Of Beast and Beauty (Complete)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Thankful

The fourth day of Yule started late and ended early. After the festivities in honour of the Moon, everyone had spent most of their day sleeping and drinking tonics to recover from drink. Alina had slept in longer than she had ever remembered. The sun was high in the sky when she finally rose and walked to the basin that had been left for her to wash off the sweat from the night before.

Sweat.

She flushed when she thought of the dancing she had done - both in the ritual and with Christian. The longer they had danced the more comfortable they had gotten with each other... with each other's bodies. Their hands had roamed in places that she couldn't think about without wanting to crawl back under her covers and cower for the rest of eternity.

The bond between them hummed and seemed to sing.

Alina ignored the traitorous link and, after scrubbing herself clean, made her way to the library. It may have been Yuletide, but the search for the curse could not rest. She spent the whole day reading and researching until Mary had come to fetch her for dinner.

Tonight was a night that celebrated Kinship. They ate a communal meal of Barley soup with delicious bacon bits, sourdough bread and more of the savory sage buns. They had gone around the table and said what they were thankful for one by one.

"New friends." Elizabeth had beamed at her.

"Family." Mary and Louis had both announced.

"Weapons." William had grunted, inciting laughter from everyone.

As the table went around Alina thought hard about what she was going to say. If she had known it were coming she would have had time to prepare an adequate response. She hated being put on the spot like this and her mind was drawing a blank. So many things had happened. What was she thankful for?

She was thankful her family could now live without the perpetual threat of hunger. She was thankful that Christian had not killed her or done anything nefarious to her. She was thankful that she wasn't in the tower. She had her own, warm bed and food in her belly. She had books to read. She was thankful... thankful she had been taken away and given this life she now led.

It was a revelation. It was a betrayal.

"Christian." She had sent when her time came at last. Everyone in the room quieted and looked at her. Her heart beat out of her chest and little black dots appeared in her vision when she realized she had been holding her breath, trying not to breathe.

Christian stared at her in wonder, like he couldn't believe what had come out of her mouth. She couldn't believe it either. But it was true. She was thankful for Christian and all he had done, no matter how grumpy and curmudgeonly he had done it all.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"And I am thankful for all of you, my pack." He nodded to the group before him. "And Alina, who has begun to show me the error of my ways. A toast to thankfulness and peace!"

"Thankfulness and peace!"

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No one said anything to Alina about her thankfulness choice the night before. Sure, the rest of the pack cast her furtive, even hopeful looks, but no one said a word about it. Community was the focal point for the fifth night and it was up to everyone to lend a helping hand wherever needed. Everywhere you looked there was a group of people tackling a project together.

"Aye Me!" The cook hollered when Alina entered the fragrant, warm kitchen. "Not another one!"

To Alina's surprise, there was no on in the kitchen other than the cook and her regular staff of a few kitchen helpers - two girls and a boy. They were all set off on their work, chopping and peeling. The cook twirled around, wielding a knife. Alina's eyes widened and she took a step back.