Chapter 59 Chapter 59
Violet
The feeling of being curled up in Elijah’s lap alongwith the slow rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek, the rough steadiness of his voice as he coaxed me through my fear in the plane, and the way his thumb had brushed the damp corner of my eye without hesitation or disgust or impatience.
I had been too terrified and consumed by my fear to truly experience it when it was actually happening and now for some reason, it kept replaying through my head in small, disjointed flashes that made my throat go tight.
I kept telling myself that I had only been overwhelmed.
Anyone would have reacted like that.
Anyone would have reached for whatever anchor they could find.
That didn’t explain why my body still remembered the firmness of his hold or why my chest constricted now that the space beside me was empty of him, colder in a way I refused to acknowledge.
I wondered if he considered me a weakling, a crybaby who always needed to be saved. Was he finally relieved to be rid of me and that's why he hurried to his room without a word?
Once again it felt like something inside me pinched, sharp and small and humiliating, every time I remembered him walking away?
“…you’re going to love the west wing balcony in the morning, the sunrise looks unreal from there,” Cassie was saying, looping her arm through mine as we turned down another corridor, her excitement barely contained.
“And you should see the gardens, they’re so much larger than the pictures online. Oh, don’t mind that portrait, the man looks like he wants to murder someone but he was apparently very kind, at least that’s what Grandma says…”
I nodded faintly even though I hadn’t actually seen the portrait she was referring to. Nor did I know who her grandma was.
My vision tunneled a little every few steps. The lights felt too bright one second and dim the next, and the floor had the strange sensation of swaying under me, like I was still in the air.
The memory of the washroom flickered across my mind but I shut it down so quickly that my temple throbbed.
That had been exhaustion and the aftermath of turbulence and fear and an overactive imagination. My wolf had always been sensitive to heights, to enclosed spaces combined with altitude, and today had simply overloaded every sense.
“Hey,” Cassie said gently, noticing my silence at last. “You look… lost. Are you sure you’re okay? You went completely pale earlier, and Elijah looked like he was about to punch the air in half when he carried you out of the plane and demanded the driver get lost so you could sleep in the backseat of the car. At least, that's what the driver told me upon returning.”
Carried me?
I didn’t even remember that part.
“I’m fine,” I murmured, my voice soft and distant to my own ears. “Just tired. Jetlag, like I said. My head still feels a little fuzzy.”
Her brows drew together, but she nodded, accepting it or at least pretending to.
We turned another corner, and the space opened into what looked like a grand reception hall complete with tall double doors, midnight-blue carpeting, soft gold sconces painting long shadows along the walls.
Staff members bowed their heads slightly as we passed with their hands folded behind their backs, posture straight in a way that made me feel oddly self-conscious about how unsteady I was.
If this place was meant to awe visitors, it had done its job.
Too bad my brain seemed wrapped in cotton.
She squeezed my arm as though trying to lighten the mood, her eyes brightening again instantly.
“Anyway, you’re officially inside Ironcrest Manor,” she declared, sweeping her free hand outward, as if revealing some grand theatrical stage. “The ancestral heart of one of the oldest werewolf bloodlines in the region. Generations of leaders, warriors, and absolute family drama have walked these halls. You’re basically standing inside history.”
I tried to smile. But my eyelids suddenly felt heavy, my muscles weary in a deep, aching way that seeped into my bones.
“I wish I could appreciate it properly right now,” I said, my voice apologetic despite myself. “Really I do. It’s beautiful. I just… I feel like my brain is two steps behind my body.”
“That’s okay,” Cassie said quickly, her enthusiasm softening into genuine concern. “You don’t have to do anything tonight. We’ll go exploring tomorrow through the manor, the grounds, my favorite library, and the training fields. I’m going to give you the grandest tour ever.”
Everything looked luxurious, inviting, carefully curated to comfort.
I felt like I didn’t belong inside it.
Cassie grinned proudly, as though she’d personally designed the room we stopped by.
“This one’s yours,” she said. “At least for the duration of your stay. If you need anything, absolutely anything, just ring the bell near the bed. The staff here can materialize out of thin air, it’s borderline creepy but also kind of awesome.”
Cassie stepped in behind me, still chattering softly about breakfast plans and morning schedules and how she wanted me to meet a few people before dinner tomorrow evening, but her words washed over me like distant waves.
“I still feel terrible for ditching you at the last second,” Cassie continued, though her tone faltered for a heartbeat before she recovered it. “I swear I didn’t plan it. Something came up. It was very urgent, very last-minute, and if I hadn’t handled it before we arrived, it would’ve ruined the visit for everyone.”
I frowned faintly, the words circling in my foggy mind without landing anywhere.
“Ruined… how?” I asked, though my voice lacked edge, my curiosity softened by exhaustion rather than suspicion.
Cassie hesitated.
Just for a blink.
Then she smiled again, too quickly.
“Nothing serious now, I took care of it. That’s why I rushed to the earlier jet. I was going to text you, but security protocols on the runway are insane and everything happened so fast. But trust me, you’ll thank me later though I’d rather you never found out.”
It didn’t make much sense.
But I didn’t have the energy to untangle it.
“I think…” I murmured, turning back to her, my voice low. “I think I’m going to sleep. If that’s okay. I’ll be a better company to you tomorrow.”
Her expression softened instantly.
“Of course. You’ve had a long day. Rest, okay?” She paused, studying me for a moment longer, worry flickering behind the smile. “And if something feels off, promise you’ll tell me?”
“I will.”
Though hers was not the name that popped in my head as an answer to that question.