13. Phaedra

PHAEDRA

O n my way home from work, I heard someone call for me. At the sound of my name, there was a noticeable pause in the market. Even I stopped. The gazes of those close to me turned my way.

My face flamed, and my heart started to pound at the sudden attention, but my wolf began to growl within me. Thanks to her indignation, I could hold my head high. Who on earth would speak my name so loudly? It was so rarely heard that it called attention to me as much as the person who spoke it.

Suddenly, Theodora appeared in the crowd, drawing other curious and concerned stares. The tote bag slung over her shoulder jostled as she moved. She didn't miss a step or appear to notice all the attention on us as she stopped in front of me.

"Hey," she said with a warm smile. "I thought it was you."

I'd feared the entire market would start jeering at me or continue to stare so blatantly at us, but after a few seconds, life in the market returned to normal, and conversations resumed.

Theodora wasn't as unaware of the attention as she'd seemed because she whispered, "Let's get out of here."

This time, she saved me, ushering me away from the market and toward the dens. I came back to myself and pulled my arm away from hers.

"Sorry about all that," she said as I turned to face her. "I had no idea everyone would react that way."

"It's fine."

She hesitated. It was probably obvious I wasn't fine at all. Thankfully, she didn't push it.

"I'm glad I ran into you," she said, the warm smile lighting up her eyes. "I was worried we'd keep missing each other. That's why I got so excited back there. I even bought groceries." She patted the tote bag.

"Oh." I was too stunned to say anything else. I didn't know how to act around strangers. And in the wake of that embarrassment at the market, no words would come to me. After a beat, though, I regained control of myself.

"Actually, I'm glad I ran into you, too," I said. "You don't need to feel obligated to pay me back or treat me to anything. You don't owe me a thing. Preston was the asshole in that scenario."

Theodora surprised me when she let out a light chuckle. "I thought you might say something like that. You seem like the kind of person who doesn't expect anything from people. I guess your experiences make it hard for you to act otherwise."

I took a step back, embarrassment and caution warring within me. "Theodora, you don't know me."

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that," she rushed to assure me. "I think I told you before, Penny talks a lot about you, and?—"

"Penny doesn't know me, either," I said. "Not anymore."

Theodora paused, biting on the inside of her cheek. I worried I'd gone too far, but I didn't want to take it back. There was no point in pretending I wasn't hurt. No point in trying to hide how I felt.

"You're right," she said. "I don't know you. And the person you are now isn't the one Penny grew up with. Even so, I really do appreciate what you did for me, and I hate that you've been alone all these years, and…" She trailed off.

"And what?" I prompted.

"It's a little embarrassing, but other than Penny and my family, I'm not really close to anyone. It's not easy to make friends, not even with my coworkers, because everyone is so focused on making money and earning favor with the elites of high-wolf society."

"Aren't you doing the same?"

She pursed her lips. "To the extent that I want to keep my job and make money, yes. But I don't believe in throwing someone else under the bus to do it."

That sounded reasonable enough, but still, I held back. "Most of the higher-ranking families in high-wolf society have their servants gather intel for them. Penny has you doing that, doesn't she?"

I stared hard at her. What I really wanted to know was if she was acting as a spy—one who would take information that she learned from me back to high-wolf society. I didn't have any reason to believe anyone there would be interested in me after so many years, but paranoia won out. I needed to know.

Theodora shook her head. "Penny asks me to keep my eyes and ears open, but she isn't asking me to keep an eye on you. I haven't even told her that I've seen you."

"Why not?"

"Well, I guess I thought it would be better to check with you about it first."

I stared at her, waiting for some indication that she was lying. Nothing came. She was telling the truth.

"Why are you trying so hard to get to know me?" I asked. "Is it really just loneliness?"

A blush crept into her cheeks at my blunt question, but she didn't back down. "That's a big part of it. No, if I'm being honest, that's probably all of it. Do I need a better reason to want to connect to someone who did something nice for me?"

She had me there. "I guess not. I'm sorry for giving you the third degree, Theodora."

"It's okay. You don't have to be sorry. I just hope you believe me now."

I nodded. "I do."

The redness faded from her cheeks and then she smiled. "That's a relief. Does that mean you'll join me for dinner? I told my family I might bring home a friend when I was in town again."

After all that, it would be rude to refuse, wouldn't it? And if I was being honest, I was a little curious about Theodora and her family.

When I nodded, Theodora grinned, and we started walking in the direction of the community of dens outside the market. I still felt a bit awkward, so I walked slightly behind Theodora. If she noticed, she didn't comment.

"Um, Theodora? I have one more question."

She glanced back at me with a smile. "Go ahead and ask it."

"You saw how people reacted to me at the market. Aren't you worried what being friends with me will do to your reputation?"

At that, she snorted. "No, their opinions don't matter to me or the rest of my family. When my father died, no one in Den City offered to help my mother even though she'd lost her mate. They tiptoed around her instead."

"Oh. That's awful. I'm sorry."

She nodded. "Thanks. It was hard on her. My sister and I had to grow up quickly to pick up the slack, but we made it work."

"You have a very strong family."

"Yes, we are strong." The pride she felt for her family was evident in her tone.

Within a few minutes, we reached her den. Several neighboring dens were within yards of hers. Mine was around a fifteen-minute walk farther south.

Like all dens, hers started out as a hole in the ground with stairs leading down to the entrance. The door was painted a cool teal shade with an antique brass knob. She unlocked it, then pushed it open.

"I'm home!" she announced.

A few moments passed with no answer. Theodora nodded to herself.

"My mom must be on her way home, and my sister will be finishing up her shift."

"I see."

"Since I'm home first, I'll get started on dinner. Make yourself comfortable."

"Um. All right." There weren't any sofas in the living room, but three pinewood chairs faced the wall, where a large radio sat on a side table. White crocheted doilies sat under the radio.

Two of the chairs had red cushions, and one of them was a rocking chair, the arms worn from years of use. I imagined the rocking chair was reserved for Theodora's mother, so I took one of the cushioned chairs.

The den smelled faintly of vanilla and cinnamon, likely from the incense burner built into the wall next to me. A fresh burner cone waiting to be lit sat on a white ceramic dish.

I sat quietly, listening to the sound of Theodora chopping things. From the scent of the vegetables, dried fish, and venison sausage, she was making some kind of stew. My stomach growled softly when I thought of the meal. I made my own dishes, but it was so convenient when someone else cooked for me.

Following that thought was a pang of guilt. Theodora was doing this on her day off.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"No, thank you," she replied. "I love to cook. If you'd like something to do, you could turn on the radio. Cooking with music on is the best."

I smiled as I stood. "I love cooking to music, too."

"Of course! It just makes it that much more fun."

I turned on the radio and found they were listening to one of my favorite pop music stations, and it just so happened that my favorite song was starting to play.

"I love this song," Theodora said, swaying her hips to the beat.

I nodded in time with the rhythm as I returned to my seat. "So do I."

Their signal was stronger than I usually got in my den. I wondered if I could ask them their secret before I went home.

Phaedra, what are you thinking? What does it matter how they get better signal? Aren't you planning on leaving?

Thinking of leaving the island brought my thoughts to Asher and sent a thrill of excitement down my spine. We'd reached a kind of breakthrough in our relationship after our last meeting. He'd even said he wanted to see me again.

When I thought about leaving, my eyes started to sting. I wanted to see him again, too, but obviously, I'd never see him again if I left. With that lingering in my mind, even the upbeat song couldn't lift my mood again.

An hour later, Theodora's mother and sister came home. Her mother had Theodora's plump shape, and streaks of silvery gray hair framed her face. The rest of her hair was chestnut brown. Leonora was more petite and wore her black hair in a long braid that fell over her shoulder. She, like her sister, had green eyes.

"Oh!" Theodora's mother had looked exhausted when she first opened the door, but when she saw me stand to greet her, her face brightened. "What a nice surprise. If you're here, that must mean Theo is also?—"

"I'm here, Mama." Theodora appeared in the doorway, grinning brightly.

Her mother shouted with delight and rushed to hug her daughter in the doorway.

Jealousy twisted my stomach as I watched them. My parents used to love me, but they would never be so excited to see me now. They'd probably pretend not to know me.

Swallowing my bitterness, I looked away and met Leonora's gaze. She had just closed the door and was staring openly at me. Her look wasn't unfriendly, but it was difficult to read.

"Um, hello," I said awkwardly.

She nodded back. "Hello."

"Did you, um, finish your shift early?"

She nodded. "I asked to take a half day."

"Really? I'm surprised Mrs. Rider let you."

Leonora smirked. "Thankfully, she's hosting a dinner party. You know she doesn't want ‘the help' around when she's entertaining."

My lips twitched. That was the humor that had appealed to me when I first met her.

"Oh, how rude of me," Theodora's mother said, letting go of her daughter. "Theo told us we should expect company. My name is Marsha, and this is my youngest daughter Leonora. It's lovely having you."

I waited half a second but detected no lies from Marsha. "It's lovely to be here, ma'am." I inclined my head and gave a polite smile. I was glad my upbringing allowed me to keep my cool around strangers. Though I still felt a bit awkward, it wouldn't show when I was in this mode.

"No need to be so stiff. Phaedra, was it?"

I nodded.

"I'm sure Theo has already told you this, but please make yourself at home. We're happy to share our space with you."

Leonora nodded as Theodora beamed at me. I wasn't sure what to think of this family at first, but they were unexpectedly, exceedingly kind. What Theodora had said about them not caring what the rest of Den City thought seemed to be true. They were unreserved and didn't mind laughing at the stories of the manor Theodora told.

As the evening turned to night, I found I was glad I had come over. It had been a long time since I'd shared a meal with others, and Theodora and her family were all so accepting and kind. For just a moment, I could pretend I was part of a family. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it. I wondered if it would be safe to tell them about my wolf.