Calamity is pushed out of the chaotic atmosphere.
Lóthurr's scent clouded her mind- like a heavy drug stealing away her conscience and turning it into a lulling, lustful state.
Truthfully, she wanted to bask in it some more. What was going on with her? She's become a horn dog.
The Beta female politely shut the hotel door, "What a mess..." She sighed with a frown.
Calamity rubbed her eyes. Her left arm ached from being held up, and it wheezed with relief as she dropped it. Despite her usual carelessness, being in front of Lóthurr made her want to pretend her black eye wasn't there.
Hugging herself to self-soothe, the heavy scent's effects slowly wear off.
River eyed her and pursed her lips. She wore the expression of a disappointed mother- a feeling that itched her heart uncomfortably.
"Calamity..." She trailed off, looking around, before sighing and shaking her head, "Why didn't you tell the truth?"
It felt like the pot bubbled over. Steaming emotion pooled out her eyes- her bottom lip trembling and throat clenching. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Her heart ached with misery.
"I'm sorry-" Calamity broke into sobs, her knees wobbling.
River's brows uplifted with concern.
"I-... I just- I feel so rejected, and... I wanted to get away-" She panted as tears cascaded down her cheeks, "G-Gleyma won't talk to me... I'm scared-"
Unable to handle her breakdown further, River rushed forward and wiped away her tears. "Shhh, shhh..." She quietly shushed, "Who's Gleyma, dear?" She pushed strands of her mohawk out of her face and rested her hands on Calamity's shoulders.
Hearing her wolf's name from someone else made her cover her face. She pitifully sobbed into the palms of her hands.
How can someone be expected to adapt to being so alone? Her wolf was her best friend- someone who was always there in the back of her mind. They bonded like no other could.
Oh, how she missed Gleyma.
Suddenly, the hotel room door is flung open.
River and Calamity share a gasp and whip their heads toward the door. She dropped her hands from her face, tears trailing down her cheeks and her nose stuffy.
Lóthurr stood in the doorway, his large arm holding the door handle.
His chest rose and fell quickly, and his eyes widened upon seeing Calamity's distressed appearance. His brows furrow as his eyes trail up and down her face, noticing the puffy black eye, trailing tears, and trembling lips.
Opening his mouth to speak, River interrupted him with a scolding. "I said this was a private conversation, Lóthurr..." She huffed.
He flexed his jaw and shifted his gaze between the two she-wolves.
"Uh- Yeah." He cleared his throat, "... Apologies... I just-" He opened and closed his mouth, "Need... To talk, to her."
The beta female gave him a pointed look, "Well... Currently, I'M talking to her."
Calamity hugged herself tightly- looking away to hide her face. The awkwardness was almost too much to bear.
The werebear swallowed thickly before he stepped back. "... Right, sorry." He muttered and slowly shut the door.
Immediately, River patted her shoulder, "Were-men... seriously." She shook her head before chuckling, "Back to our private conversation, hm?"
She couldn't help but chuckle despite her tear-stained face.
River wiped away some of her tears with her thumb. "I'm not mad at you for not telling me," she explained. "I... I would prefer you told me the truth next time." The shorter woman smiled kindly at her.
"Okay?" The kind woman cooed.
"Okay." Calamity breathed with an unstable voice.
She helped the ill woman tidy herself up, the two of them waiting in the hallway by themselves. The last thing Calamity needed was to walk into a room of dudes while looking dishevelled and emotional.
It doesn't help that Lóthurr already saw her in the midst of her breakdown... embarrassing.
The duo shuffled back into the hotel room, with River entering first. She smiled reassuringly at Calamity before closing the door behind her.
They were welcomed into a nerve-wracking atmosphere.
Lucifer was pacing the room with his hands behind his back. His brows were furrowed, and his jaw tightened with frustration.
Lóthurr was leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door. His arms were folded over his chest, his gaze trained on the floor, while thoughts swarmed through his mind.
Greyson, though, sat on the bed hunched over his phone in his lap. His expression was blank.
As soon as the door clicked shut- Lucifer's head whipped toward them.
He immediately charged toward River and pulled her away. His arms encircled her possessively- hands nonchalantly squeezing her thigh and butt in his handsy embrace. Lucifer rumbled lowly- his nose nestling in her neck.
Becoming irritable, River sighed, "Lucifer... She's not dangerous." She ensured, "You're making her feel awful- I just know it."
Calamity rubbed her arms and chuckled sadly. She was right- their behaviour was making her feel rejected.
"No, no... it's not that." He huffed, "I'm just pissed right now, and you're preventing me from losing my shit."
The she-wolf frowned and ran her fingers through his hair. He rumbled with delight- leaning into her touch affectionately. The power of a mate's affection was beyond Calamity's understanding.
Lóthurr cleared his throat from the sidelines, "He was trying to convince Greyson to leave."
Upon hearing his name- Greyson's head swivelled up. Looking amongst them, his face dropped when he realized what they were talking about.
Suddenly, Calamity's gaze locked onto Greyson's.
She realized how similar he must feel to her. Rejected and unwanted. Knowing she wasn't alone in these feelings, she started to appreciate Greyson more and more. All this young man wanted was to impress his father.
"Maybe... he doesn't have to?" Calamity said. The young beta's eyes widened at her rebuttal.
Lucifer snaked a hand away and directed his body toward her- despite one arm remaining around his wife. "What do you mean?" He roughly demanded.
Despite his aggression, she kept her chin up. "What if... maybe... you assigned him to deal with me?"
The mere idea alone made Greyson perk in the background. He slid his phone into his pocket and rocketed to his feet- practically bouncing on his heels from excitement. The young man's eyes shone with opportunity.
"No way," Lucifer scoffed, "That's a ridiculous idea."
River lightly hit his chest, "Lucifer." She called out.
"What?" He said in a higher-pitched tone and looked down at her, lovingly but argumentatively, "He isn't ready to be in charge of things like this- especially not on his own."
"This case isn't a violent one."
Everyone turned to look at Lóthurr- who was still leaning against the wall. He pursed his lips, challengingly eyeing Lucifer.
Greyson was practically bubbling with excitement. It only made Calamity want this to happen even more.
"Your direct participation isn't required." Lóthurr explained, "No offence, of course... it's just..."
He took a slow step toward the Beta male, "There's more violent cases you could be attending to."
Breathing in, Lucifer pulled out his phone and scrolled through it.
The silence was anxiety-spiking. Everyone was awaiting his final response. If he truly decided to, Greyson could be kicked out.
Calamity fidgeted quietly- her figure swaying side to side.
"Fine." His response made Greyson's shoulders fall with relief.
Sliding his phone back into his pocket- the tanned man turned toward his son with a serious expression, "Don't make me regret this, Greyson." He pointed at him.
River threw her son a thumbs up and a sweet smile.
Greyson puffed out his chest with confidence and grinned widely.
"I won't."