Word Count: 2282

~Everin

My foot taps obsessively against the ground, my body wrought with tension.

My friends, Ana and Marko, sit on a divan across from me, watching me intently. A smile tugs at the corners of Marko's mouth.

I'm regretting this decision already.

"Relax, Alpha." Marko grins at me, and the tapping of my foot ceases.

"Just be normal, for the love of the goddess," I grit out.

Ana smooths her hand over her stomach, sharing amusement with her husband. She is nearing the end of her pregnancy by now, and the pair couldn't be happier.

"Normal? We're normal, right, love?" Ana nudges Marko, and they both laugh.

I roll my eyes, massaging my temple.

Aesira meeting my friends is probably a mistake, but they insisted. To be honest, though, I've wanted this for quite a while now. They are one of the most important parts of my life, and now, so is Aesira. It is only fitting they all meet.

Yet apprehension still nestles under my skin. What if Aesira really is here under a ruse? What if she returns to her father and she tells them about Ana and Marko?

I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them...

"Just don't overwhelm her," I mutter, knowing how they both can be.

The door to my rooms opens a crack, and a moment later, Aesira peeks her head in. When she sees us, she steps inside, her uncertainty palpable.

"Hello," she greets shyly, taking in Marko, and then Ana.

I've never seen her so...uncertain. Aesira has been confident since she arrived here, standing up to me even knowing her life was at risk. Yet here she is, wringing her hands, her cheeks flushed pink.

Ana straightens, a bright smile blooming across her face.

"Everin, my friend and Alpha, you did not tell me she was this beautiful." Ana shoots me a look, her eyes gleaming, before they find their way back to a sheepish Aesira. "Wow, you are stunning."

Ana has seen Aesira before, but only from a distance. I didn't let her and Marko attend the wedding reception because I couldn't risk Aesira learning about them.

In Ana's defence, Aesira does look beautiful. She's clearly put a lot of effort into her appearance, dressing in a soft blue dress, her hair swept up off her face.

I shift in my seat. It's unbelievable how little it takes for my body to react to her.

She smiles at Ana, relieved my friend is gracious and kind. She has nothing to worry about — my friends aren't very much like me.

"I'm Ana, and this is my mate and husband, Marko. It is lovely to meet you." Ana rests a hand on his knee.

Marko glances at me, then back at Aesira. "It's good to finally meet you."

I know both my friends are assessing Aesira as much as she is them. They know where she comes from, and they know there is a chance she is a spy. But I know, at the end of the day, that they don't really care.

It's fairly obvious to them that I haven't brought Aesira here to meet them just because she's my wife. They know I have feelings for her.

"Congratulations." She gestures at Ana's stomach. "I hope I'm not making any untoward assumptions."

"Oh! You're funny." Ana bursts out in a giggle, her hand covering her mouth. "Ev, you never told me she was funny."

I sigh deeply. This must be Ana's way of punishing me for not having them introduced sooner.

Marko rubs her back tenderly. "Alright sweetheart, take a breath."

She nods, obliging her husband. "I am pregnant, and thank you."

"Believe it or not, I am the father of the baby." Marko flashes Aesira a smile. "That's the rumour, anyway."

"Why don't we skip the comedy routines and sit down for a drink?" I motion for Aesira to sit, shooting my friends a warning look.

She sinks down onto the lounge seat beside me, being gracious enough to pretend like Ana and Marko aren't taking in every movement she makes.

"How has your time been here, Aesira?" Marko asks while I lean to the small table between us to pour our drinks.

"Oh ah, it's been fine." Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her grimace. "My father sent me here—"

"I know the whole story, and I feel so sorry for you. I couldn't imagine being forced to marry like that," Ana breaths, clutching her hands over her heart like she has been deeply offended.

I slip a lemonade into her hands. "Ana. Come on."

"Everin is a good male, although I don't expect you to trust me," she says, tucking a stray dark curl behind her ear. "I've known him for many years. Marko too."

I give Aesira an apologetic look, but she seems to be relaxing. Ana is too warm and open to make anyone feel anything other than welcome.

"That means you have to have an embarrassing story about him, right?" She leans forward, eyes hungry.

Ana claps her hands together excitedly. "Oh my goodness, yes!"

"I got it," Marko assures her, jumping in to contribute to my humiliation. "Back when we were young, Everin and I went out to dance and meet some pretty females."

He risks a glance at his mate. "Sorry, love."

"It's okay. I love this story." Ana's eyes are glistening,

I sink into the back of the divan. I could intervene, put them onto more mannered subjects, but making fun of me will only put Aesira more at ease. It puts her on the same side as my friends.

"We were so inexperienced, but Everin especially." Marko grins at me, ignoring my seething glare. "We dressed up so no one would know who we were, which didn't end up working in our favour."

"This is a ridiculous story," I mutter.

Marko smothers his laugh behind his hand. "A beautiful female came up to Everin right, and started dancing up against him. He just stood there like a stone, staring down at her."

"I was a teenager," I remind them.

Aesira looks at me, giggling. I want to be embarrassed, but seeing her smile...I suddenly don't care about anything else.

"Almost grown, by the way," Marko adds.

"Are I can't imagine this." Aesira passes her gaze up and down me, trying to imagine how I've recovered from my low self-esteem in the past.

In my defence, my father never encouraged me to make friends or socialise growing up. He didn't believe anyone was on our level, that Alpha's shouldn't interact with common people. So when I finally met Marko and Ana, I had no idea how to communicate with them properly.

Not only did they take a chance befriending me, they taught me so much.

"It gets worse," Ana says excitedly.

"The female turns and starts kissing him, and he's still just standing there, like a statute. She even brought his hand to her breasts, and he didn't move," Marko exclaims through a laugh.

"I had no idea what to do," I admit, hanging my head.

"By some miracle, she didn't seem to notice. She danced around him and put his hands where she wanted him. He didn't take his eyes off her once, clearly mortified," he continues. "Then all of a sudden, he turns, and throws up at her feet."

I run my hand down my face, tormented by the memory. I barely recognise who I was at that point of time, but at least now, it's providing Aesira with entertainment.

"I was drunk," I explain.

"You were afraid of her." Aesira kicks my leg playfully.

I tear my gaze off her, so I don't continue to stare at her. She is her most beautiful when she is laughing, when she is unapologetically enjoying herself. I see this side of her so rarely, so in these moments, I want to cherish it.

"Believe it or not, I lost my virginity that night," I tell her.

"Yeah, to the innkeeper where we stayed," Marko says. "To his credit, she was cute."

Aesira gapes at me, and I shrug. I barely remember the night, or the innkeeper who seduced me.

"I suppose that's not so bad. On the night I lost my virginity, I pretended it wasn't my first time and that I knew what I was doing." She looks down into her cocktail glass. "I bled on his sheets, and claimed it was my monthly cycle starting."

"No way!" Ana covers her mouth.

"He stayed with me after, shockingly," she tells us. "He was very confused when the next day, we did it again and there was no blood."

I adjust in my seat, swallowing my jealousy. I have no right to feel this way about her past, especially when I have a past of my own.

I simply wish I'd known her as long as I've known Marko and Ana.

"That is funny," Ana says with a sigh. "We all do silly things when we are young."

The conversation continues, diverting into something equally ridiculous. The whole time, I watch the side of Aesira's face, remember the burns her father gave her because she lost of her virginity.

I will kill him. I have to.

We spend hours together, drinking and talking and telling stories from our past. Aesira slips in so easily, conversing like she's known Ana and Marko as long as I have. It's clear the both of them are fascinated by her, hanging off every word she speaks.

At one point, I get up to use the bathroom. When I return, I pause at the door, listening in.

Aesira is sitting forward on the lounge chair her skin stained red from drink. "Is it weird, that he's your friend and an Alpha?"

I smile a little.

"Sometimes. He does very well not to let it bleed into our friendship, though. We're always there for him, of course, but it doesn't come up much," Ana says lowly. "He's very humble, in that way."

Aesira's brows raise sceptically. "Did he pay you to say that to me?"

She laughs a little. "I understand why you don't trust him, but I want you to know you're safe with him. He is kind and loyal at his heart."

I rest my head against the doorframe. I don't tell Ana just how wonderful she is enough.

Aesira's arms wrap around herself. "He's going to discard me when he finds his mate."

I frown. Is that what she thinks? After everything we've been through recently, she thinks I would do away with her just like that?

The problem is, I have no idea what I would do if I found my mate, and somehow, she wasn't Aesira. I'm struggling to envision that as a possibility.

"You could be his mate, you know," Marko says.

Aesira immediately shakes her head. "I'm not."

"Never say never." There's a knowing lilt to Ana's voice as she exchanges a look with Marko.

I return to the room, giving Aesira some reprieve. I don't take it personally that she doesn't think I'm her mate. It would impact her life much more than mine if we do turn out to be mates.

Our conversation continues long into the night. Eventually, Aesira excuses herself, stifling a yawn behind her hand.

I watch her go, a smile playing on my lips. This night went even better than I thought it would.

Marko waits until Ana's gone to the bathroom before he speaks.

"I like her," he murmurs.

My brows raise. "Yeah?"

"She's fits in perfectly," her admits. "I already can't remember what our conversations were like without her in them."

I swallow my smile. As happy as I want to be about how successful this night has been, I have to remember that there is no guarantee Aesira wants this as much as I do. There's every chance she's gone back to her room, thinking about ridiculous my friends are.

A run a hand through my hair. "Don't get used to it."

"Why are you so opposed to liking her?" Marko demands.

"I'm not." I massage my brow, my thoughts heavy. "I just can't trust her. She hasn't proven to me I can."

I'm not even sure I care anymore. Let her betray me...the only way I can know for certain if there is a real future between her and I is if I give myself to her completely.

"Maybe she needs to trust you first," he muses with a shrug.

"She just my wife, not my mate," I remind him. "She's important to me, but I'm not that important to her. Don't expect her to want to spend any more time with you and Ana."

"Ana won't be happy with that. She really likes her."

"Ana likes everyone," I mutter.

"Not like this. She's a good sense of character." He leans forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs. "Ease up buddy. I'm pretty sure I know why you're so opposed to getting close to her."

I glare at him. "Did you just call me buddy?"

He ignores my jab. "I think you need to start realising that Aesira is part of your life now, and untangling her now will be almost impossible."

I frown, looking away.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of.

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