my throat.
"Do you know your mom cheated on Calhoun with a mere butler to get back at him?"
"What?" My eyes almost pop right out of their sockets.
"The annual Greyhound Ceremony was two weeks ago, Natalie chose to spend time with Tony, the head butler. She put a maid in front of her door who was instructed to tell everyone off when they came for her. Calhoun forced his way through, and caught her in bed with the butler when the ceremony was already going on with thousands of people downstairs." Bruce concludes.
My mouth gaped and I am unable to come up with any response right now.
"Natalie has changed a lot, or maybe it was all a mask from the onset," Bruce sighs.
No wonder Calhoun and Mom seemed distant from each other on the yacht.
She cheated on him.
"I should tell Calhoun about what she's done to you," Bruce says
"No, don't tell him anything," I am totally against this idea.
"Why? He'd protect you." He frowns.
"I still don't get why you're being this way," I mirror his expression.
"Calhoun deeply cares about you, alright? I watched him cry when he was trying to revive you, and I've never seen him cry over anyone before."
"You don't have to tell me anything," peeling my eyes away from Bruce, I stare at my feet because my cheeks are already heating up and some emotions are weaving through my chest.
"Just don't mention me to Calhoun," I am turning away from Bruce to walk right ahead of me when my face slams into someone's chest.
It's a man. I can tell from the way his hands rush to hold me when I slip.
The way he steadies me on my feet and how he smells screams Calhoun.
He holds me this way when we get intimate.
Warmth spreads through me and my knees wobble when I drag my eyes up to meet his.
Those powerful blue eyes are still the same.
"Are you okay?" He asks me with concern as he searches my face. His eyes are literally peering through my soul right now. Like they know a lot about me, my desires, darkest and deepest fears. I find it disturbing because of the way he's looking at me right now, no one has ever looked at me this way before.
And my throat tightens with several emotions.
How can he hurt me and yet my stupid heart still slams against my ribcage when I see him?
Someone is losing their shit because we slept with each other and they're going to hurt me if they see us like this.
Mom.
Giving Calhoun a firm nod, I try to pull away from his hold because it brings back those memories, but Calhoun doesn't let go of
me.
"I've been meaning to talk to you," he tells me. Gaze never tearing away from mine to see who's behind or aside. Just like it's the two of us here and no one else matters.
"Alpha Calhoun there's something you need to know," Bruce's voice rings out.
"Leave," Calhoun orders.
"As you wish," Bruce replies and obeys his Alpha's authoritative command.
I ball my fingers into small fists because a part of me is eager to hear what he has to say, but the other part wants to be as far away from him as possible.