Chapter 44
Rhea
Warm water cascades down my forehead and bare skin before running down to my legs. I cench my eyes dut before thing a little turn to my side to let the water run down my back.
After being confined in that small, dark cellar, damp with wet soil, a warm shower like this is undoubtedly a little paradine However, the fact that I have become unsure of what lies ahead is constantly making me paranoid
I cup my palms against my eyes and keep scrubbing them away, attempting to remove the dirt and dry tears of my dia o much as possible. The same way that I try to cleanse myself as much as I can so there’s a feeling of finally, sometow, I’ve managed to wash the filth off my skin and that everything will turn okay at the end of it.
Once I’m done, I grab a towel and wrap it around myself before looking at the clothes on the bathroom counter. They we dirty, soaked in mud, and torn. I can’t wear them.
But what else can I wear?
I take a deep breath and step out of the bathroom to look for some clothes around the room. Maybe I can find something. Anything.
Just as I step out and look ahead, a thunder crackles right outside. My heart nearly jumps out of my chest, and then once more when I see Aron sitting right by the window. Waiting for me.
My hands move over my chest quickly, and I take a step back. It would be wise to return to the bathroom and not leave uncil he’s gone.
But would he even go?
It’s dark inside the room, except for the soft glow of a lamp by the bed. Wrapped in nothing but a towel, I feel exposed and vulnerable standing here, yet there’s nothing I can do about it.
He glances down and then rises to his feet before moving near me. “Come, sit.”
“I-”
“Sit.”
I sit at the edge of the bed, one hand securing the towel over my chest while my eyes follow his movements. He comes and stands in front of me. He appears way larger in the darkness and much taller from where I’m seeing him. I’ve almost forgotten how tall he actually is.
Until now.
His hand goes to his neck, finger pointing to the nape before he asks me, “What’s that?”
I glance at the part where his fingers are moving. And immediately, I press my hand against my neck, where I had been burned earlier. It doesn’t really hurt anymore. I had almost forgotten about it.
“It’s nothing,” I say, rubbing my thumb over it.
“It’s something.”
“It’s not,” I shake my head again. “I just burned myself accidentally.”
He leans closer, “Hmm. You did?”
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My mouth starts to quiver when I see him getting nearer and nearer to me. All I can do is swallow the bile in my throat and wait, waiting for the inevitable to happen, and it does. His hand moves mine away from the burn mark that’s left, and he rubs his thumb over it.
Almost caressing the line of the burn.
“Doesn’t look like something you’d do on your own unless you’re so clumsy,” He draws his hand away and stands back. “Are you that clumsy?”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Why would I be lying?” I look up and question.
“What guarantee is there that if I take off your towel and find very suspicious bruisings?” He remarks, his eyes lowering to my towel. “Do you still want to continue lying?”
I swallow hard, “Okay. I–I had a few encounters.”
He lowers himself to the point where our eyes are leveled, “And I have a few names, Rhea,” Something unusual passes over his face. “I want you to give me more.”
I’m not sure what he’s talking about. I may have an idea, but it’s far–fetched.
“More?”
“Names.”
“Of?”
He tilts his head to the right, “Well, I know there are two male wolves involved, and I know their names too. I’ll get to them later. But I’m more curious about the very fresh burn you’ve on your neck. That boy didn’t mention it to me. I suppose he didn’t know himself.”
I stare back at him in confusion.
“You’re blanching, little wolf.” He mutters.
It takes me a moment to understand what he’s trying to ask from me. I still don’t entirely get it, but I’m starting to get there. “W–who told you? Ethel? She doesn’t know—”
“No, it wasn’t her. It was the boy who called me.”
“Tony?”
“Unless that’s not his name, then yes.”
I open my mouth slightly at the surprise I didn’t see coming. There were several times Tony saw me and one time when I saw him too after my arm was injured. He knew, and he told Aron. I’m not sure why he did. There was no point now. Right?
“What do you want to know from me?”
“Two things,” He raises his fingers. “One, the person who did that to your neck, and two, the more interesting information I’ve been hearing lately regarding the attempt on Elias’s life.”
I gaze at him for a moment and decide to withhold the actual information until I have given a second thought to it. Why does he want to know? I understand the latter but not the first.
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“I didn’t do anything.” I say, shaking my head and then suddenly rephrasing my words, “I mean–I didn’t want to. Catelyn wanted me to poison the Alpha, and if I didn’t do, she promised to kill me. So I just did it.”
And I suppose it was her who did that?” He inquires, narrowing his eyes.
I nod
He steps away from me for a moment. His back facing me, “See, I was in two minds whether or not I was actually going to do something about this. But I believe it would be completely necessary and fair if I do it.”
His tone hints no sympathy, no sorrow. But there’s something I see from his behavior. A certain looseness in his shoulders. Maybe just a little bit? And as he turns back to face me, my eyes move up and meet his, and then briefly, I see a small curve on his lips. But the dark room veils it enough for it to go undetected.
“Do what?”
“Kill them all.”
