Chapter Thirty Eight

Next morning I woke up with a start. As soon as I remembered everything happened last night, I looked around for Nicolas. Just as expected he was nowhere to be found. Throwing off the covers, I ran for the door and opened it.

Everyone gathered outside became quiet and focused their gaze on me as if waiting for something.

"Where's Nicolas?" I croaked, looking at them.

None of them replied and I questioned them again. This time a woman came forward.

"Alpha is resting."

I recognised her voice from last night. She was the one who took me back to the cabin and stayed there until I fell asleep.

"Where?" I asked again, this time time just looking at her.

She pointed to her right, somewhere between the dense trees. I remembered Marco had told me about that place as well.

I thanked her before stumbling on my way to see Nicolas.

I hadn't even gone past a few rows of trees before I saw Marco making his way over to me from the opposite direction. I increased my pace as soon as I saw him.

"He's sleeping. You can't meet him." Marco said, stopping a few feet away from me.

"I just need to see him. To make sure he's okay." I tried to explain myself.

"He's fine."

Unlike him, I didn't stop walking until I stood right in front of him. "Can I see him? Even if it's from far."

"He's sleeping, Blue." He said after stepping back.

"Just once?"

Marco shook his head. "He'll be able to sense. you. He went to sleep just now."

I nodded, understanding his point. "He's fine, right?"

"Yeah."

I took a few steps back as well, trying to force myself to turn around and walk back home. "Then can I visit him later today? Or tomorrow? The day after that?" I asked, halting in my steps, waiting for his answer.

"I can't say for sure right now. I'll give you a call later to let you know."

"Thank you." I responded, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"I'll walk you back." Marco's steps were hesitant and he kept his distance from me. I gave him a confused glance before starting walking again.

"I'll be keeping an eye on Nicolas. Don't worry he'll be fine."

I nodded with my back facing him and continued to walk in silence ahead of him.

Just as we were about to walk past Nicolas' cabin, I heard Marco from behind me.

"Change into something else. I'll be needing the clothes you're wearing."

I didn't even feel like asking him why. I quietly entered the cabin and went straight toward the bathroom where I had left my clothes last night.

"Here. Wear these." Marco stuck his hand between the doorframe and handed me another pair of Nicolas' clothes.

I grabbed the clothes from him and shut the bathroom door when he pulled his hand back. I changed into another pair of t-shirt and shorts.

"Your scent will help him sleep better." Marco informed me when I stepped out and handed him the clothes I was wearing before.

I nodded my head, letting him know I heard him. "I'll head back home on my own. Thanks."

Marco made no move to follow me and I quickly made my way back while avoiding everyone's gaze. I was in no mood to talk to anyone about anything. I felt numb about the whole ordeal and all I wanted to do was sleep for the rest of the day if not week, at least until Nicolas was back again.

The quiet clearing was another reminder of what had gone down last night. The usual noisy training was completely vacant. I lowered my head and sprinted through the clearing and the rest of the woods just wanting to be in my bed as quickly as possible.

Just as I took the turn to face the house, I saw grandma exiting. She shut the door behind her and walked down the stairs hurriedly with her phone placed beside her ear.

"I'm sorry. I'll be there right away." Grandma kept apologizing on the phone as she rushed past my parked car and onto the road.

My feet moved before I could've even understood what was happening and soon I found myself quietly following her. Her steps were quick and hurried and her phone kept ringing continuously in her hand. Instead of picking it up, her pace fastened every time I heard her phone's ringtone.

I saw her stop in front of the only supermarket our town had and she waited a few moments there before rushing in. I waited for her to come back for the next few minutes. People entered and exited the building but none of them was familiar.

When another cold breeze made me shiver, I decided to go in and find her on my own. I rushed inside and quickly started finding her amongst the aisles. After a few minutes of just running around the aisles and floors, I decided to call her as I made my way back to the entrance to make it easier for her to find me.

My eyes widened when I heard her phone ringing nearby and I ran in the direction the sound was coming from. I saw her picking up her phone from behind the counter and silencing it instantly.

"Grandma?" I stared at her in disbelief and saw her eyes widened the moment she noticed me.

She stood behind one of the counters, wearing the same uniform as the others working on the counters beside her.

"She's quitting." Pointing toward her, I told the young guy working on the counter beside her with a glare. The guy looked taken back for a second before nodding.

Next I addressed my grandma. "I am not leaving without you."

It was the first time I had narrowed my eyes looking at her and despite the situation I could already feel guilty for doing it. She looked even more shocked than the guy beside her and didn't respond until I spoke again.

"Grandma, let's go."

She didn't nod her head but I knew she had heard me when she distanced herself from the counter.

"I'll wait outside." I told her before turning around and strode out.

The moment she stepped out of the building, I started walking in the direction of our home without a word. I slowed down every now and then when I felt her fall behind and kept making sure she was following me closely.

When I heard her shut the door behind her quietly, I finally faced her.

"Is this where you've been going all this time?" I was struggling to keep my voice calm and had to keep reminding myself with whom I was talking to.

"Didn't you say Mom left more than enough for both of us? How long have you been working there?"

Her lowered head aggravated me even more. "Grandma, answer me."

"I joined just a few months ago." Her apologetic voice softened mine.

"Before my exams?"

She nodded.

"After you forced me to quit my part time job?"

She nodded again. "I wanted you to focus on your exams."

I sighed and slumped back on the table behind me.

"I got the job." I informed her with my head gripped between my hands. "I can take care of you now."

She stepped closer to me and placed her hand on top of my head. "You're too young to care about these things."

"And you're too old to be working." I retorted right away. I gripped her hands in mine and looked at her. "Please trust me, grandma. I'll take care of you."

I saw her eyes glistening before she closed them.

"Grandma, the only reason I went so far away to study was to be able to take care of you for the rest of my life. There's nothing I want more than that… Please don't take this away from me."

"My Blue has grown up." Her teary eyes and tender voice made me resolute about what I had to do.

"I grew up years ago. You just didn't want to accept it." I forced a smile on my face and received a genuine one from her.

"You resigned before coming back, right?" I asked just to make sure.

"Yeah."

Using the hem of Nicolas' t-shirt, I wiped her tears. "Good. Now you're only allowed to watch TV or read books. I'll take care of everything else, including groceries, meals, laundry and other chores."

"At least let me help you every now and then."

I hummed, pretending to think for a moment before answering. "No."

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