The Alpha's Mistress

14

Onyx brushes him off. "Yes you. Go."

Indecision plays on his features for a brief moment before he obliges his Alpha's command, rushing up the stairs.

Onyx immediately turns his attention to me, his features softening.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I stammer, although I feel anything but. "I think."

"Do you need to go to your room?" He brushes a hand down the side of my face, his brows knitting together with concern.

I shake my head. "Not yet."

"We need someone to remove her body, but keep it safe so she can be brought back to her family," Onyx says to the guards surrounding us.

Lucia taps her lower lip with her finger. "This doesn't look good for us."

"It was just an accident." Onyx eyes her warily.

I look up the stairs and back at Elora. This poor girl. What a terribly cruel way to go.

"We need a way to soothe the girls. This will be confronting to all of them," I pipe up.

I need to feel helpful, like I'm doing something other than staring at this dead girl, trying not to throw up.

"We need to bring someone new here, to ease tension. These girls need to know they are safe," Lucia says, covering her mouth like the sight of Elora physically repulses her.

"They are safe," Onyx adds. "And now is most definitely not the time to think about bringing someone else here. I'm going to offer the girls a chance to go home if they are uncomfortable."

The sides of my lips quirk up slightly. Of course Onyx is going to do the right thing.

Lucia doesn't look impressed. "That's not a good idea-"

"It's what's happening." His dismissal of her is cold, but completely necessary. She presses her lips together, but nods, backing off.

Onyx shifts his attention to me. "Sienna, you should go check on Alex and I'll check on Lexa and Violet."

"Alright."

I rush up the stairs, trying not to imagine what it would feel like to fall backward like Elora had. Unfortunately this horror is going to haunt me all night.

I do as instructed and check up on Alex, who panics at first, but after we talk for a couple hours, she calms down long enough to convince herself to get some sleep.

Ambling slowly back to my room, I let the darkness drench me. I want to curl up into it, to cry for hours in hopes of letting out this horrible feeling of dread that crawls through my body.

I make it to my room, aiming right for the toilet.

Unable to help myself, I throw up, replaying what Elora's death must have looked like, what it must have felt like over and over in my head.

Time slows and contorts. For periods of time I just sit near the toilet until intrusive thoughts win and I crawl back to brace myself on the toilets cool surface, unable to stop vomiting.

Vacantly I can hear the bathroom door being opened, soft footsteps approaching me from behind.

I can feel his presence. It's like a warm blanket of surety draping over me, soothing me.

Onyx's tentative fingers gently pull my hair off my damp neck, twisting it around his hand so it's out of my way.

"Hey," he whispers comfortingly into my ear. "You're okay."