~~

Trinity

~~

After sleeping for three days and resting in bed for another two I was more than ready to get up. Which was why I had gotten up with the sun. I had changed my clothes recently, with the help of Aunt Eve and Nikki since everyone was treating me like I would break if I moved, but what I needed more than anything was a shower. Or a bath. Yeah, I think a nice long soak in my pool sized bath would be great, and just what the doctor ordered. Or what he should have.

An hour later, and a million times cleaner, I was dressed and ready to be somewhere other than my room. I went to breakfast, expecting to see Lila and Reece, but only the former was there. Reece was once again nowhere in sight. He truly was avoiding me.

I had wanted to thank him for saving me. He said he was never going to do it again, but Noah told me he didn't even hesitate before rescuing me. I didn't understand him. Was it because it happened when I was right in front of him? Was it because there were other pack members around? That seemed likely. He couldn't afford to lose face in front of everyone.

After eating the breakfast that Abigail made, 'special for you' as she told me, I had intended to go read in the solarium, but it had started snowing at some point this morning and it was now too dark to read in there. Bummer. Looks like the library would have to suffice.

I was on my way to the library when I heard a sound I didn't usually hear at the house. There was a soft, soothing music coming from the room down the hall opposite of the library. It was a piano. But who could be playing it?

I followed the sound of the music. It was so lovely I had to see if it was someone on a recording or if they were playing right now. Then I noticed the scent, Reece was down this way? Was he the one playing the music?

The door to the music room stood open just a crack, letting the beautiful notes slip out into the hall. Reece was sitting at the piano, his eyes loosely shut, as if he had been following the music in his mind, or heart, rather than on the paper sitting in front of him. I watched as his hands danced beautifully across the keys. I hadn't played the piano since I've been here. Actually, I hadn't played it in years.

"Are you going to come in, or are you going to stand there all day, Little Bunny?" I growled at his use of the name that I hate, but I pushed the door open further and walked into the room, just barely into it.

"I didn't mean to spy on you, you just caught me off guard." I told him.

"I caught you off guard? You were the one watching me." He laughed.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to hear you playing the piano. It's the first time I've heard it since I've been here."

"I just tuned it. I haven't played it in a long time." He looked longingly around the room.

"It sounds great for being neglected, usually you'd need to tune it several times to get a sound like that out of a neglected piano." I was inadvertently lecturing him, trying to tell him something he mostly likely already knew. His eyes went wide.

"You play Little Bunny?"

"Grandfather insisted." I told him. "I can play the piano, among other instruments. Once you learn piano, they're all that much easier. It's the building block of all music after all. Or so Grandfather used to say." Oh Goddess., I was rambling. I had wanted to thank him, but now I didn't know how to be around him. We had avoided each other for most of the last month, and now it was just plain weird. UGH!

"What all can you play?" He asked me. It seemed like he was making a conscious effort to be civil toward me.

"Piano, violin, cello, oboe, and flute are my best, I dabbled in others. Then I also taught myself guitar and drums."

"Taught yourself?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in question at my words.

"Grandfather had this notion that I had to know the classics, that it would somehow make me more appealing as a future mate, a better wife or something. I don't know his reasonings really, he was always coming up with strange rules for me. So, I taught myself the guitar and drums as an act of rebellion." I didn't know why I was being so honest with him. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he had yet to act like a jerk to me today.

"Ahaha!" He laughed, long and hard, at my words. He seemed to think it was hilarious.

"Is it that funny?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, it is. It proves you've been this stubborn forever, and it's not just me that brings it out." He laughed again, this time at his words.

"Well, to be fair, I think it's stubborn mules, I mean men, that brings it out of me." I joked back. It was actually kind of fun right now. I just had a feeling it wasn't going to last.

He stopped laughing and looked at me, a serious look coming over his face. See I knew it wasn't going to last.

"Can we talk, Little Bunny?" His voice was strangely devoid of the anger I thought would be filling it. I nodded my head.

"That was kind of what I wanted. I thought I was going to see you at breakfast." I could feel the nerves now, ricocheting around inside of me. I just need to thank him and go before he could get mad at me. Don't let this turn into something horrible right now. I tried giving myself a mental pep-talk.

Reece went over to sit on the bench seat next to the window, I sat across from him on a piano stool. Reece looked out the window before looking at me. I could see that he was tired, rings of exhaustion were forming under his eyes.

"How is your head?" He asked me, his face as blank as he could get it. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"I'm better, I didn't need to sit in bed for two days."

"It's good you're better but you don't know that it wasn't the resting that made you better. It was better to be safe than sorry."

"Is there something specific that you need to talk about, Reece?" I felt like Reece was avoiding whatever topic it was he wanted to talk to me about.

"It's not easy for me to talk to you like this, so give me a break, alright." He looked at me self-consciously. "Look, I'm not going to apologize for what I've already done, it would be pointless. But moving forward I will attempt to not ostracize you so much." He looked so uncomfortable that it almost made me laugh.

"So sincere." I snickered. He glared at me.

"I'm trying here, alright. What are you doing about it?" He stood up and walked back toward the piano in anger.

"You're right, I'm not trying anything yet. But can you blame me?" I couldn't help the sarcastic tone of voice from creeping back in like usual.

"You're right." He growled back at me. "Why should we bother at all?"

"You're the one that's always treated me like this." I yelled. "You're the one who hates me, you're the one that never wanted me around, the one that told me that I wasn't good enough. So, excuse me if I am reluctant to accept what you're trying to say now."

"You're right. I've said it all. You're my mate in name only. I reject you. I don't want you. I hate you." His teeth were clenched, and his eyes were narrowed, it was clear that he didn't want to be anywhere near me. Why was he trying to force himself to be nice to me when he hated the sight of me? It made no sense to me at all.

"I can't do this right now." He snapped before he turned and stormed out of the room. The door to the music room was left standing wide open. I had wanted to thank him for saving me, but never got the chance. I had wanted to mend bridges, and now I felt like I had just burned them even more. Why did he have to be such a jerk? Why did he have to hate me so much?

~~

Reece

~~

"Well, that didn't go according to plan." I growled as I slammed my bedroom door. "Why does she have to be so damn difficult?"

I wanted to apologize to her. I wanted to explain to her why I had said those rude things to her before. I wanted to tell her that I was wrong. Why couldn't I do that?

Will I ever be able to fix this? Will she ever forgive me? Will we ever be proper mates now with the mistakes that I've made? Have I ruined our lives forever?

I have a feeling I am destined to be miserable and frustrated for the rest of my life now. She drives me insane. She drives my wolf wild. I just don't know what to do anymore.