Chapter 206. Samhain IV
Maisie
I stood near the edge of the grand hall a couple of minutes before the ceremony began, a glass of wine in my hand that I hadn’t touched.
The Queen was far ahead with Alpha Dante and Luna Kaida, who were both on edge, trying to please her.
My mates were close, Soren’s hand resting possessively on my lower back, Jericho’s fingers occasionally brushing mine, Quinlan narrating something to me about how much of a turd Mercer had been when they were younger, and how Soren and Mercer had had a huge fight when they were younger. Mercer had punched out Soren’s front teeth. And the Queen had made them apologize to each other before Soren got a single hit in.
But Soren’s way of retaliating was sneaking into Mercer’s bedroom when he was asleep and he hacked off all of Mercer’s hair.
Jericho huffed a laugh. Mercer was glaring at Quinlan and was threatening to knock his teeth out if he didn’t shut his fat mouth and... it all felt so normal. I found myself cataloguing their faces. Their precious laughter, I tucked away safely into my heart.
Soon, a disquiet fell over the hall, drawing my attention away from Quinlan toward the entrance where more men were pouring in.
My heart clanged with anxiety, my fingers tightening on Mercer’s arm in fear that Margaret’s plan was finally in motion and this was the part where I needed to get the hell out of here. My pulse pounded so hard, so fast, I was so close to throwing up.
Until I saw that they were only royal guards. Soren’s guards and the Queen’s.
Mercer’s thumb found my cheek in a light caress. "We thought it wouldn’t hurt to increase the security around the pack, against your fears. This better?"
Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes as I glanced up at four of them. They may not have believed my rants on rifts and ancestors and the world ending, but they had listened to me.
I looked around. They had danger-poofed the entire place.
A strange, fragile feeling stirred in my chest.
Maybe I don’t have to leave.
The thought came so suddenly it almost knocked the air from my lungs. If the Queen was this heavily guarded, then maybe the worst wouldn’t happen tonight.
Maybe I could stay.
Maybe I didn’t have to break the only good thing I’d ever had. Maybe... so much blood rushed to my face and my head, and only then did I realize how much despair and misery I had been drowning in... as I let myself think about returning home from this wedding, and spending the night in the arms of my mates.
Waking tomorrow to their scents, to Quinlan and Mercer fighting over who would sleep closest to me, and to Regina’s disgusting texts all over my phone. A perfectly normal day.
And it would buy me yet another year to find the answers I needed.
My lips wobbled and I was crying again, though they couldn’t have understood why. "Much better," I said.
The first thing I was going to do when I returned home was find the letter I had written and burn it.
Quinlan caught the tears before they rolled down my face with his lips. To everyone, it looked like he was kissing my cheek, but he was really just licking my face like a hound. "Seeing you this way makes me want to wrap you in a straitjacket and wads of bubble wraps, and keep you tucked away safely forever."
I blushed, and I wondered if I looked silly, crying and blushing in the same breath. Lately, it felt like I had a faucet that couldn’t be turned off.
A woman not too far away sighed wistfully. I risked a glance, and more than half the women were swooning, while others shot me annoyed, envious glares.
Quinlan didn’t, which was no surprise. I swear the man had a kink for these things. But Mercer did. And rather than shoo Quinlan away, he took my wrist and slanted his mouth of it, practically making love to my hand obscenely, making all of the women glance away shyly.
Oh, but the woes of being mated to unhinged men.
I was saved from more smooching when Regina and Jenny showed up, the latter curtsying clumsily. Both their faces were crimson. They were definitely drunk. "Apologiessss, Your Highnesses," Regina slurred. "But we must take Her High-Majesty away. You can all make knot later--make knot? Ah fuck, Jennifer. You said the punch wasn’t spiked."
"I certainly did not. You said you wanted to get drunk enough to piss in Nick’s face if he showed up," Jenny stammered, and like she hadn’t scandalized all five of us with that, she turned to Quinlan and Mercer and swatted them away from me like he was a bug. "Hear, hear. Give the lady some air."
My mates had varying levels of amusements on their faces, but they let my best friends pull me away. But I knew they were only letting me go because they knew I was safe.
Regina and Jenny dragged me to the center of the hall, and at the first pass of the tray, Regina grabbed three shots, handing one to Jenny and another to me. "We should make a toast. To scumbags who deserve each other."
I bumped her in her rib with my elbow. "Lana already apologized," I chided.
"Still don’t trust that bitch," Jenny burped, and downed her shot.
I took a sip of mine too, mostly because the smell of the alcohol was making me feel queasy. It was odd how sensitive I was to every thing lately. Scents included.
Jenny pulled away, staggering slightly. "I really should go find my brother. I’m sure he’s sulking off somewhere again. Oh and Juliette said to tell you she’s sorry she couldn’t make it. She’s down with some kind flu."
Juliette had taken to staying on the main campus’ lodgings more than visiting the mansion. After living her whole life being told what to do by Quinn, I didn’t blame her from fleeing at the first chance of freedom.
I nodded, making a note to tell Quinn later. He was like a mother hen when it came to her.
Jenny had just stepped away when a hand grabbed my wrist harshly.
My head snapped left and I found Mrs. Braxton glancing up at me. "Come with me."
"Mom?" Regina slurred. "Shouldn’t you be bringing Lana down? The ceremony is about to--"
Mrs. Braxton hushed her, glancing around. "She won’t come down. She’s been holed up in her bedroom, refusing to wear the damned dress and causing a whole ruckus. I can’t have Kaida or the Queen learn of this mess. All she ever does is disgrace us." She sucked in a sharp breath, reeling in her temper, and her gaze flicked to me. "She won’t talk to me or her father. She’ll only speak to you."
Unsure, I started to shake my head, but Mrs. Braxton squeezed my hand, her eyes pleading. "It’ll only take a few minutes. I have never begged you for a single thing before, but she is your sister. And she needs you now."
I bit my bottom lip and glanced back at my mates. They were engaged in discussions with a few of the guards.
I supposed a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.
I turned to Regina. "I’ll be right back. If they come looking for me, tell them I’m with Lana."
Regina blinked slowly, drunkenly, but nodded.
And I let Mrs. Braxton lead me up the familiar staircases to the Alpha’s wing, and we stopped in front of the bedroom beside Cole’s. I guessed it made sense that Lana’s bedroom was close to his now.
I tried not to feel nostalgic about being here again, remembering all the times I had bruised my knees and hands scrubbing these very floors while Cole kicked the bucket in my face.
I was yanked out of my thoughts when I heard a crashing sound come from inside, and the door opened, a maid running out with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Mrs. Braxton let out an annoyed breath and turned to me with a pained smile. "I’ll leave you to it, then."
I nodded and took a careful step into the bedroom.
I heard her sobs before I found her hunched over the vanity, her hands gripping either sides of the table so hard, the table shook. The room was a mess of torn fabrics and broken glass, and I recognized the tantrum for what it was. Lana wasn’t much different from Cole. When she was angry, she destroyed things.
I stepped into the bedroom. "Lana?"
Her back stiffened. And then she turned.
Her blue eyes were big and wide and scared. Her mascara ran down her face and her lips shook. She took a step away from me, chest heaving. "Maisie, I can’t--"
"What’s wrong?" I whispered, hating that I still felt this useless protective instinct over her, and I was walking over to where she stood. "Did Cole do something?"
"Oh god," she breathed. "Maisie, I am so sorry."
My brows furrowed. "For what?"
"She said it was her only condition for saving Cole."
I paused. "What are you talking about?"
The door clicked shut behind me, and the hair on my skin rose as I whirled and came face to face with grey eyes and a coy smile. "Hello again, bitch."
And something hard slammed into the side of my head, turning the world black.