"What happened, Eve?"

Gideon's Gamma had smartly made her way into the downstairs lounge and stood by the couch awaiting his questioning. Her gaze was glued to the floor as he grilled her. "What happened?"

"I asked her a few questions."

"Do not play coy with me right now, Evangeline. Tell me everything." His command was powerful, and Eve couldn't help but bear her neck in submission.

"I asked her if she thought she had been cursed by the witch that cloaked the intruder." Gideon's eyes were full of questions. 

He didn't understand.

"I... We have all noticed the way you are with her, Alpha. The way you speak to each other is so familiar. So informal. Almost like you were mates."

Gideon ground his teeth, trying to let her finish before losing his composure.

" I understand." Eve continued in a rush. "Hell, even I feel a pull to her. To respect her and take care of her. Sometimes when she talks to me, I think I would kill for her." Eve's voice was on the verge of breaking. "But she is Fae. She is not one of us, Alpha. She will never be-"

"Eve." Gideon's tone held a dark warning. His beast was lurking just beneath the surface.

"We promised each other, Gideon! We promised we would wait for our mates. How would she feel if she found out about Visena?"

"I DON'T CARE!" Gideon's voice had merged with his wolf form. Tears spilt from Eve's eyes as Gideon failed to gather himself. His animal side wanted blood, so he stormed from the Packhouse and shifted in the dirt. His green eyes phased gold as he sprinted towards the brush. 

He needed to hunt.

...

When Gideon returned, coated in fresh blood, Orion and Prim had just reached the Packhouse. "Alpha!"

"Now isn't the best time Delta."

"She's gone. Rosemary's house is rubble. The files, samples, everything is gone. There were signs of a struggle towards Malum Pack, but we couldn't get close. They had dozens of wolves on patrol." Prim could barely get the last words out; she was so worked up. "Whatever she found out about Visena is in Zeirs' hands now..."

A small voice sounded from the door. "I heard my name?" Visena's eyes were slightly puffy, and her scarred hands still clutched Gideon's shirt. She absentmindedly picked at the tag as she looked from Prim to Gideon.

"Are you okay, Vi?" Prim looked wide-eyed at her Alpha before turning to Visena again. "Everything's fine. Let's go get you freshened up." Prim cast one last look at her mate and Alpha before taking Visena to the bathroom.

Eve's door was closed, and the gap underneath was dark. Visena thought of Eve as she was hustled to the bathroom with a sigh. It wasn't Eve's fault. She had every right to have suspicion towards Visena. After all, she was Fae. A deceptive, clever, trickster Fae. 

She wanted to apologise for getting so upset, but she knew Eve needed space. Visena couldn't help but feel she blew things out of proportion. 

Prim was quiet for once, and Visena was grateful. After her morning, she wasn't ready to talk with anyone. 

Prim's room had a large en suite with a claw foot tub. She filled it, adding a few slices of fresh lemon with a handful of lavender and chamomile sprigs.

Visena was too tired to argue about undressing, and she felt very comfortable with Prim seeing her naked anyway. Her body melted into the scented water, and she let a few more tears roll down her cheeks.

Prim used a cotton cloth and washed Visena's back, arms, and chest with such gentle hands that Visena wanted to cry more. "I'm sorry." She sniffled.

"Don't ever be sorry for showing your emotions, Visena. I know it's very rare for Fae, although I'm unsure why. But, you know what, I heard a myth that Faeries only cry from happiness or love."

Prim's babble made Visena smile. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not happy."

"I guess you just love us then," Prim remarked with a smile. She didn't realise how close to the truth she was.

They sat in silence while Visena played with the lemon slices. "Are you going to stay here the whole time?" She finally questioned her friend.

"I'm just here to make sure you don't fall asleep and drown." Both women giggled. Visena's sleeping habits were rather amusing and potentially hazardous. "Let me get you your towel," Prim said with a laugh. Standing with a little less grace than usual, Prim flounced across the tiled floors and disappeared into the bedroom.

When she returned and approached with a huge fluffy blue towel, Visena had to cover her nose to stop gagging. "What is that smell?"

Prim's eyes widened, realising her mistake. "Sorry, that's one of Orion's..." She turned to retrieve another when she froze. "You could smell that?"

"Yeah, it smells like... pepper?" Visena frowned at the towel in accusation.

From the doorway, Prim spoke loud enough to wake the dead. "It's weird that you could smell that. And it's weird that you didn't like it. Everyone likes pepper!" 

Prim finally handed over a fresh towel that was definitely one of hers and crossed her arms. "You are not 'just' Fae, are you?"

It looks like the penny dropped. "Uh, No. I'm part human, I think..."

To Visena's surprise, Prim didn't add anything else; she just hummed to herself and left the room to gather some fresh clothes. After placing them on the side of the basin, she left Visena to change. "That was weird." 

"Come down for dinner when you finish dressing." Prim hollered from behind the door.

Visena followed Prim's orders and scrunched her nose at the clothes. The pants were slightly loose tartans, and the long-sleeved shirt was baggy. They smelled like Prim, and Visena wondered why she didn't just get her the new clothes from her room. 

Visena made a small knot at the back to make the shirt more fitted. Her toned stomach peeked out as she moved towards the kitchen.

"What can I getcha?" Prim asked as she entered, popping a grape into her mouth. Her sneaky smirk made Visena nervous.

"What are you plotting?"

Prim opened her eyes wide in mock innocence. "Nothing at all, sweet Vi. You want some pasta?"

"Okay, Primalia." The grin that Visena returned was maniacal, but Prim only poked out her tongue in response.

"Here, eat." While Visena scarfed the scalding pasta placed before her, Gideon walked in. She smiled warmly as he went to get his dinner, giving her a strange look. Prim leaned back against the centre island and scrutinised the encounter with a suppressed smile.

He rounded the table and paused, inhaling deeply. A frown crossed Gideon's face as he sat at the head of the table. Visena felt pain in her chest from the minor rejection. Why won't he sit next to me? 

Her brow furrowed, and she practically buried her head in her bowl. She felt Gideon and Prim's eyes on her before screeching chair sounds stabbed her eardrums. She looked up just in time to see Gideon's back disappearing out the door. Her eyes flitted to Prim, and a look of unbridled excitement met her.

Just as she was about to question it, Gideon stomped back in and plopped an oversized jumper in her lap. It was drenched in his scent, and Visena was beyond confused.

"You looked cold." Gideon cleared his throat and sat back down next to her this time. Visena had to suppress a giggle when she noticed the crimson hue coating his cheekbones.

"Okay? Thank you." Visena put the jumper on and hummed in delight. Prim was positively bursting across the kitchen and excused herself with a squeak.

"What was that?"

~~~

A/N

Hmm, yeah, Visena... What was that?

Things are getting weird around here... Don't cha think? ;)

Thanks for reading, everyone. 

Until next time <3