❝And for her, he burned.❞ When his mate leaves him behind at the palace, Lester finds himself working to the brink of deterioration. Everything reminds him of Dahlia, the shewolf he's in love with. Overwhelmed, Lester moves out to a small town where...
❝Contrast was a sharpening vision beneath the sun, and the clouds stormed above his head.❞
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Lester woke up with a hangover and nausea. His head spun as he dragged himself out of bed and leaned over the sink, retching. His arid throat screamed in protest at the act. Lester gripped the wall for support, every weight in his head rushing forward to throw him off balance.
He felt like shit.
Lester deserved it, of course. He'd gone to the club again last night. Something about the beat of the music and everything being overwhelming around him made him feel calmer. Some sort of under-pressure stress response? He wasn't sure, but he always hated himself for it the night after.
What else was new? With that thought, Lester departed from his bathroom and made his way to the kitchen. Halfheartedly, he cooked up some scrambled eggs and poured himself some juice.
It had been a week since he'd arrived, and he'd quickly settled into a routine to keep things consistent.
Being in Nyore was oddly weightless. The lack of office work, the lack of servants, and the lack of pressure all amounted to a feeling that made his fingers itch.
Not that he could do anything. Cayce had, of course, taken his work laptop and only allowed him to bring a regular one. Without being on-site or using one of the special computers, security didn't allow Lester access to the confidential database even with all of the passwords.
A wave of longing hit him as he leaned back against the counter after eating, resting his sights on the kitchen. It was foolhardy, but he couldn't help but picture his mate on the couch reading a book, laughing at something one of the characters had done. Dahlia didn't smile very often, but when she did it was like every weight in the room was lifted and he was left breathless.
Lester missed her desperately, even outside of the palace. Whether or not he chose to admit it to himself, there was a certain fear associated with the idea of his mate. It was hard to reassure himself that she would come back. Or that nothing would happen while she was out of his reach. That thought alone made him want to tear all of his hair from his head.
He took a breath and put away the dishes.
He had to have more faith in her, he reminded himself. He had to feel a little more secure without her. This was ridiculous.
Rarely did Lester Raure ever get the chance to stop and think about things as they were happening. Still, the notion was scary. Given the chance, he would have immediately delved into his work at the palace once more if only so he could stop thinking.
Ding.
Lester looked up from the counter as the doorbell sounded, distracting him from his thoughts. Walking over, he tugged open the door, anticipating Ayden's presence.
A different face greeted him.
Charlyn Woulka stood at his door with a pan full of freshly baked homemade pumpkin muffins and an expectant look on her face. Her neutral expression gave away nothing as she peered over his shoulder into the living room. "Ah, so I did get the right house."
"Charlyn," Lester greeted, "I didn't expect to see you so soon."
"I brought pumpkin spice muffins, let me in," she said, grinning.
Lester obliged, opening the door wider to let her step inside. She whistled approvingly as she made her way through the house to the kitchen, placing her muffins on a hot pad.
Charlyn dragged her hands across the seemingly renovated cabinets and the updated appliances. "I knew the person who lived here – Sermind Nataniel. He did a number on this place since I've last been inside. I was shocked when I heard that this house got rented out considering its state, but this makes a bit more sense. This is nicer than mine. Got lucky, El."
"Something like that, Charlyn," Lester said nonchalantly. He leaned towards her against the counter, curiosity peaked. "What brings you here, anyways?"
"Oh, right! First off – call me Charlie, all of my hometown friends do so you might as well get with it. Secondly, I was going out to lunch with my friends. They're people our age, so I thought you'd like to meet them to get to know some people around here since you're supposedly staying. They want to meet you, that's for sure." Charlyn talked and surfed her phone at the same time, pausing when she clicked on something. She slid her phone across the counter with no hesitation.
Lester picked up her phone and entered his contact information. "Do I have a choice about whether or not I get to come?"
"Not really," she shrugged as he handed it back. "Let's get going. I'm taking you to a place called Rockfer's."
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all of part one is completed on patreon. click the external link to take a look! then keep moving - a holiday short will be up for you all shortly ♡
