Chapter 344 344
Sabine POV
The house slowly began to wake, footsteps and muffled voices carrying through the halls. I took it as my cue to retreat, claiming the excuse of needing a morning shower as I slipped back upstairs. In the span of a few days, I’d gone from a caravan entirely to myself to a house overflowing with people. I still needed space time to breathe, to adjust.
And now that I was here back in this world I had no idea what came next. What was I meant to do now?
I lingered in the shower far longer than necessary. It was a luxury not having to worry about the water turning cold, not having to choose between washing my hair or shaving my legs. Today, I could do both. In the same shower. A small indulgence, but it felt monumental.
Wrapped in a towel, I stepped out of the en-suite and into the guest room only to squeal when I spotted Maurice sitting on the edge of my bed, sweat still clinging to his skin.
“Maurice,” I gasped, instinctively tightening the towel around my chest, suddenly acutely aware that it was the only thing covering me.
“Are you avoiding me?” His gaze travelled slowly over me, and heat flooded my cheeks at the unmistakable thoughts behind his eyes. A towel was a fragile barrier one he could tear away with ease.
“I’m just… taking my time,” I said. “Trying not to get overwhelmed.”
“Should I be worried?”
He stood, closing the distance between us in two long strides until his broad frame completely eclipsed mine. I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes those dark, intense green depths.
“Worried?” My voice came out rough, and I swallowed against the sudden knot forming in my throat.
My hands clenched in the fabric of the towel, torn between gripping it tighter or letting it fall entirely, exposing everything.
“Gilles,” he said at last, his face tightening as though the words themselves hurt. “Are you and he… a thing?”
My heart twisted painfully at the question. I wanted to throw my arms around him, reassure him immediately, tell him Gilles was nothing more than a friend. If I knew Maurice better, I might have teased him pinched his cheek, asked if he was jealous.
“No,” I said softly. “We’re just friends.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He’s a complete flirt don’t take him seriously. I don’t, and Didier learned to ignore him a long time ago.”
“And his sister?”
“Caroline?” I shook my head. “Gilles knows better than to cross that line. If he could flirt with her, he would but he was seeing someone at the farm anyway. You really don’t need to worry. I promise.”
I smiled at him, gentle and reassuring.
“Okay…” His relief was instant, written plainly across his face as his lips curved into a smile that showed off his perfect teeth. My chest tightened at the sight.
His shoulders loosened, tension draining from him, and I realised some of the frustration he’d taken out on Damien earlier likely had nothing to do with training and everything to do with Gilles.
Turning away, I moved to the side of the bed and opened my backpack, pulling out clothes to change into. Aurélie had kindly left some of hers for me, but wearing them felt wrong especially knowing Didier and Caroline were still in their travel-worn clothes.
“Do you need more clothes?” Maurice asked.
“No, I’m fine,” I replied, my back still to him as I pulled my phone from my bag, checking for any message from Father.
“You have a phone?” His voice dropped into a low rumble that vibrated through his chest and through me.
Annoyance flared, sharp and sudden. But I wasn’t sure it was mine.
A pressure settled over me, heavy and insistent, making it hard to breathe. His aura. It had to be.
“Yes,” I managed, breath hitching as his presence threatened to pin me in place.
“We couldn’t track you.”
“It’s ancient,” I said quickly. “I kept it on purpose. No internet. No cameras. Just calls and texts. So I couldn’t be traced.”
Breaking his gaze helped I shut the phone off when I saw there were no messages and tucked it back into my bag.
When I turned, he was watching me intently, curiosity etched into his features.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s just…” He hesitated. “You could have texted me, Bee. I was beside myself with worry. I know you ran because you were scared but you could have trusted me. I wouldn’t have let Damien take you from me. I would have protected you. You’re mine.”
My heart began to race, guilt flooding me just as fiercely as it had the day I’d left. Leaving him. Leaving all of them.
The thought of truly being his terrified me.
I didn’t understand his world. I didn’t even have a wolf right now. How could I be his mate his pack’s Luna when I had no connection to that part of myself?
“What are you afraid of?” he asked quietly, stepping toward me once more.
“I need to get changed,” I murmured, clutching the towel tighter.
Gilles had a silver tongue his flirting had always made me laugh. But Maurice… one look from him and I would drop this towel without hesitation, if he asked.
And I think that was what scared me most.
Giving my heart to someone only to have it broken. To be left behind. For him to realise I wasn’t special at all.
How could a human girl truly belong in a werewolf’s world?