The Unforgiving Moon

43.

"I hope you're all feeling well-rested after your night here," Dell said. As soon as I had seen him coming our way, I had stood up and joined Aven and Cailean, who had been eating their breakfast quite far removed from me and Ivy.

They had still been sitting in my sight the whole time—or I had been in theirs—but we'd been out of each other's earshot. Aven had shot me one more sideways glance before he sat down, but as soon as Cailean started the conversation, he hadn't paid me any attention anymore or spared another glance in this direction.

Ivy, on the other hand, had been shamelessly ogling my Alpha the entire time. He was twice her age, but that didn't seem to slow her speeding heart whenever she looked his way.

I suddenly found myself glad I had never had a real crush on anyone in Fire Moon. The absolute horror of every wolf around being able to hear my body's reaction to it would have been... Mortifying. It also would have been used against me, undoubtedly.

Aven nodded, as Cailean answered, "Your hospitality is truly exceptional."

Dell had his hands crossed behind his back, and dipped his chin. "I have cleared my morning so we can talk."

"We appreciate it," Aven answered. "Greatly."

I had slept well, too. As soon as I laid down in my bed after dinner, my eyes had shuttered close and I'd fallen asleep. When I woke, though, I didn't feel well-rested. Even now, this heavy and somehow haunting feeling was hiding in my stomach, following me around wherever I went.

Something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Some unconscious, primal part of me was trying to alert me of something, but I was clueless as to what. 

I didn't sense any danger—and that made this feeling I struggled with perhaps even more intimidating, and confusing. 

It made me want to turn to the forest that edged this camp, and run away into it. Something was calling me, or pulling me, or pushing me, I didn't know. But something was going on, and I seemed to be infuriatingly clueless. 

From what I'd observed, Aven didn't share this unsettling feeling. Or he hid it very well, at the very least. I hadn't dared take him aside this morning to confide in him—because it was probably nothing and I had no idea where its roots lay. It was probably just my mind and body responding to a place where I had last been truly happy, where I'd shared myself with Jerr. 

A place where he could have been my mate. Where I would've wanted him to be. And how would I explain that to Aven?

Or maybe it had something to do with my powers—more specifically, with Sariranyasa. And I had never shared those details with Aven. I had never told him exactly how I got my powers. So how would I explain that?

Dell gave Aven and Cailean a smile, but it wasn't near as genuine as the countless ones I'd seen him share with Jerr.

They'd been close friends. I wondered how Dell felt about his treachery? Did he feel equally as betrayed as me? 

I wouldn't even know how to ask—how to open the conversation about Jerr. I'd never gotten close to Dell—not at all—and now especially he seemed to be distant, unattached. Perhaps it was that that I was feeling. His sudden change in warmth and hospitality. 

Yes, I told myself. That was probably it.

As if he was reading my mind, Dell turned to me and asked, "Sari, I assume you are still well-acquainted with Tymen?"

I nodded. "Yes, Alpha."

"I have ordered him to have you join him for his daily duties. You should still be familiar with our way of doing things here," he answered.