Page 44 of X'nath

“What’s the matter, Gracie? You look like you lost your best friend or something,” Kelly’s teasing voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She flashed me a sly grin, nudging me with her elbow. Her mate, Vakgar had his eyes glued on her despite spooning his meal into his mouth. “I thought you’d be floating on air with all the compliments we’ve been getting.”

I smiled at her, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “I’m fine. Just… a little distracted.”

Sophie, who had been standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. “Distracted? You look like someone just poured cold water onyour parade.” She gave me a playful nudge. “You’re not upset that someone beat you to the stew, are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I replied quickly, but my gaze flickered back to the crowd, looking for any sign of Yargol or X’nath.Where are they?

Erin, now sitting across from me, crossed her arms with a huff. “I swear, if Karg doesn’t show up soon, I’m going to throw this plate of food at him.” She shot a glare toward the entrance to the camp, as if daring him to appear. “I mean, we work our butts off for this, and he just disappears with no word? And he’s not the only one! X’nath was supposed to help too, wasn’t he?”

She was right. Both of them were absent. Were they off doing something together?

“Exactly!” Salma chimed in, her tone light but teasing. “He’s been avoiding you, Gracie, hasn’t he? Or maybe you’re just too distracted with the food to notice.”

I tensed. “What do you mean?” My voice was sharp, and I immediately regretted it. I didn’t want to give them anything more to tease me about, but I couldn’t hide the unease that settled in my chest at the mention of X’nath.

“Oh come on, Gracie,” Kelly said, her tone more sincere now, “you’re not fooling anyone. You've been spending a lot of time with him, and now he’s nowhere to be found when we need him. I mean, it’s a little suspicious, don’t you think? Did you guys get into a fight or something?”

I swallowed hard. My hands, still holding the spoon, tightened around its handle, and I felt an overwhelming heat rise to my face. “We’re just… helping each other out, you know, when things like battling monsters arise.” I hadn’t meant for it to sound defensive, but it did.

Erin narrowed her eyes at me. “Yeah, helping each other out. But helpingwho, exactly? He’s been like this with everyone lately, hasn’t he? He’s got a one track mind, or so we thought.”She gestured around to the empty space where X’nath and Karg should have been sitting. “And now they’re both not here.”

“Maybe they’re just busy,” I offered weakly, but the doubt in my mind made the words feel hollow.

Sophie leaned in, her expression turning more thoughtful than teasing. “You’re not worried, are you? About him and… someone else?”

My heart skipped a beat.Is that it?

I couldn’t lie. A part of me had been wondering why he hadn’t come. He had said he'd always be there, but then he’d disappeared. Now I was stuck feeling… confused. The laughter around me faded into the background, and the warmth from the fire didn’t seem as comforting as it once had.

Erin’s voice cut through the silence again. “You know, it’s not just you. Karg’s been brooding too. I’d go after him, but I’m afraid if I try, we’ll just end up bickering. The guy’s practically a walking storm cloud after our fights.”

I frowned, suddenly aware of how distant everyone seemed. The jokes, the teasing, even the praise for the meal—it all felt like it was happening to someone else, not me.

“Maybe they just don’t get it,” I muttered, staring into my plate, my spoon resting in my hands. “It’s not about the food. It’s aboutbeinghere—about being together. A united clan.”

There was a quiet pause around the table, and then Kelly’s voice softened. “Gracie… we’re proud of what you did here. Proud of what all of us did. We’ve never had a meal like this before. But sometimes, you can’t just force people to see what’s right in front of them.” She gave me a knowing look, her words both comforting and biting at the same time.

I nodded, still partially in denial, though the hollow feeling in my chest didn’t fade.Where are you, X’nath?

I’d put everything into this—every ounce of energy, every smile, every hopeful thought. But now, with all the men praisingthe meal, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still being overlooked. Maybe not by the clan, but by him.

The laughter around the table began to feel distant, and I forced myself to smile. It wasn’t the others, it wasn’t the meal—it was me. I had expected something different from this night. I had expected... X’nath to perhaps pull me behind a tree and kiss me or something, despite my constant resistance.

And now, I was unsure whether I’d even have the chance to show him what I was capable of. Or if I was just another moment in his long line of distractions.

27

Unveiling the Truth

GRACIE

It had been two days since I’d seen X’nath or Yargol. Karg had returned, and it seemed Erin and he had patched things up quickly, her laughter echoed behind his home, their joy unmistakable. She had chosen to stay with him the other night, which left me alone in our communal home. Honestly, it was fine by me. My nightmares had been getting worse, and I didn’t want to disturb Erin with my growing issues. It was easier to suffer in silence, especially when I had no intention of letting anyone see just how fragile I was inside.

But each morning, I’d wake to find small gifts left outside my hut—wooden trinkets, fresh cuts of meat, and even a bouquet of wildflowers that seemed to bloom just for me. The other women had started noticing, their eyes filled with a mixture of envy and admiration, as if I had somehow won a prize. They teased me about it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Who was leaving these things? More importantly, why?

At first, I tried to ignore it. Gratefulness, yes, but the constant attention made me uneasy. It was as though I was a pawn insome twisted game, being set up for something I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

Then there were the chores—always mysteriously taken care of. Firewood stacked high outside my house each morning, meats for meals prepared without a word, and even my home’s roof patched up after a rainstorm without me lifting a finger. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate it; it was just the way it kept happening—too perfect, too precise.

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