Chapter 6 Daughter of Gaiyetre

"Daughter of who?" I squinted my eyes at the strange statement he made. "Gaiyetre? Who is Gaiyetre?" Did he think I was someone else? The name felt foreign on my tongue like it didn't belong in my vocabulary or even in my world. Yet in some strange way, it struck something, a peculiar and unshakable sense of familiarity that I couldn't comprehend. Gaiyetre. Ethan didn't answer right away. His eyes simply held onto mine with unnerving intensity, as though he were searching for something hidden in them. The silence stretched between us, heavy and stifling, like a thunderstorm about to break.

I shifted uncomfortably, my arms crossing over my chest. The way he looked at me made my skin tingle, but not entirely in an unpleasant way. It was a strange sizzling warmth gently crashing over me. "Why are you staring at me like that?" I finally snapped, trying to mask my unease with annoyance. "It's rude, you know!" I mumbled with a frown. The sharpness of my voice seemed to pull him back. He looked away bashfully as if he'd realized he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. It was a strange sight. I didn't peg him for the bashful type. "My apologies," he said smoothly, his tone unreadable. He stepped further into the room, retrieving a shirt from where it hung on a red leather chair. It was not a bedroom, why were his clothes there? As he pulled it over his head, his movements were deliberate, almost calculated, like he was giving me just enough time to observe the faint scars that traced his broad shoulders and chest. Or so I told myself because who took that long to wear a shirt? I averted my eyes quickly, feeling the heat rise to my face. "So... who's this Gaiyetre?" I pressed again, desperate to fill the silence and distract myself from the fact that I had just been gawking. I glanced at him as he buttoned up. Ethan stepped closer to face me, now fully dressed, though the weight of his presence didn't lessen. "A name you don't need to worry about," he said finally, his voice low but firm. I quirk up a brow. "You can't just drop something like that and expect me not to ask questions." "I can," he replied simply, his lips twitching into the faintest hint of a smirk. Was he getting cheeky with me? I couldn't tell. My heart was beating too loud for me to discern anything right. "What is with you people?" I blurted out, holding my hands firmer against my chest. "First Abigail acts like she knows some big secret about me, and now you're here being all cryptic and mysterious. If you're not going to explain, I suggest you don't say strange things at all." Ethan's smirk vanished, replaced by something colder, more serious. He took a step closer, and though he wasn't threatening, his presence felt overwhelming, like he was effortlessly asserting his authority. Oh God. How'd I forget so fast? He was an Alpha! That itself spelled trouble. Why did I get comfortable enough to say that? "Some truths aren't meant to be revealed before their time," he said quietly, his voice carrying a weight that made my heart race. "If I tell you now, it could cause more harm than good." "What's that supposed to mean?" I challenged anyway, refusing to back down despite the unease creeping through me. "It means," he said, holding my gaze with his unnaturally green eyes, "that you should focus on the challenges in front of you and leave what you don't know yet where it belongs." For a moment, his words stunned me into silence. Was there something I didn't know about myself? My life was already complicated enough with school, Tess, and the rejection. I didn't have room for more secrets or drama. But the way Ethan looked at me, the way he spoke-it was like he knew something meaning that there was something. "Why do you care so much about what I'm dealing with?" I asked cautiously. My brain did its best to try to provide an explanation for these strange people's behavior so far. Ethan hesitated, his jaw tightening slightly. "Because," he said after a moment, "I simply do." His words caught me off guard. It wasn't the response I was expecting, and for a brief moment, I felt a flicker of something warm and reassuring. But before I could dwell on it, I shook my head. "Well, I don't need anyone's protection," I said firmly. I don't need another person feeling they have a right over me. What was his deal anyway? Out of the blue, a thought sparked in my head. Abigail's knowledge about my rejection, Ethan's warnings, Khalid possibly spying on me. Have I been sold into their pack? "Maybe not," Ethan replied, his expression unreadable again. "But that doesn't mean you won't have it." Oh God. Higan's father probably wanted to get rid of his son's only blemish and sold me off into a strange pack. But in exchange for what? Wait but why would Higan want me to stay away from Ethan? Before I could ask anything, the door creaked open, and Abigail stepped inside. Her dark eyes flicked between Ethan and me, her perfectly shaped lips curling into a faint smile. "Interrupting something?" she asked, her tone dripping with amusement. "No," I said quickly, stepping back from Ethan. "Good," Abigail said smoothly, though her gaze lingered on me for a moment too long. "Khalid is looking for you. He's waiting in the study, across the stairway to your left." I nodded, eager for an excuse to leave the room. "Thanks." Each minute I spent there seemed to be messing with my head. As I moved further away, Ethan's voice stopped me. "Harlyn," he called out, and I glanced back at him. His expression had softened again, his eyes filled with something I couldn't quite decipher. "Be careful." The sound of my name sent another wave of strange warmth down my body. I forced myself to nod before hurrying past Abigail and out into the living room. "Be careful of what? I already have things to be careful of," I said to myself, the exhaustion of the day growing heavy on my shoulders. I wasn't paying attention before but the mansion was truly impressive. The study was just as extravagant with dark wood furniture and towering shelves filled with books I couldn't imagine anyone reading. Khalid was lounging sideways in a chair by the window, his expression lighting up when he saw me. He's way too friendly for someone I just met hours ago. "There you are," he said, motioning for me to sit. "How was your chat with Ethan?" I hesitated, unsure how to answer, settling to lean against a desk. "We didn't talk about much." Khalid raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his playful grin returning. "Who would, seeing those saggy shoulders?" he teased. "Don't fall apart on me now." I rolled my eyes. "It's been a long day." "Well, it's not over yet," Khalid said, his tone growing more serious. He's so bipolar. "Higan knows about what happened." I winced at the thought. Higan was unpredictable, and while he cares a little for Tess, he definitely cared more about his pride. "What am I supposed to do now?" I asked quietly. "Nothing. Just thought of informing you." Khalid said simply. "I'm handling it." "And how exactly do you plan to 'handle it'?" and under whose authority? But I resisted asking that question. Khalid's smirk widened. "You'll see." His confidence should have been reassuring, but instead, it made me more anxious. Something about this whole situation felt bigger than I realized, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on than Khalid or Ethan were letting on. I tapped my nails on the wood of the desk, thinking to myself. My nerves were starting to spiral, and it didn't help that the mansion seemed to loom over me, its grandeur almost mocking my presence. "What's wrong?" he asked, pulling my attention to him once more. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. "You look like you're planning an escape." "I'm just... anxious," I admitted reluctantly. "How is this supposed to work? I can't stay here forever. What if Tess finds me? Or worse-what if Higan does?" Khalid straightened, stepping closer. "You'll be fine. I told you, I'll handle it." His confidence started from reassuring to borderline suspicious. Before I could question him further, he clapped his hands together and shot up from his seat. "Come on," he said. "Let's make something to eat. It'll take your mind off things." He stepped past me and out the study. I stared at him, dumbfounded. "You want to cook?" I followed behind. "Sure," he said, shrugging as he sauntered. "What's the worst that could happen?" I blinked at him, wondering if he was serious. "You want a list?" Khalid chuckled and grabbed an apron that hung from a nearby hook, tossing it to me. "Come on, you can teach me. It'll be fun." Reluctantly, I followed him to the kitchen, which was, unsurprisingly, enormous. White marble countertops, state-of-the-art appliances, and a refrigerator that looked like it could fit half of Springville's local grocery store. "I'll make a hotpot," I stated. How utterly absurd my day had become. How exactly had I ended up here? Trusting a guy who fell through my roof, slapped an Alpha's girlfriend, and convinced me to come to this mansion to hide out? Now I was chopping onions in what looked like a kitchen straight out of a lifestyle magazine to cook my mom's favorite dish. I should really talk to my mom soon. I shook away the thought before my guilt settled. Instead, I glanced at Khalid, who was busy stirring what I put on the stove, humming a tune under his breath. "This place," I began, gesturing vaguely. "It's... big. Your family must be loaded." Khalid smirked. "You could say that but Technically it's Ethan's family." I worked in silence for a moment, my thoughts drifting. Ethan? He was... different. It wasn't just his demeanor or the way he carried himself with a guarded authority that didn't match his age-it was the scars. I'd noticed them earlier, faint but unmistakable, a circle of them around his heart. They weren't the kind of marks I'd expect from a werewolf, no jagged teeth or claw wounds. They looked deliberate, like stab wounds. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. What kind of life would a teenager live to earn scars like that? Before I could let my imagination spiral further, my focus shifted to something else. "Wait! I get you but Abigail, and Ethan... why aren't they at school?" Khalid raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard by the question. "I mean," I continued, "you're all teenagers, but you're here in this house in the middle of the day. No parents around. Isn't that a little... odd?" Before Khalid could respond, Abigail sauntered into the kitchen, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "She's got a point," Abigail said, leaning against the doorway. "It does look suspicious, doesn't it?" She had been listening in. Khalid shot her a warning look. "Don't start." Abigail ignored him, her grin widening. "Teenagers living in a mansion with no adult supervision? Sounds like a setup for a bad movie." What was happening? Did she agree with me? Khalid sighed, clearly exasperated. "We transferred to Springville," he said, his tone deliberate, "because Ethan needed to learn how to relate to other people before resuming his duties as Alpha of our pack in London." Abigail burst out laughing, her eyes gleaming. "That's the excuse you're going with?" she teased. "Khalid? 'Relating to people'? You're not even trying anymore." Khalid rolled his eyes. "Go bother someone else, Abigail." She winked at me before walking out of the room, leaving an awkward silence in her wake. I stared at Khalid, my unease growing. "Is that true? About Ethan?" Khalid hesitated for a split second before nodding. "In a way." But I wasn't convinced. Something about this whole situation didn't add up, and Abigail's reaction only made me more suspicious. What were they hiding? Would it be in my place to try to find out? They seemed to know quite a lot about me too. Should I look around the house? A loud crashing noise echoed from upstairs tingling my ears. Khalid and I paused, exchanging a look before running toward the sound. By the time we reached the second floor, my heart was pounding. The noise had come from a room at the end of the hall. Khalid pushed the door open cautiously, and my breath caught in my throat. Ethan was crouched in the corner, clutching his side, his face twisted in pain. Broken glass littered the floor around him, and the faint scent of blood hung in the air. "Ethan!" Khalid exclaimed, rushing to his side. Ethan's head snapped up, his eyes glowing unnaturally in the dim light. He gritted his teeth, struggling to speak through the pain. "Ger her out...please." My heart dropped.