Page 15 of Warwick

“You’re upset.”

I stopped, and now I glared. “Why would you ever say such a thing?”

Warwick sighed. “Look, I’m trying to be friendly. You obviously don’t want that, so I’ll just walk you to the transport building, and you’ll never have to see me again. Good?”

I wanted to say yes. I honestly did. But my bear was growling in my head that no, it wasn’t good that we wouldn’t ever see our mate. He wanted Warwick. If I was honest with myself, I did too. I tried not to let everything overwhelm me, but after the last few hours and now this, I broke. Definitely not my best first impression on my mate. Not that it seemed to matter.

“Go home, Warwick. It’s obvious you don’t want to be here, I don’t want you here, and I’ll be sure to tell my grandfather you were a good enforcer and walked me to the building.”

I had tears running down my face as I said those words. Warwick surprised me when he touched my bare shoulder. I wasn’t sure why, but seconds later, I had a shirt on, and then my stomach somersaulted. We were no longer standing in the middle of the forest but were now in a house. I swiped at my eyes before I looked up at Warwick.

“The transport building is about a two-minute walk out the door that way,” Warwick said. I blinked up at him, waiting, but he obviously had nothing more to say, so I growled, stomped my foot, and grabbed the door handle.

“I should have known you would be an asshole. Most everyone else in my life is, so why wouldn’t you be?” I said as I opened the door and walked through it. I pulled it shut behind me, probably a bit more forcefully than I needed to, but I was beyond caring at this point. I really was over everyone except my grandparents.

I could barely see by the time I made it to the transport building, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to go home at this point. I pushed the button on the wall and plopped down to wait for Timothy or whoever happened to be covering for him if that was the case. It only took seconds for Timothy to show up, and when I looked up at him, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared. I shook my head.

“I really don’t want to talk. I just want to go home, draw a bath, and eat a gallon of ice cream.”

Timothy stared at me for a long moment before nodding. “Fair enough. Can you get home? Should I help with that?”

I swiped at my face several times, hoping to be able to see long enough to get myself home. But it seemed that since my emotions had started, they most definitely weren’t going to end anytime soon.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. He crouched down in front of me, and then a tissue was there. I took it, thankful for the effort.

“I’ll get you home, Cecil. Tell me, where do you live, exactly?”

“5 Pine Way. It’s on den lands. It’s one of the den’s cabins. Alpha War was so kind to let me stay there.” My stomach swirled, this time not nearly as forcefully as it had when Warwick had teleported me to what I assumed was his place. I found myself sitting in my own entryway, Timothy still crouching in front of me.

“Are you all right? Should I call someone for you?”

I sighed and wiped my eyes and nose again. The tissue was saturated, but there was nothing I could do about that. “I’m okay. It was just a rough dinner. I’ll survive though. I think my mate being so indifferent hurt more than what my mother said. But that’s just life if you’re me.”

“I didn’t realize you were mated,” Timothy said.

I shook my head and struggled to stand. It took a second try before I was on my feet. “I’m not. I met him tonight, and he didn’t acknowledge me, pretty much. I should have expected something like that.” I looked around the house. “Thanks for the help, Timothy. I’ll see you tomorrow if you’re working.”

“I am. Are you sure I can’t get someone for you?”

I shook my head. “I’m good. Thank you though.” There was nobody to get. I didn’t want to go to my grandparents’ house because I was almost certain that my parents would be staying there. I didn’t want to face them just yet. I needed to have a good cry, spend a few hours feeling sorry for myself, and then be able to put my mask of indifference back in place before facing my mother once more.

“All right, then. I’ll see you tomorrow. Try not to be too upset, Cecil. No matter what happened this evening, I’m sure things can be discussed and perhaps smoothed over.”

I nodded. I didn’t have anything else to say. Timothy disappeared, and I let out a sob I’d been holding in for a few minutes. I stood in my small entryway for a minute or two before I started shuffling toward the bathroom. I already knew I didn’t have any ice cream, but I could certainly have a long bath.

I tossed the clothes that Warwick had given me into the hamper and then turned on the water in the tub. The bathroom wasn’t exactly large, but the space was used to the fullest. There was a large soaking tub, which was also the shower, but I didn’t need a fancy place with a separate shower and tub. I just needed somewhere to get clean, and this did that.

I started the water before grabbing a bunch of toilet paper. I took a deep breath to calm myself and then blew my nose. I had to repeat myself three more times before I could breathe again, but when that was finished, I used a new wad to wipe my eyes. Everything went into the trash, which I should probably empty out at some point.

After emptying my bladder, I flushed and then stepped into the tub. There were only a few inches of water, but I didn’t care. I leaned back, and after wetting the washcloth that was folded and waiting on the corner shelf, I brought it to my face. The heat felt good on what I knew were puffy eyes. I would be perfectly fine by morning, but right now, I was feeling not so great.

I leaned back, trying to get the thoughts of the disaster that was our dinner out of my mind, but couldn’t. It would be another instance that I would have to process and work my way through. I had gotten good about that, but then I’d left my parents’ home and hadn’t had to worry about it since. But these memories were fresh and would take some time to fade.

I took another piece of roast when Jules passed the platter to me. It was amazing, and I had taken such a small piece the first time after a glare from my mother.

“Really, Cecil? Your first piece was more than enough. Too much, actually,” Mother said. I froze. The meat was already on my plate though, and I couldn’t put it back.

“His first piece was only three bites. Not nearly enough,” Jules said.

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