Page 37 of Soul Fated

The sheets weren’t the problem. Kael’s scent was everywhere. All over the bed. All over me. Kael was already halfway out the window, his muscles flexing as he braced himself against the frame.

“Bye!” I yelped, then clapped a hand over my mouth. Bye? What the hell kind of send-off was that after the night we had?

I was such an idiot.

Kael gave a terse nod, then disappeared from view. I took a deep breath, then continued my frantic tidying. Clothes scattered, sheets in a tangle, and my adrenaline spiking higher than a CPU clocking into overdrive right before a system crash.

I froze mid-swipe when a sharp knock sounded at the door. My heart pounded in my chest. I couldn’t open that door. Not smelling like him.

“Hey, I was just getting in the show?—”

Lana pushed the door open, and I skittered back behind the bed. Her eyes immediately narrowed as she took in the scene.

I forced a smile. "Good morning."

She didn't answer immediately, her eyes scanning the room one more time. "Rowan and Jasper are here.”

My heart skipped a beat. Rowan and Jasper? I immediately panicked. “I’ll be right out, but I’m a mess. I need to put myself together and…take care of things. Down there.” I waved my hands over my crotch.

Lana frowned, but she moved out of the way as I grabbed my clothes and toiletry bag, then rushed past her into the washroom.

I threw a quick, horrified glance in the mirror. My face was flushed, my hair a mess. I looked like…I’d just had sex. A lot of it. Excellent.

I stripped off my clothes, tossing them into a heap on the floor, then turned on the shower. The water cascaded down, and I jumped in, scrubbing furiously. I needed to get rid of Kael's scent, to erase any evidence of what had happened between us.

Even though I didn’t want to. Not yet, anyway. All morning, I’d waited for the embarrassment and self-loathing to hit, but it was disturbingly absent.

After washing my hair and rinsing, I stepped out of the tub. Realizing I’d left my towel in the other room, I used the hand towel to dry myself, then wrapped it around my hair as best I could and got dressed. These clothes didn’t smell like him, and I was beyond grateful I’d chosen to throw in an extra set.

I pulled on the shirt and pants, then ran a hand through my damp hair, hoping to look at least a little bit composed. Lana must’ve informed Rowan about my situation. If he said a damn word, I’d have a free pass to send a snarky reply his way.

I walked out into the living room, my senses on high alert. Bill was already in the kitchen, cracking eggs into a pan. Rowan and Jasper were standing near the front door.

It only took a second for them to pick up on my scent, and the shift in their demeanor was immediate. Rowan's piercing eyes locked onto me, and I could see the storm brewing behind them. Jasper's usually relaxed posture went stiff, his gaze darting between the room and me.

"Where is he?" Rowan's voice was low, his anger barely contained.

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jasper's eyes narrowed. "Kael. Where is he?"

I forced myself to meet their gazes, even though every instinct told me to back down, to look away. "I haven't seen him."

Lies. I never lied to my alpha. The words twisted in my gut.

Rowan took a step closer, and the air seemed to thicken. "Callista?—"

"I said I haven’t seen him. Am I the one on trial?” I planted my hands on my hips.

Rowan's nostrils flared. "No. I’m sorry. For everything. We need to get you out of here. Away from?—"

"With all due respect, that's not happening," Lana stepped forward. "Not for at least another day.”

Rowan’s eyes flicked between the two of us. "Why not? It's not safe for you here. We can protect you better at the pack house?—"

"I know, but . . . " I avoided his gaze, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts. I didn’t want to go. Why didn’t I want to go? I didn’t relish staying here at Bill’s, but the idea of returning to our pack made me cringe. “Not yet. We need to figure out how to break the bond.”

Rowan frowned. “We can do that at home. We can go to Lyra?—”

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