Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Rhea
There’s an estate near the mountain of RedSnow, surrounded by the sales pro
stomach knots up. Something doesn’t feel xigin 1 can’t quite put my ATASKA NYAKA
within me.
I shift nervously in my seat, drawing a soft breath to calm mye from the same s know that he notices my discomfort.
yo
The car stops by a reasonably large house, which does appear bigger than tyndun og outside that seems to be so.
Here, there’s only a drizzle that falls against the windows.
When I step out, I feel the cold, which is harsh and unforgiving 1 que provate pe urm at my side én a second, his eyes over me.
“Come.” He says, taking me inside,
It’s not as bad as it looks. As soon as we step inside, beat warms my skine grond is t footsteps. At the corner of my eyes, I notice several pairs of eyes looking at me and fear or the wheele
“This is Marcella,” He stops, indicating to a woman standing before u te se while looking at the woman. “Talk to her. I’ve to send Koras any 11 be just
tells her that.
vend me an prezi momem Lie
His hand moves away, and he gives me a glance and a single and before leaving me
The woman moves closer to me before extending her hand 1–diggly beste auf fen oferte med Our press touch lightly before she shakes mine and then smiles.
“I’m pleased you’re here,” She tells me. T Marcella, and I manage the estate I’m wit you mayÄEVER warm?”
“I–yes,” I nod softly.
“That’s good. You must’ve had a long journey, I assume
I nod again, “Yes.”
“Where did you come from?”
“The Blackfang pack
“Really?” Her eyes widen in surprise, “That’s far. My, you must’ve been exhausted”
I nod. Again.
She brings her hand over my cheek before motioning me to follow her, “Let’s have something warm a drink stal ver Who knows how long Aron will take with his conversation. Come along with me”
I follow her away from the foyer, but before leaving, 1 glance back for a moment and try to catch the sign of Bonn.
“You need not worry, my dear” Marcella’s voice pulls my attention back to her. “He’ll come back soon
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She takes me into the kitchen, which is quite different from the one I have seen so many times at the pack house. It’s dark, but at the same time, it’s bright. There’s a large, framed window that stretches up to the ceiling. Back at the pack house, the kitchen was functional and had no charm–cold surfaces, harsh lighting, and a constant stream of people walking in and out. And steel–a lot of steel.
This is entirely different.
“Sit.” She says, gesturing to a stool by the island.
I don’t take my eyes off the window, which overlooks the garden outside. Even when the leaves are dry and brown, they’re still beautiful. There’s a sense of warmth that fills my bones. And it’s been a long time since I have felt that–that kind of
peace.
It doesn’t take long for the woman to return with a cup of steaming tea in her hands. She settles it before me, and I stare at it quietly.
“Something wrong?”
“No,” I shake my head. “Thank you.” I raise my head at her and say before reaching for the tea.
“I’ve had your room arranged earlier today. If there’s anything you need, you can always come to me and ask,” She pauses for a moment before catching a seat next to me. “There aren’t many people in the house. It will usually be just Marco and me. Occasionally, there’ll be some wolves coming in, mostly Kovas in that case-”
“Who’s he?” I abruptly ask her, assuming the man drove us here.
“He’s Aron’s nearest and dearest friend. But don’t worry, he’s pretty tolerable.” She tells me. I nod, taking it in. “You are free to do whatever you want here. There aren’t many restrictions. However, I’d suggest you do not wander outside a lot. The weather is too harsh, and the grounds become cold and quiet past midnight.”
I sip the tea before nodding, “I won’t.”
“Down the hallway, on the first right, is where I usually stay. You can come there to me if you can’t find me anywhere else,” Her mouth forms a small smile when she looks at me. “And there’s something else I should mention while we are at it -the east wing, across the courtyard, is forbidden to enter.”
I pause for a moment, “Why?”
“It’s been restricted to everyone for years. I don’t want you to get into trouble unnecessarily if you mistake,” she comments.
end up
there by
I nod, “I won’t.”
“Good. You’ll settle right in here,” She says. “During the night, it will get a lot colder until the winters are over, but I managed to arrange everything you’ll require to keep yourself warm, so there’s no need to worry about that.”
“Thank you.”
I stare at the remnants of the tea in the cup and raise it toward my lips when I feel another presence in the room. My eyes flicker to my left. At the door.
Aron.
My face pales slightly as I keep my eyes fixed on him. His eyes appear darker than they already are, even under the yellow lights of the kitchen.
I place the cup back on the table and narrow my eyes as he walks in.
“Sorry that took so long.”
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“Oh, it’s fine. I was telling her what she needs to know, Marcella responds behind me. “I’ll leave the two of you alone now.
Before she leaves, Aron stops her. “One more thing,” he says, “is there any report from Eren?”
“No, nothing yet.”
“Alright. We’ll wait.”
Then, he looks at me. And then there it is, his hand on my back again. “Finish your tea, and then I’ll show you around a little.”
“Okay.”
I empty the cup and don’t look at it again before getting off the seat and following him outside the kitchen. We go across the foyer once before reaching the stairs.
From below, I can see the entire landing, which feels much larger than it looks from the outside. But it’s silent–much too silent for my taste. Not a sound is heard, which is new. There’s a large carved sculpture above the first handrail.
It’s a wolf, stretched out like a mid–leap, frozen in time. Its teeth are bard, and its lips are curled back in a snarl. The wolf holds candelabra–styled lights between its claws. There are more lights like those across the staircase, but no more sculpture, just intricate carvings–snarling wolves, howling and roaring, etched and cut into every railing.
I go up the stairs and follow Aron to the floor. A dark hallway is ahead, with several doors lining both sides. To the left is a carpeted passage leading back further into the house.
He takes me into one of the rooms at the far end and opens the door. The walls within the room are dark, and so is the ground. The bed is far in the corner, near to arch–styled windows that I have seen all around the house. There’s a fire in the fireplace, keeping the room warm.
“Is this where I’m supposed to stay?” I look at him and ask.
He gives me a small nod, “Yes unless it’s not to your liking.”
“No, no, it’s good–nice. Thank you.”
A faint smile spreads over his lips as he watches me hesitate. He closes the door and steps back, letting the room remain
warm.
“You’ll find my room at the end of the hall, the last one,” he comments, eyeing me. “If anything’s the matter or if you can’t find Marcella, come to me.”
I nod my head. “Okay.”
I continue to follow him to the end and then to a right that leads to a few more doors and then a large window, which brings us to the end of the floor. There’s one door that is slightly ajar, and it raises my curiosity for a moment.
“What’s in there?” I ask him.
He halts by the door, “It’s just a lounge room,” He opens the door a little more before walking inside. “You can come in if you
want.”
I follow him inside to the room, and it’s no different from the rest of the house. It has the same gothic feel, but there are bookshelves on each side, with a few paintings here and there.
But that’s not all.
There’s a woman too. Sitting. On one of the couches, she is wearing a thin black fabric gown that clings to her skin, and her hair is a mass of red and gold, falling down to the middle of her back. She’s a beauty, that I can tell.
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Her eyes are locked on Aron, and then she begins to speak, “I thought you’d forgotten about me. I was waiting so long for
you.”
