Page 43 of Aine

“What?”

“Who is she?”

Although I know I have no claim to him, I can’t help but want to know who the woman living in his house is.

Damien sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“Freya is Alex’s mate. She left years ago and just came back last week,” he explains, his answers only creating more questions.

“You’re sleeping with your brother’s mate?” I ask, my judgement loud.

“No.” Damien shakes his head, his throat bobbing as his hands clench into fists. It seems I’ve struck a nerve.

I open my mouth to pry further, but Damien’s leaving before I get anything out. He refuses to acknowledge me as I call out to him, his strides long as he marches into the woods. I consider sneaking back out to see what else I can learn, but I doubt I’d get far before being caught.

The shouting between Alex and Freya comes to an abrupt halt, but given the sound of hatred in their voices, I doubt they’re anywhere near finished. I hesitate as I stare at the treeline, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of them, but it’s too dark for me to make out much of anything.

What the fuck is going on?

Chapter Eleven

AINE

The beasts refuseto look me in the eye as I march through the woods, their attention shifting to the ground the moment they notice my presence. The incident at dinner last night has made them uncomfortable around me, and I wish I knew what I could do to ease some of that tension.

I’m scouring the garden for Alex the as I push my way through the treeline, more than a little eager to see a friendly face. Mia and Abby look up as I storm through the garden, their expressions shocked as they take in the stress of mine. I give them a curt wave before locking eyes with Alex.

He’s standing in his usual spot near the tool shed, his expression unreadable as he watches a pair of beasts sparring in the far corner of the fighting field.

My heart thumps as I head toward him, acutely aware of Damien’s gaze on me. He’s always staring, and I’m slowly losing hope that he’ll grow bored and leave me alone. I don’t understand him and am tired of trying to.

Alex dips his head in a silent greeting as I approach.

“Are you okay?” I blurt out.

He ignores my question and gestures to a wheelbarrow already stacked to the brim with veggies. “You’re late. I was worried I’d have to take this all by myself.” His joke falls flat.

I frown but don’t push. It’s clear Freya’s a sensitive topic, and the last thing I want is to make him uncomfortable.

He follows silently as I grab hold of the wheelbarrow handles and start pushing, his toe clipping my ankle every few steps. I ignore it the first two times, but when my shoe is shoved below my heel I turn and glare.

“Stop that!” I order, scowling at his cheeky grin.

Alex raises his hands in surrender, but he does it again when I turn.

“You can’t come with me if you’re going to be annoying,” I snap.

Alex laughs, seemingly unconcerned as he nudges me out of the way and grabs the wheelbarrow handles himself.

“Ipush the produce,” he says.

I roll my eyes but allow him to take the lead. Despite his happy demeanor, I can tell by his slumped shoulders and dark eyes that last night took a bigger toll on him than he’s letting on.

Alex is amazing, and I can’t imagine why Freya would choose Damien over him. I sure know ifIhad a choice, I would choose Alex. It wouldn’t be a hard decision at all.

The dining hall is empty, and we move in comfortable silence to the back and start stocking the shelves.

Alex eventually breaks the silence. “I didn’t think she’d ever come back.”

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