Page 116 of Alpha's Revenge Luna
“What did Kyrio want?”I ask, and he shrugs.
“Organizing what time we’ll be leaving in the morning,” Dion tells me, and I nod.
The scent of sugary toppings curls through the air, but it can’t sweeten the sour thoughts fermenting in my mind.My hand hovers between the choices, eventually gravitating toward the chocolate, its velvety depths mirroring the murkiness of my thoughts.With each spoonful melting on my tongue, I should be tasting comfort, but all I can digest is the strange tone of my grandmother’s voice.
“Are you okay?”Dion’s question cuts through my reverie, his voice a gentle tether drawing me back from the precipice of my worries.
I glance up, meeting his gaze.
“Grandma sounded...off.”The words spill out awkwardly.“And my brother—he’s supposedly at a sleepover.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”Dion asks, and I raise an eyebrow at him.“Okay, is that unusual?”Dion tilts his head.
“Highly.”The spoon clinks against the bowl as I set it aside, my appetite waning with each thought of what might be wrong.“He doesn’t do sleepovers.He’s never even been on one—”
“I’m sure he’s fine.Your grandmother wouldn’t put him in danger,” Dion tells me.
“I don’t know.I feel like something is wrong,” I mutter to myself, more a confirmation than a revelation.
“Her voice,” I start to explain, then hesitate.
“Talk to me,” he coaxes gently.“What is wrong?”
“Caleb has no friends,” I whisper, my brows furrowing.He is scared of his own shadow and grandma was always an outcast within the pack, so whose house was he staying at?
“I think something is wrong.Grandma sounded nervous.What if the pack has…?”
“Has what?”Dion asks.I have no clue, but I can feel it.Something feels off with how she spoke.
“I don’t know,” I sigh, rubbing my temples.
He lets out a sigh, its weight carrying the concerns of an Alpha who shoulders the burdens of many, and yet, in this instance, it holds a singular focus on me.
“I was going to surprise you,” he begins, his voice steady, “but I was planning to take you to visit her tomorrow.”
The sudden rush of relief sweeps through me, chasing away some of the cobwebs of dread that had begun to weave themselves around my thoughts.Yet, even as the tightness in my chest loosens, the tendrils of unease refuse to be banished completely.
“Really?”The word emerges half-breath, half-question.
“Of course,” Dion says, reaching across the space between us to capture my hand in his.His thumb caresses the back of my hand soothingly.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
“See, you have nothing to worry about; you can find out everything tomorrow.See Caleb, maybe she’ll let him come back here for a few days,” Dion says, and I smile at the thought.That would be nice.
Chapter 42
THE NEXT DAY
We leave early in the morning, Kyrio driving while Dion works off his phone.I sleep part of the way but then wake up from being jostled on the bumpy back roads.
I press my temple against the cool glass, feeling the subtle vibrations of the road beneath us.My eyelids flutter with each passing mile marker, the hum of the tires on asphalt lulling me into a contemplative haze.
“Almost there,” Dion finally murmurs, breaking the silence as if he senses my nerves beginning to fray at the edges.Anticipation gnaws at me, along with excitement.It’s been so long since I’ve seen my family that now I am nervously excited.Nervous about Grandma’s reaction when she sees I’ve been marked.Nervous she won’t see the truth I feel in my gut is correct.
“Uh-huh,” I reply, unable to muster anything more articulate, my thoughts spiraling around what awaits us at Grandma’s house.
As we pull up to the familiar cottage, framed by creeping ivy and memories, something gnaws at the pit of my stomach.Grandma comes rushing out with her shotgun, aiming it at the car before lowering it when we pull up.She stands on the porch, her surprise clear as she glances around nervously, probably wondering where the entourage of Dion’s men are from his last visit when we dropped Caleb here.Climbing out of the car, I smile, happy to see she is alright.
