Chapter 56 56. The scent of earth
Tabitha’s POV
I swallow hard. He’s right. The worst is over. And maybe—just maybe—celebrating doesn’t sound so bad after all.
The brothers guide me into the living room, where the vast couches and polished floors feel almost unreal after the cold stone and damp stench of the dungeon or the boring white walls in the hospital. The couch swallows me whole the moment I stretch out on it. The cushions sink under my weight, and for a second I almost forget how stone walls and iron bars felt against my skin.
Jace flops down beside me without asking, his shoulder brushing mine. He tilts his head, studying my face, then slides lower until his head lands across my lap. His grin dares me to shove him off, but I only roll my eyes and let my fingers graze through his hair. I try my best to look unfazed despite my heart screaming otherwise.
Reed claims the armchair across from us, leaning so far back that his boots hang off the edge. “Finally some fucking rest,” he mutters, sighing.
Luca walks over and sets a cold bottle against my palm. “Here.”
“Oh, thanks,” I mumble against the bottle’s rim.
I’m still unsure how to react when they’re acting all decent and caring.
Evren settles on a separate loveseat but his intense gaze lingers on me.
“That was a hell of a day, huh?” Luca says as he sits beside Evren.
“It’s so exhausting dealing with those old farts,” Reed grumbles and snatches my bottled water.
“We should celebrate!” Jace proposes.
“What?” I arch my brow at him.
“Come on! We finally proved you’re innocent and the council’s got their tails tucked. If that’s not a reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is!” He throws his hands up like he’s announcing a grand victory.
“You know what? Hell yeah. Anything to wipe out the memory of that circus,” Reed says.
“You’re all ridiculous.” I rub my temple. “You still have the energy to plan a celebration after today? And my mom or Alpha Emery are not even here. Is it even okay to throw a party in the estate while he’s gone?”
Reed snorts. “Since when did we give you the impression we care what our old man thinks?”
“Maybe you should,” I shoot back. “He’s not just your father. He’s literally the Alpha.”
Reed rolls his eyes like I’ve just said the dumbest thing in the world.
“If you’re that worried about sullying the house, we can always take it outside,” Luca suggests.
My brow furrows. “Outside where?”
Luca’s lips twitch. “Well, there’s this place we always go to…”
The four brothers exchange glances, a quiet understanding passing between their eyes. It seems like they are holding a conversation I’m not allowed to hear.
There they go again! It’s like they’ve got some secret sibling telepathy.
“Where exactly is this place?” I say, narrowing my eyes.
Jace turns to me and winks. “You’ll see.”
“It’s almost lunch anyway,” Luca says as he rises from the couch. “Perfect for a picnic. I’ll ask the kitchen to put together some snacks to bring with us.”
He strolls out of the room, leaving me more curious than ever. What could possibly be so special about this secret spot of theirs?
By the afternoon, we pile into the car and head out of the estate. Jace takes the wheel while Reed blasts some music loud enough that the bass thumps against my ribs. The road curves through thick woods, the canopy above swallowing the sunlight in places. I glance through the open window and enjoy as the wind whips through my face.
Ah, the scent of earth.
“Where are we even going?” I ask, though my voice is half-lost against the music.
“You’re a bit impatient, aren’t you?” Jace grins while tapping his finger on the wheel.
“Well, I’d like to know in case you’re planning to dump my body out here in the forest.”
“Relax, if we wanted to get rid of you, we wouldn’t pick a forest. Too messy. Ocean’s quicker,” Reed quips.
I narrow my eyes at Reed and give the back of his seat a light kick. He just snickers like I just gave him a massage.
“Knock it off, Reed. Stop scaring her,” Jace says, then glances at me with a grin. “If anyone’s gonna dump her in the forest, it’ll be me. I’d make sure no one ever finds the body.”
Luca chuckles beside me, pressing his fist against his mouth like he’s trying to hide it. I scowl at the brothers, but the smile tugging at my lips betrays me.
“Real funny,” I shoot back at Jace. “If I disappear, you’ll be the first suspect. Good luck explaining that to your old man.”
Jace glances at me through the rearview, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Chill, baby. If anything happens to you, I’ll personally dig through the forest till I find you.” He throws me a quick wink in the mirror.
I purse my lips to stop the smile tugging at me and turn my face toward the window, hoping they don’t catch the heat crawling up my cheeks.
Idiots.
We drive for what feels like forever until the road narrows and finally breaks into a trail. From there, it’s on foot. The air grows cooler the deeper we go, the trees taller, the ground damp with moss. When we finally break through the last line of trees, the sound hits me first—a steady roar of water pounding against rock.
My jaw drops when I get a good look of the scene waiting for us.
Before us, the waterfall spills in a silver sheet into a clear pool below, the spray catching sunlight in bursts of rainbow. Moss clings to the rocks at the edges, and wildflowers sprout in patches as if they’ve claimed this place for themselves.
“This place is…” I trail off, unable to think of a better word to describe such a beautiful place.
It looks untouched, almost hidden away from the rest of the world.
“Not bad, huh?” Reed smirks, dropping the bag he carried onto the ground.
For the first time in what feels like weeks, my lips tug into a smile.
Yeah, not bad.