Chapter 99 Chapter 99

Chapter 99 Chapter 99
Lucas

Administrative duties are never fun, and today's had to be the worst one of all.

When we arrived back home, all we'd planned was a night of rest, maybe some lazing around, but what do we get? An urgent meeting with the werewolf council.

Not wanting to be placed on a penalty for arriving late, we had to immediately leave for it. And what did they discuss when we arrived there?

All their focus was on how to repopulate after the damage Thorn had done to our numbers.

Which led to their focus on getting mates—a decision we've been trying to avoid for the longest time.

And the only person we would even consider in that position is one that might probably not be accepted.

I curse under my breath, my grip on the wheel tightening, my knuckles already white.

Fuck all of this. When have we ever cared about other people's opinions of how we would live our lives?

We've gone through so much shit to do that.

Despite those words, the tension in my chest refuses to lessen.

It's late in the night when we return back home, and all I want to do is lie in bed and not move my limbs for as long as possible.

I'm that tired.

We park the car in the garage, turn off the engine, and step out, walking into the house like zombies.

Every light has been turned off, which probably means everyone has retired to bed, so it's a surprise when we walk in and find someone curled up on the couch, staring into space.

She flinches, startled when we walk in.

Ronan and Knox pause behind me, also stunned.

“Lo? What are you still doing out here?” Knox asks, walking forward.

She pulls away from the couch, sitting up. “Um... I was waiting for you,” she answers, her face slightly obscured in the dark.

Clearing her throat, she changes the subject. “Where did you go?”

“You know...” I answer, shrugging. “Meetings and all that stuff.”

“Oh...” she trails off. She clasps her hands behind her back, fiddling with them.

A thought occurs to me.

“By the way, there's something we need to tell you. We should have said it earlier, but it slipped our minds,” I say, and she glances up at us, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

“What is it?”

“Thorn is dead,” I announce, and she blinks in confusion.

“Huh?”

“Thorn... he's dead,” Knox repeats. “We killed him.”

“Oh...” she says now, her eyes widening.

“He won't bother you anymore—or anyone else for that matter,” I say, studying her intently.

“That's... that's good news,” she stammers, her gaze darting everywhere but us.

For some reason, I feel like that's not what she wants to hear from us.

“Um... I'll be going to bed now that you're back,” she says when the silence stretches for far too long, ready to escape into her room.

“Do you want to spend the night with us?” I call out, and she pauses, her back turned to us.

Slowly, she turns to face us, nervously scratching her neck and other parts of her body.

I continue to speak. “I'm a bit concerned about your nightmares.”

“Um... I guess.”

Eventually she takes a deep breath and says more quietly, “Sure... I'd like to.” Even though it's dark, I can tell she's already blushing admitting those words to us.

Then she glances back at us again. “Hold on a minute. Will you three be sleeping together?”

“Why do you ask that?” Knox lightly prods her, his voice filled with amusement. “Do you just want to stay with Lucas?”

“No!” she answers quickly, waving her hands. Then they fall nervously to her side as she shifts her weight from foot to foot.

“No... I'd like to sleep with all of you. In bed. For the night.”

I chuckle at her nervousness, finding it utterly amusing. “Well, pick up your pillow and come with us.”

I say and walk past her. From the corner of my eye, I notice the soft smile and blush.

Yeah... that's right.
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Elorai

After Lucas' words, I immediately go to fetch my pillow from my bedroom and follow them to the room they'll be sharing.

Surprisingly, they actually have another room that has enough space for the burly males like them, with a bed that's bigger than anything I've ever seen.

I stand at the threshold, clutching the pillow to my chest, my eyes darting around as I take the scene before me.

The alphas, on the other hand, move around, change from their clothes, and slip into something more comfortable.

Ronan has even popped into the bathroom, perhaps to have a shower while I'm standing there, nervous as hell.

Lucas turns back at me, a brow raised. “Why are you standing there? Come to the bed.”

At that, my feet finally move and I amble to the bed, my grip on the pillow tightening.

Climbing onto it, I scoot to the center, laying my pillow before the headboard and sitting on the bed while the alphas get ready for bed.

The wait is nerve-wracking, but eventually each one finishes with their preparations and collapses onto the bed, letting out breaths of relief.

Ronan takes the far end to my left, Knox is directly beside me, while Lucas sits at my other side, turning off all the lights.

Clenching my jaw, I get beneath the covers, lay my head on the pillow, and let out a breath.

“Comfortable?” Lucas asks as he settles in beside me.

“Yeah...” I whisper, swallowing the lump in my throat.

I won't deny it—this is awkward as hell, but I'll take this any day rather than being alone with my thoughts and fears.

The room is already dark, but the alphas still move around next to me.

“Have a good night...” Knox says, propping himself up to kiss me on the forehead and nose.

I smile, feeling butterflies flutter in my stomach. “Good night,” I whisper back, my voice soft.

I feel him smile as he lays down on the bed, letting out a tired yawn, his eyelids immediately fluttering closed.

A while later, Ronan's voice filters through. Grouchy, no doubt, but filled with enough tenderness to make my heart clench.

“Good night...” he groans, and I hold my breath for a split second.

“Good night,” I whisper back, unable to wipe the smile off my face.

Moments later, the soft sounds of men snoring fill the silence and I blink rapidly, pleasantly surprised.

“They must have been exhausted from today,” I mumble to myself, thinking I'm the only one awake.

“We are...” Lucas answers, his voice jolting me. I turn around to face him. “It's a long journey to the werewolf council.”