Chapter 31 Threads Unraveling

Chapter 31 Threads Unraveling
Elena Thorne

“I’m sorry.” Sierra’s voice had gone very quiet. “Did you just say… sex?”
My heart stopped.
The word hung in the air between us like a grenade with the pin pulled, and I could practically hear the seconds ticking down before it exploded and destroyed everything.
“What? No!” The denial burst out of me quickly. “I said—I said hex. Like, he’s hexing me. Cursing me. Making my life difficult with his, you know, his presence.”
Silence stretched on the other end of the line, and my heartbeat increased drastically as I waited for Sierra’s response.
“Hex,” She finally muttered.
“Yes. Hex.” I forced a laugh that sounded manic even to my own ears. “You know, like when someone’s energy is just so negative and toxic that being around them feels like a curse? That’s what I meant. Kieran is hexing my peace of mind.”
“Elena—”
“Because he won’t respect boundaries!” I was talking too fast now, my words tumbling over each other in my desperation to make this believable. “Remember that time, wait did I tell you of that time in the storage room during the storm? When we got locked in together? It was so awkward, and now he keeps bringing it up like it’s some kind of inside joke. Like we’re friends or something. And today at the conference that he happened to attend, he was just—he was being weird about everything.”
“The storage room.” Sierra’s tone had shifted slightly, becoming more thoughtful. “Yeah, I remember you mentioned that it was uncomfortable.”
I breathed out in relief but not loud enough for her to hear. 
“Exactly! It was so uncomfortable. And now he thinks… Sierra, I don’t even know what he thinks. That we bonded over being trapped together? That I want to relive that awkward experience through constant reminders?” I pressed my hand against my forehead, pacing faster. “He kept trying to talk to me in the car on the way back. Asking me weird questions about where I had been, who I had talked to. Like he has any right to know my business.”
“Wait, he was asking about who you talked to?”
“Yes! Some guy bumped into me in the hallway during a break, and Kieran somehow knew about it. Started interrogating me like I had committed some crime by having a conversation.”
“That’s…” Sierra paused. “Actually really weird. Why would he care?”
“Exactly my point!” Relief flooded through me as I heard her belief solidifying. “He rejected me. Publicly. Cruelly. But now he acts like he has some claim over my time and attention. It’s exhausting, Sierra. That’s what I meant. The whole situation is just frustrating. It’s messing with my head.”
“Okay.” She let out a long breath. “Okay, I get it. I thought you said something else for a second there. I’m sorry for his behavior, I promise that if I catch him, I will kick his ass.”
I forced a chuckle, attempting to keep my voice light. “What else would I have said?” 
“Nothing. Never mind. I just—I must have heard wrong.” She laughed, and the sound was less suspicious. “Girl, you had me thinking something crazy was happening.”
“The only crazy thing happening is Kieran Silvermane’s inability to understand professional boundaries.” I sat down on my bed, suddenly exhausted. “But I’m handling it. I’m fine.”
“Are you though? Because you sound pretty stressed.”
“I’m just tired. Long day. Conference politics are draining.”
“Alright.” Sierra didn’t sound entirely convinced, but she let it drop. “Well, try to get some rest. And Elena? If Kieran keeps being weird, you should tell Alpha Marcus. That’s harassment at this point.”
“I will. Thank you baby girl for listening.”
“Always of course. If I don’t, who will?”
I smiled. “You know why I love you, yeah?”
“Because I left you no choice?” Sierra giggled, “I love you too.”
I ended the call and stared at my phone screen until it went dark.
That was too close. Way too close.
I flopped backward onto my bed, grabbed the nearest pillow, buried my face in it, and screamed. The sound came out muffled, a release of all the tension I had been holding since the bathroom, to the car ride.
I could not even complain. What did I expect after agreeing to Kieran’s stupid arrangement?
I screamed into the pillow again, longer this time, until my throat hurt and my lungs burned.
This was unsustainable. Completely, utterly unsustainable.