Chapter 105 105. Unexpected News
Tabitha’s POV
We stay there for a long while, just enjoying the cool water in the lagoon which is perfect after the scorching afternoon sun we had to endure before we even reach this paradise. Jace wraps his arm around my waist under the water while trailing a kiss on my shoulder.
“Jace, that tickles,” I giggle when his lips find their way behind my ear, playfully licking it.
“Hmm, but you like it,” he teases.
“Says who?” I cock a brow in challenge.
“Says these perky little nuggets,” he says and grabs my breasts, his thumb zeroing on my hardened nipples.
I gasp in indignation and smack his hands away. “Did you just call my boobs nuggets?”
Jace snickers. “No, I meant your nipples. They’re like a pair of tasty nuggets. Or sweet lollipops. I want to snack on them all the time,” he explains and puts his palm back on my breasts again as if it's his favorite stress ball.
I blush. “My nipples are not snacks.”
“They could be,” Reed says as he swims towards us. He cups my face and gives me a swift kiss. Then, he licks his lips as if savoring my taste on his mouth. “If you let us suck on them.”
I roll my eyes but it’s almost impossible to hold back a smile from the ridiculousness of these men.
“What are you, babies? Don’t you think you’re too old to breastfeed, boys?”
“Not too old to suck yours,” Reed takes my lips again and devours my lips with a deeper kiss this time. I gasp in his mouth. Jace’s hand wanders all over my body as well, his mouth planting fiery kisses in every spit he can.
When Reed pulls away from the kiss, I’m still dazed and my lips feel a bit swollen. Luca and Evren seems towards us.
“Don’t leave us from the fun,” Luca says before staking his claim to my lips too.
I melt in their arms once again as I enjoy the pleasure of their body while inside the beautiful cave lagoon.
Soon, the sky slowly darkens. Clouds gather overhead, thick enough to dim the light.
“Crap, it’s going to rain!” Jace exclaims as he looks up. “What a buzzkill. We should head back to the cottage before it pours.”
We gather our clothes and walk back to the clearing—well actually I was carried by Evren this time. We reach Corinne Aldair’s tree where we also left our picnic baskets earlier. At this point, it’s already raining a bit and the picnic blanket is slightly damp.
Jace curses under his breath and hurriedly heads to the car.The car is parked a few meters away, so he jogs over and opens the trunk. He calls out something impatient that I can’t hear fully, and Reed mutters under his breath as he gets up.
“Reed, the tire’s acting up! Can you deal with it?” Jace shouts.
Reed gives a long-suffering groan. “I always do everything around here,” he grumbles under his breath but still goes to his brother.
Evren gathers the empty tupperwares and the trash and puts them back in the basket, so I help him. Meanwhile, Luca’s phone starts ringing. He looks at the screen and immediately frowns.
“I need to take this,” he announces before stepping away.
That leaves Evren and me alone beneath the tree. After we finish gathering the plastic bottles, the tupperwares, and the wrappers and placing them in the basket, I dust my hands on the back of my pants. Then I turn to him and smile.
“Hey, thank you for bringing me here,” I say as I twist my fingers together. “All of you, I mean. I know that this place means a lot to your family, and I’m… not sure I deserve to be here.”
Evren raises his brows. “Why would you think that? You’re our mate,” he says as he studies my face.
Heat creeps up my cheeks. I clear my throat and give a small, awkward smile. “I’m also the daughter of your dad’s new wife. I respect your mom, and I don’t want my presence here to feel insulting to her memory.”
“It isn’t,” he firmly replies.
I swallow and try to untangle the knot of thoughts in my head.
“I still remember my first night at the estate. You told me that my mom and I had no place there.”
“That’s—”
“No, I’m not blaming you!” I say quickly as I lift a hand. “I get why you said it. You were upset, and we didn’t exactly start on the best foot. Especially with our whole history and all that stuff.” I pull in a breath. “I just want to make this clear… Your mom was one of a kind. No one can replace her. Not my mom. Not anyone. And my mom wasn’t trying to. When I was younger, I admired her so much. I respected her. So being brought here… it’s a big deal to me. An honor, really. And I’m rambling too much, am I?”
“Tabitha,” Evren says as he reaches out and takes my hand. His voice dips into something warm as he cuts me off, not unkindly but gently enough to press pause on my spiraling thoughts.
“What I said that night… about wanting you and your mom gone. It wasn’t meant as an insult.”
“I know. I know that now.”
“No, you don’t understand.” He shakes his head. Something about his eyes scream of a secret he has been trying to dodge. “The reason I said it that night was because—”
Luca’s steps pound against the grass as he rushes toward us. His face is tight, his expression grim.
“We need to leave. Now,” Luca says, cutting whatever Evren is about to say.
Evren straightens, his gaze reverting back to its usual indifference. “Reed is fixing the car. We’ll be back at the cottage in a few.”
“No,” Luca says as he shakes his head. “We’re not going to the cottage. We’re going back to the estate. Something happened. And it’s bad.”
A chill crawls over my arms. “What happened?” I ask nervously.
Luca looks at me, eyes sharp but there’s a twinge of dread in them.
“A dead body has been found near the naval station.”
What?
Luca shakes his head in disappointment. “Looks like our five day forest escapade prematurely ends here.”
Reed and Jace finish with the tire, and the moment Luca waves them over, all of us rush into the car. Reed slides into the driver’s seat. He is still annoyed from being dragged into fixing things, but the second Luca shuts the door in haste as if someone is chasing us, Reed’s irritation shifts into confusion.
“Why the hell are you telling me to drive like a maniac?” Reed demands as he shoots Luca a look. “And why do you look like you’re constipated?”
“Father called,” Luca explains as he keeps his gaze forward.
“What does the old man need this time?” Reed asks boredly as he gets the car moving.
“He informs me that the scouts found a dead body near the naval station,” Luca explains.
Reed almost slams on the brake from pure shock.
“What the fuck? They dumped a body near the naval station?” he asks as his eyes widen. “What kind of lunatic would do that? Did he say?”
“No, he didn’t give much details. Although he did say that the body was positively identified as a werewolf. But I’m still unsure what pack he belongs,” Luca replies, his expression grim.
“Do you think the rogues are behind this?” Jace asks.
“They’ve been gathering their forces for the past few months. And with the Moon Harvest Festival coming up, those fuckers will sure as hell employ more aggressive tactics. I won’t be shocked if this is just one of their opening moves,” Reed says through gritted teeth.
“We can’t assume anything yet,” Luca chides his brothers firmly. “Dad just ordered all four of us to go to the station. Immediately. We’ll know the rest of the details once we get there.” Luca takes my hand and glances at me. “We need to get you out of here, sweetheart. It’s not safe to stay in the forest anymore. We'll drop you by the estate first and then we’ll go on our way to the station.”
I don’t argue. He already looks ruffled as it is—which is also making me nervous, by the way. I worriedly observe the forest trail through the car window as Reed drives faster, practically forcing the car to speed through the uneven and rocky forest floor. But somehow, I am uncomfortable not because of the shaky ride, but because of the questions that are now raging in my mind about this whole situation.
Jace crosses his arms and frowns. The usual humor on his face is gone. Now, he looks as anxious as the rest of his brothers.
“If the old man is summoning all of us, then this is worse than a dead body. Something’s going on,” he mutters more to himself.
“That’s why we need to get there. I didn’t talk to him long, but he sounded… agitated,” Luca says as he shifts in his seat.
Evren’s brow knit. “That’s unlike him.”
Reed lets out a sarcastic snort..
“Yeah. The old man has seen enough bodies in his life to build a mountain. One more shouldn’t send him into a panic.”
I sit quietly, holding my hands together as the trees blur past the window. If what they’re saying is true, then something bad must have really happened while we were out here laughing and singing in the forest. Something worse than a corpse lying near a restricted military zone. The rest of the drive back is silent except for Reed’s engine. My thoughts churn so loudly that even the quiet feels heavy.
When we reach the estate, the car slows in front of the steps. Before I can open the door, Luca gently grabs my arm and tugs me towards him.
“Stay inside the estate,” he instructs as he studies my face. “Don’t go out. Not until we come back and figure out what’s happening. If someone is behind this, then it isn’t safe to roam around while the perpetrator is still at large.”
“Okay,” I whisper as I nod.
Luca smiles. “We’ll be back.”