The Secrets Between Us | ✓

|30|

Anaya was beginning to believe that she made a mistake by agreeing to live with Icarus. Like how foolish could she be? There was nothing to do here which led her vacant mind to overthink everything. It kept reminding her of the unpleasant events that had occurred five days prior. She was exhausted mentally and physically, and it was tough to maintain an emotionless facade when several emotions were brewing inside her.

Icarus' face flashed in her head and she let out an outraged sigh. Although he had treated her horribly, she missed him. She wanted to loathe him and no matter how many times she repeated that to herself, in her heart she knew she couldn't. She had buried herself in the fictional world, the library becoming her solace which worked for some time, but then she wondered what books Icarus liked to read and that was it, she left the library and did not turn back.

Nicholas had apologized to her and she had let it go because honestly, it was no one's fault but Icarus. He couldn't defy his Alpha's order without getting killed or banished from the royal pack. Anaya would never want that for Nick. He was a considerate guy who deserved a wonderful life alongside a beautiful mate. When he had asked her if she needed anything, she hadn't hesitated to ask for art supplies. She hadn't painted in a long time and it felt the right thing to do to keep her busy. 

When she had sat in front of the blank canvas and took the yellow paint ladled brush between her fingers, it had felt therapeutic. It helped her to focus on the movement of the strokes and she was quite delighted with how the amber eyes turned out until it dawned upon her they belonged to a certain someone. The subsequent time she had grabbed the brush, she locked her thoughts about him inside a box and shackled it tightly, but in the end, she had accomplished in painting his handsome face. Knowing she was failing miserably, she had shoved the art supplies inside a drawer.

Rather she had decided to assist Lisa in the kitchen. Initially, Lisa was beyond hesitant, who wouldn't be, after all, Anaya was the Luna Queen but when she insisted several times, the old lady had to say yes. They both loved cooking, so it was pleasant to bond over recipes. Lisa had even taught her a few exotic dishes of other countries like Khachapuri, chicken Biryani, chicken pot pie, potato dumplings, and Anaya made sure to teach her spicy shrimp sandwiches, Banoffee pie, Tiramisu, and some mango desserts she had attempted long before and had been approved by her roommates.

Lisa always asked Anaya if she was doing alright because she knew what had happened between Icarus and her, which compelled Anaya to think whether the entire werewolf kingdom was aware of the incident. But Lisa had put her worries to rest saying the information was shared only with the Royals. Apparently, Zarina had an undercover spy around Icarus and it didn't take a genius to figure out the spy was none other than Beta Nicholas.

Zarina had called to apologize for her son's behavior and had informed Anaya about Chloe's healthy baby boy. She had invited Anaya to go with her to the hospital, but Anaya declined politely. With what happened, the visit being the main reason, she didn't think she was ready to meet them all again. 

Immanuel had come to see her but in the time they spent, he never inquired about Icarus, for which she was grateful. He chatted about his mate and it was nice to hear him say only lovely things about her. He had shown various photos of them stored in his phone gallery and there was no mistaking their love for each other. Ellie was gorgeous, the model kinda beautiful. She was a law student working in a bakery part-time, and she modeled every now and then when promising opportunities arrived.

While here she was, not earning a penny and housing on someone else's income. What did it tell about her? In a way, she didn't have a choice right now. It was about her safety like Icarus claimed. She didn't know from whom but it made sense since she was the werewolf king's mate which also created another problem. She couldn't go around looking for work in the Imperial pack, her title wouldn't permit that.

Before her mood could recede into a fog of gloom, she shook her head and ran a hand down her dress to smooth the creases while gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was secured in a ponytail and her face glowed despite minimal makeup, all thanks to Lisa. Her dress was dark blue, like her mood. She hadn't wanted to go but she couldn't dismiss the puppy face Immanuel made to convince her. He had been a great friend, more so a brother she never had. He had requested Anaya to meet Ellie. He thought if his mate saw another human, she would be more comfortable accepting him as a werewolf. It was a good idea, the only dilemma was Anaya was slightly awkward when it came to first-time meetings. Introvert to you.

With a deep breath, she made her way down the stairs and found Immanuel on the couch in the living room, his eyes fixated on another episode of The Vampire Diaries. He and Anaya had been watching it a lot these past few days. Immanuel would make some comments on how certain scenes were utterly absurd, but then he'd go back to devouring them. Feeling her presence behind him, he switched off the TV and walked towards her, holding out a chocolate bar. "You look beautiful, Anaya. Ready to leave?"

She grinned. "Thank you!" He always got chocolate for her when he showed up. The first time he came to visit, he brought a basket filled with a variety of chocolates as a token of apology for his twin's behavior, and when he saw Anaya was a sucker for it, he continued showing up with it every day. 

"Where are you going?" 

Anaya stilled, his familiar voice had her heart pounding against her chest. Her fingers tightened on the chocolate bar as she turned around to face Icarus. He was standing on the staircase, his hands on the railing as he looked between them. He had a five o'clock shadow and his eyes looked sunken. His shirt looked as disheveled as his hair. Anaya looked away. "None of your business!"

"Immanuel?" He prompted, barely holding back a growl.

"Bro, we are going—" 

"Let him be." She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside before he could complete his sentence. 

"Anaya! Please!" Icarus' voice cracked as he followed them outside. His hand on her shoulder paused her and he slowly came to stand in front of her. "Please tell me, otherwise, I'll be worried till you return."

"I don't care!" Anaya seethed, throwing him a withering look. "You have lost the right to know." 

He flinched. 

"Let's go," she murmured to Immanuel and trudged towards his car. 

He looked at Icarus, his mouth opening and closing like he wanted to do something to settle the things between Anaya and Icarus, but then his eyes darkened and he too glared at his twin, a disappointed look crossing his features. "It's your fault."