Chapter 23
He walked passed his sister, further into the cabin, and had to admit to himself that he had no idea where he was going. He could always walk back to where she was, lie down on the ground, and try to get some sleep, but Slator knew that was never going to happen. He was wound up, his emotions brimming on the surface. Even if he tried to go to sleep, it wouldn’t happen.
How could she not believe him? If he were going to joke with her, it wouldn’t have been about something this big. Did she not think about how he felt when he found out? Scared that Sloan wouldn’t want to be around him any longer, nervous of what she would say when he told her the truth. They weren’t related by blood, which meant she would never be as he was. When that thought had crossed his mind after talking to their uncle, terror had hit him in the middle of his chest and stayed there. She would never accept him for what he was, but even then, he knew that she would come around.
He had always thought that what he was would keep her from wanting to be near him, not who he was. Hadn’t she remembered how they were treated growing up? After all that their supposed parents did to them, did she honestly think that blood was what kept them together? Back then, he would have happily run from his family, only if Sloan would have left with him. She was his sister, the little girl he had protected his entire life and something as small as the blood running through their veins wasn’t going to change that fact. She was still his sister, and even if she didn’t want him around, he was going to continue to protect her with everything that he had.
With a frustrated sigh, he stopped in the middle of the long hallway he was standing in. It was time to admit to himself that he was lost, but what could he do? Knock on a door and ask for directions to the empty room Ally had promised him? That wouldn’t go over well. It would take only a second for some of these people to realize that he was a shifter, and as soon as they did that, they would go on alert. He took a deep breath and hissed when the smell on his body reached his nose. They’d probably think he was a mutt, with their scent all over him.
First thing he needed was a shower, but even after that shower, what was he supposed to do? Run around naked? The thought sent a small smile to his lips. That would definitely go over well with everyone in the giant house they called a cabin. He straightened slightly, new determination easing his moves. It didn’t matter if he was still furious at Sloan, still wishing that his sister would stop thinking about the technicalities of it all and realize that they were still family. He stunk.
A loud yawn sounded from the door he was standing nearby, and as it opened, Slator stared at the brown haired man who emerged. Behind him, a cry flew through the room, making Slator frown slightly. He didn’t know that there were children in the cabin. His mind went out, trying to pick up how many were actually in the room, but he hit a solid wall. A solid wall he was beginning to realize was Alexandria Holt, the woman he had heard so much about.
The man rubbed his eyes as another yawn escaped his mouth, and Slator stood there silently, wondering if the man even realized he was there. Probably not, with the determined look on his face, the man looked as if he were after one thing only. Slator thought that one thing was a bottle, up until the man’s brown eyes landed directly on him. The door slid shut, and as it did, the brown eyes that were staring at him turned gold as they glowed.
“Alex asked me to show you to your room,” he said with another yawn. “Although, if I didn’t make her lay back down, I’m sure she would be doing the showing.” The crying from the room quieted, making all other noises in the hall seem louder than normal.
Slator just stood there, staring at the man who obviously had some connection to Ally. If leaving her room in the middle of the night was anything to go by, or the cries that had flew from the room, Slator would guess that the two were married. “Slator.”
“I know. I’m Sebastian,” the man said, while holding his hand out for Slator to shake. Slator stared at the thing. “Don’t worry,” Sebastian said with a smile. “You’re not going to see anything, and neither will I.”
Slator gripped the man’s hand in his and shook it for a moment before letting it drop. “So, you and Ally married?”
Sebastian turned his back and began walking through the hall. Following behind the man, Slator was quiet as Sebastian began talking. “We’re not married yet. To be honest, I don’t think we ever would get married if it were up to her. To her, the ceremony means nothing, but I was raised as a human, marriage means something to me.”
“She doesn’t want to be with you?” Slator asked with a small amount of confusion in his voice.
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder; his eyes still the glowing slightly. “We’re mated,” Sebastian said with a proud smile. “She’ll always want to be with me, just like I’ll always want to be with her, but she doesn’t completely understand why humans do certain things. To her, we’ve been married for quite some time now. It doesn’t matter if there is a piece of paper that says that, because our bond means more than it ever would. She’s right,” he said with a small shrug, “but I can’t help but want the human world to know she’s with me too. You’ll understand when the time comes. Anything that will keep people from looking at your mate is a blessing.”
Letting out a laugh, Sebastian’s tone was full of amusement as he continued to speak. “Hell, the first couple of months together were torture when it comes to wanting her beside me all the time. When something happens, I want to push her behind me, demand she run away from the danger. Even now, I have to force myself to let her do what she does.”
He didn’t ask why this man was telling him all this, didn’t question it. Slator simply followed behind, feeling slight amusement at the complete honesty coming from Sebastian. He could see why the man would be a little overprotective. If he was in a relationship with someone like Ally, a Queen if he had his information right, Slator had a feeling he would be extra protective too. “Why haven’t I heard of you?” Slator asked as Sebastian chuckled at the question. “I mean I’ve heard a lot about Ally, that she’s the last one standing in the way of a lot of people, but I hadn’t heard she had a boyfriend, mate, whatever. I didn’t know she had a kid either.”
“Three kids,” Sebastian said with that proud tone Slator heard from many dads. “To them, I’m not a threat. Her children aren’t a threat. Oh, don’t get me wrong, they’ll still kill us, but to them, Alex is the scary one.”
“Can’t blame them for thinking that,” Slator admitted as Sebastian stopped walking. “But you’re the King, why don’t they think you’re a threat?”
Sebastian knocked on the door, and Slator heard footsteps on the other side. “Leopards are a matriarchal society. Even if Alex were to have a brother older than her, his role would be to protect her as she sat on the throne. He would be her second, she would listen to everything he had to say, but she would have the deciding vote. It’s how it’s always been.”
Slator opened his mouth to ask more questions, but before he could, the door opened. His mouth didn’t close as he stared at the woman standing there with a slightly agitated look on her face. When she took a deep breath, the agitation disappeared to reveal worry. “Is Ally okay?” she asked before growling. “And why does your guest smell like a dog?”
Slator’s mouth closed as he frowned. The entire time she talked, she didn’t glance at him once, and he would have known if those white eyes landed on him.
“You know which rooms are empty and which ones are about to be filled,” Sebastian said, his voice sounding more tired than it had earlier. “Alex said to tell you she was sorry for waking you, but you’re the one who’ll be running the house while she’s gone. She thought you’d prefer to put Slator wherever you wanted him.”
“It’s okay,” the woman mumbled, with slight suspicion in her voice. “There are only two rooms open, and if Sloan is staying here, I know Adam will want her near him. He can stay near Barron’s room.”
Sebastian sighed, but the large smile on the man’s face didn’t fit the emotion in his voice. “Alex doesn’t trust him,” Sebastian said with a wink in Slator’s direction. “She wanted someone to keep watch over him while she’s gone.”
“She wants me to do it?” she guessed, a sigh of her own escaping her mouth. “I guess he can stay in Korbin’s room when all of you leave.” Finally, she turned towards him, but she didn’t offer her hand as Ally and Sebastian had done. “My name is Amaya.”
Slator held his hand out for her to shake, but she didn’t move towards it. “Slator,” he mumbled as he dropped his hand back to his side.
“She’s blind,” Sebastian said in explanation.
Amaya’s eyes turned towards where Sebastian was, and for the first time, Slator realized the woman didn’t focus on anything, just glanced in the general direction of Sebastian. “I still wouldn’t have touched him,” she said in a slightly defensive tone.
“Whatever you say,” Sebastian mumbled as he turned in the direction he had come from. “I’m going to go back to sleep before Noah wakes up and we have to leave.” He waved a hand over his shoulder. “Thanks for everything!”
“Wait!” Amaya called out as she took a step out of her room. “What am I supposed to do with him tonight?”
The man disappeared from view, leaving Amaya’s question unanswered. She turned narrowed eyes on him as if it were his fault. “I could stay in one of those empty rooms you were talking about.”
She huffed. “And chance you sneaking off? I don’t think so.” She glanced over her shoulder before letting out a sigh. “I guess you can sleep on my floor until Korbin leaves.”
He glanced back at the room too. “I could sleep in the hall,” he offered, knowing she felt uncomfortable with the suggestion of allowing him into her room.
“No,” she mumbled as she walked into the room. “Then, I’d have to worry about Barron trying to kill you.” Walking towards a closet, she opened the door before pulling out a set of clothes about his size. Motioning towards a door beside the closet, she tossed the clothes in his direction. “But you have to take a shower first. I don’t want that smell in my room any longer than it needs to be.”
Slator gripped the men’s clothing in his arms, wondering why she had them to begin with. By the look on her face, Slator knew that it wouldn’t do any good to ask. “Thanks,” he mumbled as he walked towards the bathroom.
She stepped out of his way, but before he could enter the room, her hand on his arm stopped him. “There are towels in the cupboard,” her voice broke slightly, “and don’t use the soap in the shower. There’s more in the cupboard you can use, it masks your scent.”
“Something that I need at the moment,” he joked, hoping the saddened expression on her face would disappear.
Her arm dropped, and one corner of her lips turned up in a small half-smile. “Just go take a shower,” she said as she turned away from him. “I’ll make you a pallet on the floor.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
She stiffened as she walked back towards the closet. “I want to.”
Seeing the way she jerked the blankets from her closet, Slator knew she wasn’t going to say another word. He entered the bathroom, letting out a sigh only when the door closed between the two of them. Maybe staying with the wolves would have been a smart idea, because he had a feeling that staying here was going to be a completely different kind of torture, one he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with.