Chapter 86
Chapter 86
I’m still half in his arms when the world slams back into place.
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Sand presses into the backs of my calves. Salt coats my lips. The air smells like ocean and sunscreen and Alaric–clean, sharp, male. My heart is beating too fast, though it missed a memo that we’re not in danger
anymore.
I swallow and blink hard.
What the fuck was that?
My chest tightens again, not panic exactly–more like something unfinished. Like my brain opened a door it wasn’t ready to walk through and then slammed it shut on my fingers.
I drag a hand down my face. “That was… not great p>
Alaric’s arms are still around me, firm bands of muscle as though he decided gravity is optional when it comes to me. He doesn’t loosen his grip. If anything, it tightens just a fraction, fingers digging into my waist through damp skin.
“What happened?” he asks. There’s no longer any teasing. Not amused. His voice is low and flat, all the play gone. That alone makes my stomach drop.
“I don’t know.” I try to shift back, needing space, needing to breathe. My palm presses against his chest, solid and warm as I try to remember the memories this time. “I just–give me a second. I feel weird p>
He doesn’t move.
I look up.
His eyes are sharp now, glowing faintly in the dying light. Jaw locked. That dangerous stillness settles over him, the one that makes everyone else instinctively step back.
“You’re not walking away,” he says calmly. Too calmly. “And you’re telling me what’s wrong. Right now. ”
Well. That shuts down whatever sass was lining up on my tongue.
For a heartbeat, I want to fight him. Reflex. Old instincts. Push back harder. Make a joke. Pretend I’m fine like I’ve always tried.
Instead, the strength drains out of me like someone pulled a plug.
“Okay,” I mutter, exhaling. “Okay. Let go. I’m not running p>
He studies my face like he’s trying to decide if that’s true. Then he eases his hold just enough for me to slip
free.
My knees wobble the second I’m on my own.
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I drop down onto the sand before gravity can embarrass me.
It’s cooler now, the heat finally bleeding out of the day. The sun hangs low and heavy over the water, staining everything orange and gold, trying to pretend nothing ugly ever happens here. Waves roll in slow and deep. dragging foam back over the footprints we made earlier–erasing evidence.
Alaric crouches, then sits beside me without hesitation, knees bent, forearms resting on them. He doesn’t touch me this time, but he’s close enough that I can feel his heat.
He waits.
I pick at a grain of sand stuck to my thigh, buying time. My pulse slowly stops trying to kill me.
“This keeps happening,” I say finally. My voice sounds steadier than I feel. “The flashes. They’re getting… clearer p>
His head tilts slightly. He doesn’t interrupt.
“Like what happened before the Luna Battle and I was training, or when we fought. It keeps happening. They’re not full scenarios too and I don’t know if they’re even my memories.,” I continue. “More like… clips. Out of order. As if someone chopped my past into pieces and keeps throwing random ones at me when I’m not looking p>
I huff out a short breath. “Rude, honestly p>
That earns the barest twitch of his mouth. He’s still watching me like I might shatter if he blinks.
“I keep seeing myself as a kid,” I say. “Too young to understand what I’m hearing. Hiding somewhere I shouldn’t be. Holding my breath because I know–somehow–that if they find me, I’m fucked p>
My fingers curl into the sand.
“There are two men,” I add. “One’s older than me but younger than you are now. The other’s… older. Powerful. Not someone you interrupt p>
Alaric’s shoulders tense. It’s subtle. I catch it anyway.
“I don’t hear the words,” I say. “Just the feeling. That whatever they’re talking about matters. That I wasn’t supposed to know p>
I glance at him. “And then there’s another one. Me again, but older. A teenager. I’m screaming at someone. Blaming them for everything. Crying so hard my chest hurts p>
My throat tightens, unexpected. I clear it and keep going because if I stop, I might not start again.
“I wake up angry after those. Like I lost something and don’t know what it was p>
The waves crash a little harder.
“And then just now,” I finish quietly. “It hit me again. Stronger. Like it was right under the surface, waiting. ”
Chapter 86
I turn to face him fully. “I think it’s connected to my dad’s death p>
That does it.
Alaric goes still. Not tense–frozen. Like every muscle in his body locked at once
His eyes widen just enough to give him away before he schools his expression hack into something neutral
I see it anyway.
“Well,” I say softly, “that reaction sucks p>
He exhales through his nose, slow and controlled. “Sorin p>
“No.” I cut in. “Don’t do that. Don’t smooth it over. You flinched p>
He doesn’t deny it.
“My father didn’t just die,” I say. “Not to me. There’s something else there. Something I don’t remember on purpose. And I think someone made sure of that p>
The words taste bitter in my mouth.
“If I want answers,” I continue, choosing each word carefully. “I need to go back to the Woodridge Pack”
The name barely leaves my lips before he stands. Sand scatters as he brushes his hands together when needs them clean.
“No,” he says immediately. “Absolutely not p>
The finality of it hits me harder than I expect.
I stay seated, staring up at him. “That was quick p>
“We’re not going back there,” he repeats, voice edged with steel. “End of discussion p>
Something cold settles in my stomach. Not fear. Suspicion.
“You didn’t even ask why,” I point out.
His jaw flexes. “I don’t need to p>
I push myself to my feet slowly, dusting sand off my legs. My movements are deliberate, controlled. Calm on the outside. Inside, alarms are going off.
“You said you wanted me to heal,” I say evenly. “This is part of it
“Not like this p>
“Then how?” I ask. “Because pretending it doesn’t exist clearly isn’t working p>
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He drags a hand through his hair, frustration flashing across his face before he reins it in. “You’re not safe
there p>
I meet his gaze. “I wasn’t safe anywhere p>
That lands.
For a moment, neither of us speaks. The ocean fills the silence, loud and relentless.
Then I nod.
“Okay,” I say.
The word hangs between us.
His brows draw together. “Okay p>
“Okay,” I repeat, softer. “We’re not going back p>
I don’t argue. I don’t push. I don’t demand explanations.
And that–apparently–is what throws him.
I offer him a small smile. Polite. Careful. “I’m tired. Let’s head back before it
gets
dark p>
Something unreadable flickers across his face. He hesitates, then nods.
“Fine,” he says. “We’ll go inside p>
We start toward the villa, the path lit by low lights that flicker on as night creeps in. The resort is quieter now, but not empty. I feel eyes on us. Phones lifted. Whispers carried on the breeze.
The gates loom ahead–tall, black iron, and I think’s it’s the biggest one in the area.
As we approach, my smile stays in place.
Inside, though, I’m already planning.
Because I didn’t say I agreed.
I said I wouldn’t argue.
And those are two very different things.
Alaric studies me like he’s waiting for me to lunge, accuse, scream. When I don’t, his shoulders ease. Just a fraction. Enough that I clock it.
Interesting.
“Let’s
go out later,” he says suddenly, voice lighter, smoother. Too smooth. “Somewhere loud. Music. Lights. You’ve been wound tight all day p>
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I tilt my head, considering him like I’m not already cataloging the panic tucked behind his eyes. “Sure,” I say. “Why not p>
Relief hits him so fast it’s almost embarrassing. His breath leaves him in a quiet rush, like he didn’t realize he was holding it. He nods once. Then again.
I step closer before he can overthink it. Slide my hands up his chest, feel the heat of him under my palms. His heart is pounding–harder than it should be for a man who claims he’s fine.
“Villa first,” I say, thumbs brushing his jaw. “We’ll figure it out from there p>
He leans into my touch like a fucking addict.
“Okay,” he murmurs.
That obedience doesn’t sit right. Alaric Hayes does not do obedient. It should scare me.
Instead, it disarms me.
I kiss him before I can stop myself. His hands come up instantly, locking around my waist like I might vanish if he doesn’t hold on. The ocean roars behind us, the last edge of the sun slipping beneath the water, and for half a second everything feels… steady.
Then I feel it.
That prickle at the back of my neck.
I pull back and glance down the beach.
She’s standing near the rocks, drink in hand, posture relaxed like she belongs there. What the fuck? Is that ……. Camilla? White dress. Bare feet in the sand. Watching me like a stalker she’s already solved.
My stomach drops.
I blink.
She’s gone.
No retreating footsteps. No silhouette fading into the dark. Just empty shoreline and the sound of waves.
“You okay?” Alaric asks.
I open my mouth to lie-
-and suddenly the ground disappears.
I yelp as he scoops me up, arms under my knees and back, lifting me like I weigh nothing.
“What the fuck–Alaric p>
He grins, all teeth and trouble. “You said villa first p>
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Chapter 86
People turn. Someone laughs. A phone flashes.
“Put me down!” I hiss, grabbing his shoulder, face burning.
“Nope p>
I bury my face in his neck, mortified and laughing despite myself. “You’re an asshole p>
“Your asshole,” he says, smug as hell.
Goddess help me.
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He carries me the whole way back, doesn’t even slow when my feet kick uselessly. By the time the villa gates come into view, my sides ache from laughing and the unease from the beach feels farther away. Not gone. Just… muted.
Then I see them.
Three guys lingering by the gate. Mid–twenties. Tank tops. Phones already up.
One of them steps forward. “Yo, this place is private p>
Alaric stops.
I slide out of his arms and straighten, sand sticking to my legs. “Yeah,” I say flatly. “We know. It’s ours p>
They laugh.
One of them looks me over, slow and obvious. “Sure it is. You don’t look like a woman who can afford this p>
I glance up at Alaric.
That’s when his face changes.
Not angry. Not loud.
Amused.
Slowly, dangerously amused.
And I realize–far too late–that this night isn’t winding down.
It’s just getting started.
Oh boy, why did they have to say that?
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