The Bone Chapel

The Bed

I considered disappearing into the library, but I knew that there wasn't a single nook or cranny inside the manor that a wolf couldn't find. I made a promise that I would sleep in Everett's bedroom, and though he'd eventually join me in it, it was as reclusive and comfortable as I could get given my circumstances. Racing up the stairs, I ascended to the third floor and darted into the master suite. I slammed the door behind me, my whole body shaking as I gained distance between myself and what just occurred.

I'd just stood before the wolves, reprimanded someone I'd never met before, humiliating Olly in front of his family and friends, and then declared to everyone present that I would be sleeping in the same room as their respected leader. I shivered at the recollection, taking deep breaths to steady myself.

It's done, I told myself. Can't change what was said, now I just need to breathe.

Placing my palms against the door, I braced myself and lowered my forehead to the polished wooden surface. I closed my eyes, taking one deep breath in, holding it, and then releasing it into the quiet of the room.

In, hold, out. In, hold, out.

After a minute, my nerves steadied and the safety of my solitude eased my muscles. Whatever anyone thought of me didn't matter in that room. I could take a shower, clean my face, change into something loose and comfortable, and then sleep the night away. With those rejuvenating steps in mind, I turned to locate the bathroom, only to have my fleeting moment of serenity swiped away in an instant.

Fuck, I thought, the word so sharp and forceful that Everett might have heard it no matter how far away he was in that moment. Of course there's only one bed.

This wasn't my or Damien's room. This was Everett's room and I was just sharing it. Did that mean I would be sharing his bed too?

Again my heart rate picked up, but the nervous energy that had coursed through my system only moments ago was different this time. What had been shocking and sizzling, was now warm and uncertain.

I approached the large bed that sat pressed against the right wall of the room. Sturdy wooden posts formed the bed frame, the wood knotty, but naked without its bark. Figures of wolves etched the posts, the carvings shallow and subtle. My fingers ran over the designs and found the wood smooth thanks to a thick coat of lacquer. At the head of the bed were planks of wood with deep reliefs carved in. A moon, round and full, adorned the apex of the arched headboard. Beneath it a wolf sat on each side, howling up to the starry night. Majestic pines and cedars, oaks and sycamores, filled the space beyond the wolves. To my surprise, no pack could be found lingering at the tree line. Instead the two wolves sat alone in the clearing, their song to the sky a duet.

The bedding paled in comparison.

Two drab gray pillows with deep indents at their centers lay before the headboard. A fluffier pillow with a freshly laundered case sat atop the well-loved cushions. The flat sheet, a similar color to the gray pillows, but a bit brighter with a tinge of blue, peeked out from beneath a tattered quilt. Though the blanket had stray threads and loose seams that revealed the batting beneath, the craftsmanship was apparent. The patches alternated between creamy muslin and shades of blue that leaned towards navy and midnight. Eight-pointed stars composed most of the pattern, though a simple wolf silhouette playfully leaping from one square to another was sometimes intermixed. At the center of the quilt was a circle composed of radiating strips of fabric that varied in color from eggshell to butter.

The delightful wolf motifs brought a small smile to my face until I noticed what sat at the foot of the bed. Luc may have draped my stuffed rabbit so it peered over the thick timber footboard in a mischievous way, but that didn't stop my sole belonging from looking utterly out of place in the alpha's rustic bachelor pad.