Alpha Charming | Rheon

THIRTEEN

There are three things I learned during my short stay here with the Balfours. One; werewolves are real. Two; if cuddling was an Olympic sport, Rheon would have won hands down. And three; nothing escapes a werewolf's ears. Nothing.

I paused in the kitchen doorway when I was met by Rieka, Seren, Clemmy, and Reyna's inquisitive stares. They all were trying extremely hard to keep straight faces but for some, it was proving to be a challenge. Clemmy had to cover her mouth after she nearly giggled, earning an elbow in the ribs from Seren.

"Morning," I greeted them suspiciously as I crossed the room towards the coffeepot.

"To you as well, dear." Rieka smiled warmly. Her eyes held a mischievous glint as she followed my movements.

"Slept well?" Reyna hid her grin by taking a sip from her mug.

"Surprisingly well for three hours." My brows furrowed at their odd behavior.

Seren sent me a lopsided smirk. "Of course, you did. Tell me, does my brother talk in his sleep? I'm always curious about that."

"No, actually. In fact, he sleeps like the dead -" My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I realized what I just confessed. The women burst out laughing around the kitchen island while I stood there as red as a tomato. Clemmy's hands covered her face, Rieka and Reyna held onto each other for support, and Seren for some reason seemed proud. "I swear, nothing happened. We were just talking..."

"Of course, nothing happened," she wiggled her brows, "Otherwise we would've heard it."

Rieka's eyes were watery of laughter as she patted my cheek tenderly. "We're pulling your tail, dear. The entire castle knows Rheon's too much of a gentleman to even think about such things."

Clemmy placed a mug of coffee in my hands, and I joined the ladies around the island. Edda's voice was a distant echo as she ordered her staff around to prepare breakfast.

"Rheon wasn't in his room when I woke up, though," I pointed out.

"He and the boys left for Glasgow half an hour ago, top-secret mission apparently," Reyna explained and ran her finger over the rim of her mug, "You know men; always travelling in packs."

Images of Rheon and the squad marching through the streets of Glasgow came to mind. I imagined an epic theme song playing in the background as they held a V-formation with Rheon at the front. Let's throw in some explosions as well and boom, I've just directed an action movie in my head.

Edda squeezed in between Rieka and me to place a plate of freshly baked croissants on the counter. Next came three servant girls with bowls of toppings in their hands. There were grated cheese, minced meat, bacon, beans in sauce, syrup, and strawberry jam. Clemmy and Seren made a grab for the bacon at the same time and was fighting over the bowl while Reyna casually helped herself to the jam.

"Eat up, dear," Rieka said and handed me a plate with a croissant, "We have a busy day ahead of us."

"What's happening?" I asked and reached for the grated cheese.

"We need to go shopping for Rheon's birthday ball," Clemmy explained with a mouthful of bacon, "All the packs of Scotland will be there, it's going to be so much fun."

I blinked. "Wait, when is his birthday?"

"Sunday," Seren said without looking up from her plate, "On the night of the full moon." Yes, that made perfect sense to host a werewolf ball during the night of the full moon. Noticing my sceptic expression, she added, "Don't worry, we don't lose control and go all bat shit crazy like in the movies. It's just more poetic to celebrate under a full moon."