The Eve of Darkness

Chapter 26 - Jude

A/N: Aha! There is a second chapter today! I got you! 

**********

****

He'dbeen terrified, angry, and stressed when he'd finally put it together: theimage of hunters attacking their home. Rowen had been complaining about something being "off" all morning. Jude had begun his morning as usual. He stumbled into the office to get started on the paperwork for their debrief to the other packs at the summit in a few weeks and was surprised to find his mate, looking as if he'd returned from a morning workout, ready and waiting with a coffee in each hand, bearing the logo of Jude's favorite coffee shop the town ten miles away. Rowen was sweaty, wearing only basketball shorts, a large baggy shirt with the sleeves cut off and the back cut to make room for his wings.

Had Jude been more awake, he would have right about died in the doorway. It was unfair how attractive his mate was, damn it.

Thankfully, his sleep-ridden brain was more occupied with obtaining the caffeine being offered, and he meandered over to hold the cup with both hands. With being so tired, and his wolf being so neglected the past few weeks, still-not-awake-Jude decided it would be a good idea to lean his head against Rowen's shoulder, who tensed and froze in place at the action. It was a little comical. Rowen essentially had acted like Jude was a street cat that had finally rubbed its head against him and, in fear of scaring it away, refused to move too much or take too deep of a breath.

After taking a few sips, Jude sighed a grateful 'thank you,' and sat at his desk to begin putting paperwork together. Rowen made a choked comment about going to shower, to which Jude hummed a barely-there response. About an hour after Rowen had left, Jude heard the rainfall begin, pattering against the windowpane behind Camden's desk across the room. The sun rose and Rowen came back into the office with two mugs. He placed one in front of Jude and held the other close as he sat down at the chair in front of Jude's desk.

"So, how's work?"

Jude looked up from the paperwork, raising one eyebrow at the mundane question.

"It's... alright." He tilted his head for a moment, trying to figure out why Rowen was acting so weird. Usually, the siren would show up to his office, give him coffee, flirt at him until his cheeks burned, and then go to the living room, where he would continue in whatever research or emailing that was entailed in his job as a council investigator. Jude wanted to ask him more about what he did as a representative of the council in situations regarding the H.O.A., but he had yet to find the chance to do so, as he was always caught up in doing something for the pack. "What's up?"

Rowen hummed and looked up from the spot on the desk he'd been staring at. "Huh? Oh, uh, nothing."

Jude took note of the way that Rowen's leg bounced up and down, and how his ring finger tapped against the side of his cup. There was a small crease between his thick brows and his eyes were narrowed in thought. Even his wings, which were draped over and around his biceps, spilling onto the floor, were almost puffed up, twitching every few seconds.

There is obviously something up, Jude thought with a narrowed gaze.

"Rowen," Jude commented calmly, "Rowen, you look like you are on the brink of an overstimulated panic attack."

Rowen huffed at this and looked at Jude with concerned, sea-moss eyes.

"I just—" He interrupted himself with a flutter and puff of his wings as he took a large sip of his coffee. When he swallowed he continued trying to give an answer. "I just feel something is off. I keep seeing these—these visions, accept they're not very clear and I get a headache at how loud they are. It's ridiculous."