Page 40 of Aine

“Great!” he says, far too chipper for my tastes. “It’s about time you get some fresh air.”

I sigh, silently agreeing. I can’t sit around and sulk forever, even if I’d like nothing more than to do exactly that. What’s done is done.

I move around Alex to grab a fresh outfit off my windowsill. Both he and Jenna turn away, and I take the opportunity to change into something a bit more appropriate for dinner.

“You aren’t going to shower?” Jenna asks as I work on buttoning up my shorts.

Showering means going into Damien’s house and risking running into either him or his girlfriend. Neither of which I’m particularly excited for.

“Not today,” I respond.

Jenna looks unhappy, but she doesn’t push it. Alex doesn’t seem to care at all as he stands and rubs his hands together. He’s still dirty from work, his hair greasy from sweat and his clothing covered in mud.

“You’d know if you bothered to show up to work, but we dropped off a ton of potatoes this afternoon.” He pushes open my cabin door.

Jenna claps, prompting a quiet snort from me. I follow her out of my cabin, pretending not to notice Alex’s smirk. I’m honestly pretty excited about the potatoes. They were a common food to eat back in my old village and have always been one of my favorites.

It takes everything in me not to peek at Damien’s house as we walk along the path, the large building taunting me with every step.

“I heard the hospital is still waiting for the new blankets to come in,” Alex says, striking up conversation with Jenna.

She huffs, and I kick at a rock as I listen in. I’ve gathered that the beasts get supplies brought in from a nearby human village, but Damien handles all the shipments and nobody knows much about it.

“They were supposed to be here two weeks ago,” Jenna sighs. “Damien said they’re delayed because he put in an order for new furniture last minute,” she continues, scoffing.

I raise a brow, finding her anger humorous. I’m glad I’m not the only one he pisses off.

Alex and Jenna chat with one another as we move through the woods, their easy conversation bringing to attention just how close they are. I laugh along as Alex cracks a joke about Jenna’s mate, trying not to let my anxiety show. I really don’t want to see everybody today.

Slyly, I reach down and wipe my palms on my shorts as the building approaches. We’re arriving pretty late, but I hope that means we’ll be able to eat quickly and leave. Everybody was friendly and polite when I came here with Damien, and I hope that remains true today.

I breathe out a sigh of relief when Alex opens the door to reveal a room full of eating beasts. The few near the doors look up and nod in our direction, but most don’t even seem to notice our tardy entrance.

Damien sits in his seat at the back and turns his head and body entirely in my direction as he notices my arrival. He seems a bit shocked by my presence, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of my attention and casually look away.

Alex leads us to a some empty seats in the center of the room, his stride long and confident as he maneuvers around the beasts. I purposely sit so my back faces Damien, not wanting to risk getting caught glancing at him during the meal. Jenna sits opposite me, her neck craning as she searches for her mate.

I look for Avia, too, quickly spotting her standing from her table to join. She plants a small kiss on Jenna’s cheek as she sets her bowl on the table, the sweet gesture causing a blush to spread across Jenna’s face.

I can’t help but feel jealous as I look at them, their happy relationship making me realize just how much I want somebody to look at me that way. Henry and I were never in love, oftentimes unable to even be in the same room as one another.

When we first wed, I tried to make him love me. I’d fulfill his every request and try to serve his needs before he even knew he had them, but all that did was drive him further away. At some point, I gave up, my childish infatuation turning into a painful mixture of fear and hatred the longer we were together.

By the end, the only time I was expected to spend time with him was when he wanted sex. My only saving grace was that he was always so preoccupied with other women, he rarely demanded such intimacy from me.

Here, though, everybody seems to be so happy with one another, constantly spending time with their mates and appearing genuinely in love. I suppose they could be pretending, as Damien does with me, but that seems doubtful.

Damien is terrible at pretending he cares about me, even with witnesses, and I like to think I’d be able to tell if they were acting.

“Let me fix you a bowl,” Avia murmurs, pressing another kiss to Jenna’s lips before hurrying to the kitchen island.

Alex rolls his eyes at the action, muttering something about Avia being whipped. I laugh at his teasing of Jenna, happy to finally have his attention off me.

I didn’t realize how hungry I was until entering the dining hall and smelling all the delicious food. Today’s main dish looks to be some sort of grain bowl, and it has my mouth already watering.

“Come on. Let’s get something to eat,” Alex says, his eyes wide as he stares at everybody’s food.

Heplaces his hands on the table and pushes himself to his feet with a sigh but freezes when his attention is grabbed by something behind me. I turn and see what it is but am stopped by a rough hand landing on my shoulder. I tense, knowing immediately that it’s Damien. My body stiffens as he brushes his fingers over the mark on my neck, unwanted pleasure coursing through me at the contact.

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