Chapter Forty-Eight

ASH

He found himself caught up in a lengthy discussion with Mateo about some details that needed to be handled after his prolonged absence from the pack over the last two weeks.

Mateo was in charge of assigning the patrols, and Ash wanted to increase the number of men patrolling, given the impending arrival of the council members to their territory.

He also wanted to add in some of the younger members of the pack who were ready to take on the role of the daily patrol assignments.

He had not been able to give Keyara the attention he would have liked to and felt a wave of guilt as she hid her yawn, knowing she must be tired and bored.

He stood and took her hand when she nodded that she was ready to leave, her foot catching on the edge of her chair.

He smiled lightly as he caught the scent of the wine in her blood and wondered if she had ever been drunk before tonight.

He nodded at the warriors at the head table, and Key gave a small wave to Jill before they left through a side door to their right.

Ash didn’t want to have to face the eyes of the entire pack again or interrupt the still ongoing meal with their departure.

Key chatted about the meal as they walked, speaking almost too quickly for him to catch what she was saying. She raved about the apple pie.

His smile widened at her upbeat mood. He was glad to see her enthusiasm, as so much of their time together had been filled with dread.

As they started up the staircase to their room, she missed a step and stumbled, grabbing his arm to catch herself. She leaned against the wall and laughed uproariously at her clumsiness, the wine clearly taking over.

Ash swept her into his arms and laughed with her as she squealed in indignation as he carried her up the stairs.

“Put me down,” she demanded through her laughter.

He set her down at the top of the stairs, bracing himself behind her so she didn’t tumble backward down the staircase. “Have you ever been drunk before?” he asked her with amusement.

She spun around and fixed him with a childish glare that only made his grin grow wider before she answered. “I am not drunk,” she said carefully, making an effort to enunciate each word.

“Mm-hmm,” he replied, too amused to argue with her. He reached around her and opened the door, placing his hands on her elbows on either side and backing her into the room.

She wandered away from him, a barely discernible wobble in her steps as he shut the door behind them. When he turned back, she was already struggling out of her dress, the fabric off her shoulders and bunched around her waist.

He approached her from behind and ran a hand lightly over her shoulder and down her arm, before helping her the rest of the way out of the dress.

His breath caught at the sight of her, naked before him, her skin flushed from the effect of the wine. She lifted her face to kiss him, but he stepped lightly away from her.

“Now, now, I wouldn’t want to take advantage of you in your altered state,” he told her, only half joking.

She pouted and kicked off her shoes, pulling him toward the bed.

“I never have been drunk before.” She answered his earlier question at last. “I think I like it.” She laughed, collapsing back onto the bed.

He laughed with her, lying on his back beside her as she fumbled clumsily with the buttons of his shirt. He placed a hand gently over hers, stopping her.

“Not now, love,” he told her, leaning over and kissing her softly. “Let’s just go to bed.”

“You’re no fun,” she grumbled at him, but removed her hands from his shirt.

He reached under her and pulled back the covers on the bed, helping her underneath them. By the time he had adjusted them over her shoulders, her eyes were already closed.

He chuckled softly, removing his shirt and sliding in beside her underneath the covers, hoping she wouldn’t suffer the effects of the wine too much in the morning.

KEYARA

She cracked open her eyes, groaning and squeezing them shut again as the sun overpowered her from the windows across the room.

Her head felt heavy and there was a dull ache behind her eyes. She rolled over, reaching out for Ash, but the empty bed was all that greeted her touch.

She opened her eyes again slowly, forcing herself to adjust to the light. She saw a small, folded paper on the pillow next to her and held it up to read, blinking to focus on the words.

~The first council member arrives this morning. I will be busy making preparations until midday. I’ve asked the kitchen to deliver a tray to the room for your breakfast. Love, Ash~

She sat up, stifling a groan at the way it made the room spin. She was unpleasantly reminded of the effects of the transformation she had suffered through days ago and did not care for the similarities.

Sure enough, a tray waited for her on the table in front of the fireplace, filled with an assortment of choices. She felt slightly embarrassed that she had slept through its delivery.

She rose from the bed, wrapping a blanket around her naked body and stumbling to the couch. She picked up a piece of toast and nibbled on the corner of it.

She ate a few more things, scarcely glancing at what they were before downing the entire glass of water that accompanied the food.

When she was done eating, she made her way back to the bed, letting the blanket fall onto the floor as she walked. She fell face first back onto the bed, succumbing to sleep once again.