The Alpha's Temptation [BXB]

Part 12

I'm jolted awake by the sound of a car in the early morning, feeling absolutely out of it. My eyelids feel heavy and my mouth feels like it's full of cotton. I look at my phone and see it's around 5:30 am, not much time has passed since I fell back asleep out of exhaustion from my episode. 

I hear a car door slam and realize it's coming from the driveway so I clamber out of bed to the window, surprised at what I see. Or who I see.

It's Daemon. He's walking up to the house with a purpose, his face looks serious like something's wrong. And his eyes...it's hard to see from the second story window where my room is but I can tell they're glowing amber, like when I first saw his wolf in the woods. The mark of an alpha

Curious, I leave my room to the hall and stand at the top of the stairwell, the shadows covering me. A rapt knock resounds and sure enough, an exhausted-looking Lucien goes to open the door. I tip-toe down the stairs so I can eavesdrop on their conversation. From this spot they can't see me.

"Daemon?" Lucien asks confusedly. "Why are you here? Did you forget it's the weekend? You don't need to take Ash to school..." 

"I'm not here for that," Daemon replies.

"Then what is it?"

Silence. Why is he hesitating to answer?

"Look, I think it's better if you go," Lucien sighs, sounding frazzled and tired. Which is understandable after what I put him through. "Ash...he's not well right now,"

"What do you mean he's not well?" Daemon immediately asks. 

"It's hard to explain. I don't really know what it's about either,"

I can't see Daemon but I can imagine his jaw is clenching like it usually does when he doesn't get the answers he wants. "What happened?"

"Daemon-"

"Tell me what happened." Daemon demands. The aggressiveness of his voice startles me. I don't understand why he wants to know so badly. Why would he care what's happened with me? 

I feel the tension in the air between the two, feeling like I could cut it with a knife. Alphas really are something. They hate backing down. "Stop badgering me, Daemon. You don't seem to care for the boy so why does it matter?" he snaps.

It's like Lucien took the words right out of my mouth. Because I don't get it either! Why did Daemon show up like this, just an hour after my episode? So early in the morning too. Does he know something was up? And how does he know?! Does he care?

"Hah," Daemon remarks, his tone sounding like he's disappointed. "I guess you're right,"

I don't know why but those words break my heart. I already knew he didn't care, but it still hurts. Why was a I deluding myself? I hate that he's having this effect on me.

Daemon leaves, and I quietly retreat back up the stairs to hole up in my room again. I wrap myself in the cocoon of blankets and try to think about anything but him.

*

I wake up late in the afternoon, head throbbing and eyes sore. I can't bring myself to get out of bed for how hopeless and empty I feel. But I'm too exhausted to cry anymore so I just lay there, feeling numb. 

I thought I'd escaped Alpha Ferix's wrath. I foolishly hoped that I'd be able to leave the past behind as I made a new life here. Turns out things aren't that simple. 7 years of living alone with my stepfather without my mother there to protect me won't go down the drain just like that. The memories that haunt me are coming back at full force and I scrunch my eyes shut in an effort to block out the nightmare.