With a slow nod, Callista threw me another look before she walked toward one of the cabins in the plaza and entered.
Silently, Lucien began walking toward the same cabin. It was the largest one in the Heart, with tall walls, a grand double door, and windows shaped like those in churches. A sign hung on the wall near the door, readingMontrévère Pack Hall.
We stopped before the door, and Lucien turned to me. He gave me a serious look, empty of whatever the hell had almost happened between us, and instructed in a soft, barely audible voice, “Stand behind the door when I walk in, then count to twenty and enter as quietly as possible. Stay in the back, near the door, as out of sight as you can.”
Swallowing hard at the clash of emotions boiling inside me, I forced myself to ignore the many questions I had for him and instead whispered back, “All right.”
With a heavy nod, Lucien straightened, turned to face the door, and took a deep breath.
Right before my eyes, I saw him transform.
Not into a wolf, but into the chilly, threatening, deadly version of him I’d seen once before, in San Diego.
Gone were the smiles or seriousness from his face. Gone was the spark in his eyes that had filled with amusement just a few minutes ago. Instead, his face was drawn into a flat yet somehow murderous expression, and his eyes were cold.
I felt a chill run down my spine at the sight and had to jump back when he suddenly threw the door open and walked inside menacingly.
As I hid behind the door and counted to twenty, I heard murmurs from inside, which slowly grew silent while Lucien’s footsteps echoed deeper into the building.
Once I reached twenty, I slipped into the cabin and stood near the door, as Lucien asked.
Then I had to wrap my head around what the hell I was seeing.
Because the inside of the cabin wasn’t, well, what an inside of a cabin would look like, no matter how large. In fact, it didn’t look like the inside ofanybuilding I’d ever visited before.
From the entrance door, a wide staircase led down to the biggest auditorium I’d ever seen—it looked closer to a semicircular stadium than anything else. A few hundred people were perched in the stands, not an empty place in sight, while at the front was a stage with six seats, split into three and three, and right in the middle, a large, throne-like chair.
Five of the six seats were occupied by Lucien’s Betas.
Lucien himself sat on the would-be throne.
And the silence that reigned was so thick, it could be cut with a knife.
Adjusting my glasses, I watched Lucien as he was silently given some papers by Callista, who was sitting next to him, and started to read through them with that same menacing expression. As he did, my eyes latched on to Callista, who didn’t move away; instead, she leaned over the pseudothrone’s armrest with her deep neckline, pointing things out on the papers Lucien was reading in a voice not audible from where I was standing.
I had noticed before that she was beautiful, but I hadn’t fully realized the extent of it until now. It was as if a screen had been removed from my eyes, and Ireallysaw her.
She was beyond beautiful.
She was gorgeous.
Almost as gorgeous as Lucien.
I was suddenly irritated. Beyond irritated; I was downright angry.Take your hands off him,I thought, folding my arms, seething, when she rested her elegant hand on his arm. When I saw her lips curve a little at something Lucien murmured in return, my anger multiplied.Stay away from him! He’s—
My mind screeched to a stop. He’swhat, exactly?
And who was I to tell Callista to stay away?
This behavior was so unlike me, and yet I couldn’t contain the sudden hatred I felt toward the woman. This wasn’t rational. It pressed down on me like a force beyond my control.
I just wanted her to get away from Lucien before I went down there and ripped her hands off—
The fuck, Drew?I forced that last thought to stop, especially when I realized my entire body was trembling with rage.What the hell is wrong with me?
The longer Callista remained physically close to Lucien, the more jealous I became. Murderous thoughts circled in my head like a bunch of sharks ready for an attack. My breaths came out short and uneven, as if I could hardlybreatheunless she pulled away. My body kept on trembling, no matter how much I hugged myself and tried to calm myself down. The anger simply would not let go, boiling my blood and putting me on a fucking edge.
When the woman finally leaned back, taking the papers back from Lucien, and put some distance between them, only then could I finallybreathe. The trembling slowly stopped, and the blinding rage retreated, finally giving back the space to a clear head.