November 17, 2015. Grimstone Manor, Northern Pack Lands.

Fallon Morrow

After all of that, a thought came to my mind, the one that was lingering at the back of my head. Should I leave?

What if all of this fell apart? What if Gideon won in the end? What if he'd taken over the pack and killed Cassius for his efforts? What guaranteed victory in the end?

I tried not to overthink it, at least not for now, while I was still in the manor. But the doubt was there, brewing inside me. I couldn't run away from the truth.I ran my fingers through my wet hair. Water dripped from the showerhead, cascading down my entire body. It was warm, comfortable, and so different from the showers I had taken at the asylum.

My hands traced over my shoulders, down my stomach, and to my thighs. My skin felt slippery, smooth, and slightly tingly from the warmth of the water. It was a luxury, standing under a stream like that.

I sighed and rested my forehead against the shower wall, the warm water soothing my aching muscles. But the silence doesn't last for long. I drew my head away from the wall and looked over my shoulder to see him standing there, staring at me without warning that he was there.

"F-fuck," I breathed out, placing a hand over my chest, my eyes going wide with shock. "You—you scared me."

"You were in here for long." He stepped closer, the lights gleaming on his striking form.

"It isn't that long." I mumbled, reaching for the water.

My fingers grazed over the knob, and I reduced the water pressure, stopping its stream. I grabbed the edge of the glass, yanking it and opening the door as he stood by the entrance, piercing holes into me with his stare.

"What?"

"I know you saw me earlier," He dragged his stare up my body. "And I don't want you to think I'm heartless."

I blinked. "You killed your father. I think everyone here would say that you're heartless, including me."

It was supposed to come out casual, but the moment I said it, something pulled at my insides. Maybe I shouldn't have worded it like that.

His expression changed. "He tried to kill me—he wanted to, and he would've the next time he got an opportunity."

"He was your family. And wasn't there another way you could've done it?"

"No." He stated in a loud, firm tone.

I remained quiet after that. Some things were even out of discussion. His circumstances with his father...it didn't matter now anyway. It was already done. His father, no matter how cruel, was dead, killed. Whether it was out of rage, revenge, or whatever else, that wasn't the point.

"Don't look at me like that." He spoke up, cutting into my thoughts.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm a monster."

"I don't think you're a monster," I countered back, still entirely naked before him. "I don't think like that." Maybe a little, but I didn't want to tell him what I truly thought of him.

He stepped closer to me and placed his hand over the shower glass that stood between us. My breath caught in my throat as his eyes traveled slowly down my body and then back up.

"What do you want?"

"You mean, sex?" I replied, completely confused now.

"No," He gave his head a little shake before narrowing his eyes at me. "I mean, what do you want from me? Do you want to leave from here? I can send you away, out of town, of course, for only some time till this ends. You won't have to see anything you're not comfortable with here—is that going to make you feel better?"

Oh.

Oh god.

Well.I never thought that he'd offer such a thing.

I didn't know what to say, and my mind worked slowly for this kind of shock.

"But don't you need me to be near you?"

"I only need you alive, not near me—not if you don't want to be."

Fuck.

"I—uhm—"

That pause lingered between us for a moment, but it was in that moment I knew I had no other choice. There wasn't much to consider here—if I stayed with him, it meant more danger, and to go—it would probably be safer for me.

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