Chapter 5 Unspoken Attraction

Ashina was held steady on the uneven ground by strong hands. As she stabilized herself, twigs crunched beneath her feet. She murmured, "Ouch, Lopus," stroking the area of her forehead where his pecks had just resurfaced.

Her heart was thumping at his half-smile and narrowed eyes.

Little Fae, were you following me?

With a seductive smile, Ashina peered out from under her outstretched arm. Certainly, I was. "Why did you flee?"

Do you mean to suggest that you wanted to see me naked? Ashina laughed as his grin only widened.

"And what if I did?"

Lopus scoffed and made his way back to the group of animals. I don't think I'll ever get used to the Fae's candour, said Honir.

Ashina asked, jogging to catch up, "What else do you know about my kind?" She raised an inquisitive gaze to his olive-colored eyes. Despite the fact that it was unusual, she didn't mind learning about herself from him.

"Well." Lopus took a long breath and considered how to phrase the next sentence. "Fae are notoriously curious, mischievous, honest to a fault, confident, and beautiful."

That appears to be about accurate. Ashina almost jumped out of her skin when a full laugh rang in her ears as she nodded gravely. She blushed, feeling a little ashamed.

Doesn't that pretty much sum up who you are? As they came out of the trees, his hooded gaze lingered on her face before hardening. "Everyone go home. Rest up because training will begin at seven tomorrow morning.

Before their bodies returned into their dwellings, many curious eyes stared between Ashina and Lopus. Loveta rushed over, pulling Ashina's hands while beaming at Lopus and dragging Honi in her wake. The question is, "Can we take her to her room, Alpha?"

He hadn't even finished speaking when Loveta took her into the front doors of the house while conversing animatedly.

"This is the Packhouse of the leader. Alpha is at the very top. Located on the lower floor are Waya and Jed. The first door on the left is where Rule and I share a room, and the door further down is where Honi's room is. You will stay in the spare room on Alpha's floor, I believe Alpha mentioned.

She was thoroughly intrigued. When everyone else has their own home, why do you all live together in one house?

Loveta re-spoke. Well, typically when you find your partner you get your own apartment, but I wanted to be near to Honi since it makes things simpler when we need to have meetings and such.

Honi continued, "And we're all tight too.

"We've been friends since we were little, and we trained together. We keep together because we put a lot of effort into getting to where we are. We live as a unit.

Even though Ashina didn't fully understand the sentiment, she found it to be sweet. Except for a few fleeting glimpses of her mother's voice, she had no memory of her family. I need to consult Lopus for assistance in locating her. She didn't know if there were any additional family members.

The two women exchanged glances when she let out an audible sigh, as if sensing her attitude shift.

"Ashina, are you all right?" As they made their way inside the kitchen, Loveta questioned with a worrisome look on her face.

The area was clean and open-plan, and the aroma of stew persisted from a pot on the stove. As Ashina turned to face the redhead, her lips began to water.

Can I observe your practice tomorrow?

Honi twitched her lips and squinted, but Loveta didn't seem to notice the change in the topic of talk.

Yes, without a doubt. Do you want to eat anything?

As they rounded the counter, Ashina's stomach grumbled in response to Loveta, and a flush warmed her cheeks.

"Feel free to take anything at all. I'll return soon. While Honi sat at the breakfast bar eating some strawberries, Loveta dashed out the door.

Raiding their refrigerator and pantry felt strange, especially when a pair of unsettling eyes peered suspiciously into her back. She eventually gathered a dish of various foods for herself, walked away from the stew, and sat down next to Honi.

The woman's eyes were still filled with suspicion despite having numerous tattoos.

Ashina sighed, "Just ask."

What were you contemplating earlier?

She doesn't need to be asked twice, for sure.

Initially unsure of what to say, Ashina eventually determined that the best course of action was to be honest.

She claimed that my mother would suffer as a result of me when Louve left. That suggests to me that they are tormenting her. This implies that she is still living today. So perhaps if I can find her, she will be able to fill me in on my past.

Honi seemed taken aback by her candour. "Alpha might be able to assist you with this, but you must be certain of her whereabouts. Although our pack witch isn't the friendliest, she could cast a location spell. We'll be making ourselves targets even if we try to save her while she's in Frost.

The women chewed on their assortment of fruits during a protracted pause. Honi didn't want to get involved in Ashina's difficulties, and Ashina could tell. She didn't blame Honi. If her memories came back, she would be able to make decisions on her own. But the Fae was having no luck at the moment.

Through her thick fringe, Honi cast a sighing glance at Ashina. "Listen, I want to help you, sure, but the Council disapproves of meddling in other packs' affairs. Alpha Ernouf is a monster, on top of that. He is only concerned with his own pack, and even then, he would murder his wolves if they disobeyed him.

Ashina bit her lower lip while gazing into her bowl.

"And you would have to stay behind if we left. Then, since he seems to be desperate to have you and we don't know why, our pack would be divided between trying to protect you and rescue your mother. Simply put, it's a mess.

At that point, Ashina chose to look Honi in the eyes. If I weren't present, how would you be able to distinguish her?

What's her appearance like?

Ashina raised both of her hands. "I'm not sure! But I'm confident that if I saw her, I would recognize her.

"If, and it's a big if,"

When spice and soil touched her nostrils, the Fae moaned before eating the food in her bowl. She automatically straightened her slouched shoulders as she searched for the source of the aroma. Waya entered first, followed closely by Lopus. She grinned widely when his gaze landed on hers.

Do you want to join us?

To Waya's surprise, he smiled back at her. He gave them both a perplexed glance before settling in next to Honi, his brows fluttering. Move aside, E. Daddy is over here.

Ashina laughed while Honi coughed. He smirked as Lopus sat down next to Ashina and snatched a few strawberries from Honi's bowl. Feeling his body heat beckoning her to get closer, she longed to lean into him. The Fae took a long breath and savored the flavor before exhaling loudly.

Where do I sleep once more?

She was glancing towards Honi, but Lopus was duped by the ambiguous nature of the query. I'll demonstrate.

Ashina had to yank her lids shut against her will. Why do I have such strong feelings for this man? Strangely, the Alpha gave off a safe vibe throughout. Around him, she didn't feel butterflies in her stomach; rather, a warm, comforting sensation caressed her mind, body, and soul. She would have assumed they were acquainted if she hadn't known any better.

As Ashina followed Lopus up countless flights of stairs to a white door, she rubbed her temples in exhaustion. "This is your bedroom."

Ashina noticed a dark door at the end of the hallway when he peered behind him. I'm in that room. He gave a silent response to her query.

She grinned at the furnishings as she cracked open the white one. It wasn't much. To the left of the bed was a tall cupboard with storage space underneath. He said, "Loveta has ordered you some more clothes to fill those," over her shoulder. A sizable window seat with a view of the woodland was located opposite the bed. From that perspective, everything was breathtaking. She let out a dreamy sigh.

"ever, knock if you need anything."

As Ashina turned to meet Lopus, their gaze drew each other like magnets, raising her eyebrows.

She choked back a laugh as they both simultaneously cleaned their throats. "You are very generous. I'll make sure to accept your offer.

He took the bottom lip between his teeth and then slightly separated his lips. When he looked back, she was still grinning. He then turned and walked out the door. She was delighted by the slight coloring of his cheekbones as he closed the door behind him.