Chapter 12 Cathy

Chapter 12 Cathy

The rays of the rising sun pierced the thin curtains of Eric’s room, and its reflection hit me right in the eyes, causing me to wake up. It was very early. Everything was silent except for Eric’s breathing beating against the back of my neck.

I tried to move, but he was still asleep and clung tighter to me. I was in his strong arms, and his naked body wrapped around mine. I could feel his warmth and, above all, smell his scent.

This can’t be happening. What am I doing here?

I scolded myself, remembering how easily and quickly I fell into Eric’s arms. Everything happened so fast when we got to the house. He kissed me, and after that, everything became a blur, and minutes later, we were in his room, letting our instincts take over and making the purest act of love.

Eric moaned with a grunt. The reflection of the sunlight had reached his eyes and was irritating him. he rolled over, releasing me from his arms, and continued to get lost in his deep sleep.

I slid carefully down the sheets, alert not to brush against him with my body. I got up quietly, and as I put my feet on the floor, I felt the coldness of the tiles climb up my feet and into the rest of my body, causing me to shiver.

I rummaged through the sheets until I found my dress, struggled to put it on, grabbed my heels, and decided not to put them on so I wouldn’t make a sound and alert him to my departure. I opened the door while imploring the goddess not to make noise. I looked at both ends of the corridor and made sure there was no one around to walk quickly without looking to the sides straight to my room. It was a habit of mine. I thought that if I saw no one, no one could see me.

Once there, I closed the door and sat down on the floor, leaning against it, and that’s when I stopped holding my breath.

I put my face in my hands, but with all my effort, I couldn’t get Eric out of my head. His caresses, his kisses, and his bites, I could feel them all over my body as if they were happening right at this time. At that moment, I realized that I still had feelings for him, not simply infatuation or sexual attraction, but love, and that no matter how much I tried to, I was not going to be able to stop feeling.

He was the heir to The Night Pack and their future Alpha. I was an ordinary person to them. Maybe in the human world, I was considered a successful businesswoman, but to wolves, I was an embarrassment. Besides, I no longer even considered myself a shapeshifter and much less belonged to a pack. I was unworthy of being with him. But Eric didn’t seem to mind, and his feelings for me were real and getting stronger because I could feel it in every corner of my being.

I can’t do this to him. I can’t let him damage his reputation among the wolves by falling in love with a shapeshifter who didn’t have the ability to shift. That would make the other packs see The Night Pack as a weak and vulnerable one. Not to mention that my father would find out somehow and try to make a profit at my expense.

What could I offer him? What do I have that could be useful to the pack?

I played out different scenarios in my mind, trying to find one where we could be together, but none fit. He and I just weren’t right for each other. I stopped and thought I had to take care of my feelings before I ended up disappointed or heartbroken.

So I took what happened as a one-night stand. We had a good time, had good sex, and got to know each other a little more. But it couldn’t happen again for everyone’s sake.

I got up, opened my travel bag, and saw that I was almost out of clothes, I had planned to spend a day at the most out of the house, and because I knew how indecisive I was about clothes, I threw in a few more items, and after I put on this outfit, I would have nothing left to wear.

I wore a black flannel with a rock band logo, casual beige pants, and white sneakers. My outfit didn’t match at all, but it was the only thing I had clean.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and I didn’t seem too bad. It was a little juvenile but not terrible.

I grabbed the door handle, but before I could open it, someone knocked. I have to admit the sound startled me and made me jump, but I instantly calmed down, or at least pretended to.

I opened the door, and one of the maids was standing there wearing the typical uniform. The same one worn by the security and the employees, the only different one is the one worn by the cooks.

"Hello, Mrs. North. Mrs. Night invites you to breakfast. She is waiting for you in the dining room," she said.

"Oh, how nice of her. I’ll be right down," I said.

The girl gave a slight curtsy and walked away down the hall.

I stood for a moment, watching her go and taking advantage of that time to calm my heartbeat. I knew I was sensitive and on edge and that if I came to the dining room like that, she would notice my heartbeat and might suspect something was up.

I still wasn’t hungry from the feast I ate yesterday, the delicious pasta and the different seafood dishes. But I couldn’t refuse Lydia’s invitation, not only for being my hostess but for the simple fact of being a Luna. For us, they are as important as the Alpha, and although they don’t have the same power, both command the same respect.

I already knew my way to the dining room, and as I walked down the hallway, I was surprised by how familiar the place felt. I already recognized the small marks on the floor where at some point, there must have been a sculpture or pattern on the floor that simulated stars.

Before entering the site, I stopped, inspected my hands, massaged my neck to make sure I didn’t have a bite mark, and then, after a long deep breath, I stepped forward.

"Good morning, dear," Lydia greeted me, sitting at the head of the table.

She was wearing a light blue outfit, had only sunscreen on her face, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Good morning Lydia," I greeted her and sat in the chair to her left.

"How did you like our home?" she asked me.

"Yes, the hospitality has been wonderful, and even though I know I’m here for work, I’ve felt very comfortable," I replied.

"I’m very glad," she answered.

This time out of the kitchen came another woman, an older one, with her hair gray and pulled back. She was dark-skinned, with marked features and a thick build.

"What would you like to eat today?" the woman asked.

"I’d like orange juice and toast with cheese," I said.

"Just that? Breakfast is the most important meal," Lydia told me, and she sounded almost like she was my mother.

"Yeah, I’m just not very hungry today," I commented.

"That’s okay," she breathed, wrinkling her lips. "You make me scrambled eggs, toast, and lots of bacon."

"Right away," she said and went into the kitchen.

"Where’s the other girl?" I asked out of sheer curiosity.

"Magdalena? It’s her day off."

"Day off?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at her dumbfounded.

"Yes, employees here get two days off a week," she said as if it was the most normal thing to do.

I couldn’t think of my father and how he made his workers work without a break and many of those for miserable pay. This pack is so different from my father’s that I sometimes question whether they really are shapeshifters. Or if I was just unlucky enough to be born in a cave populated by monsters, I called family.

The brunette girl brought the food, first serving Lydia’s, then mine, and filling my glass of orange juice to the top before leaving.

"Bon appetite," I said to Lydia.

"You too, dear, enjoy your meal," she replied.

I felt guilty with every bite of bread and every gulp of game. I couldn’t even look Lydia in the eye without thinking about how, the night before, I had had sex with her son in her own house. What kind of sick person does that?

"Are you all right?" she stopped eating and wiped her lips with a napkin. "You seem a little scattered."

I felt a lump in my throat. I looked at her and wanted to confess what had happened, but at the same time felt ashamed of myself.

"I’m fine; it’s just that I haven’t stopped thinking about my business and that when I get back, I will have a lot of work to do," Lydia didn’t look pleased with my answer.

"Are you sure...is there anything else bothering you?" she insisted.

"Honestly, I’m totally fine."

"Good morning, Ladies." Eric came into the dining room yawning and with his face still puffy from having just gotten up.

"Good morning Eric," I greeted him calmly.

"Why didn’t you wait for me...I looked for you as soon as I got up, but you were gone," Eric said just like that.

I felt the pressure go to my head.

"Were you two together last night?" asked Lydia.

"No, it’s just that he came to my room yesterday to have breakfast with me, and I had promised to have breakfast with him today, too," I said so as not to arouse suspicion.

I saw Eric’s face, and it was the same face he had made when he confessed in the lab that we did know each other. His expression was that he would tell the truth without caring about the consequences. So I looked him straight in the eye and gave him a menacing, serious look.

He shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the other side of his mother, right across from me.

Magdalena came out with a plate full of hotcakes with honey and almonds and set it in front of him.

"The usual," she told him.

He nodded and started eating.

"So... How did your business date go last night?" Lydia asked in a casual tone.

"Pretty good, better than I expected," he replied.

"You must have had a good time because you were so late," she said, taking one of the pancakes from her son’s plate.

I looked toward the door thinking of ways to escape. I felt embarrassed because although I’m not sure if she saw us arrive together, it’s a possibility.

"Yes, it went on a bit long, and the wine was delicious."

"A lot of times, it’s not the wine. It’s the company," she continued.

She was clearly probing to find out more, and my fear was that Eric would let something slip that would give us both away.

"As wise as ever," he replied and continued to enjoy his meal.

Eric, at no time, stopped looking at my eyes and lips, and his mother could tell something was going on between us.

I tried everything to take his attention off me. I looked in another direction. I purposely knocked the salt shaker over on the table, but no matter what, his deep dark eyes followed me at all times. With his gaze alone, he was able to turn my world upside down and drag me back to memories of last night when only the two of us mattered and we let our carnal desires take over.

Please don’t look at me with those eyes anymore, or I will be lost in an abyss from which I can never return.