Chapter 140


    Thirty-Six: Joselin


    Joselin''s P.O.V.


    My eyes were glued to Cora all day. She was happier than I had ever seen her, making me anxious not


    to know what was happening inside her head. The curvy woman walked quickly, with only a small limp,


    as she practically danced around the castle.


    If it weren''t for her long skirt that cut off mid-shin, no one would know about her prosthetic leg.


    Having Rona gone made everyone happy.


    I wasn''t aware of another exnation for Cora''s behavior. The only thing that changed was Rona


    leaving. It made me think that I had been right.


    Even I knew walking up to her and asking Cora about Rona''s trophy wouldn''t be appropriate. How


    would I word that? Hey Cora, have you seen your legtely?


    The middle-aged woman would probably try to skin me alive. Her leg was a sensitive topic. Granted, it


    had not only been cut off years ago in a battle, but the person responsible for her losing it had it as a


    keepsake and was probably using it against her. I would have ughtered Rona long ago if I were


    missing the limb.


    Her dishwater blonde hair shined in the sunlight, visible to me even with a window and a lot of space


    between us. The stripes of silver that gave away the plump woman''s age seemed to be thickening by


    the day. I had to wonder, if I told her about her leg being on disy in Rona''s bedroom, would she do


    my job for me? Would knowing about it be enough to have her go mad and kill Rona, so I wouldn''t have


    to deal with her anymore?


    It almost seemed too easy. I could bait Cora and sit back to enjoy the show. But then, it would make


    finding out if anyone else was involved more difficult. There was no point in killing Rona if she had


    others working with her. Cutting off the head of the snake only worked when it was a one headed


    serpent.


    "You''ve been very nosey today." Cyrus teased from my right. I turned with an unamused stare, forcing


    my eyes away from the courtyard through the window of the great room in the front of the castle.


    She was going into town. It wasn''t unusual for her, but it meant I couldn''t follow. I had been watching


    her all day, and following her into town would only make her suspicious of me.


    I disliked her, as did Aisha and Margot... so I disliked the entire council. But thest thing I needed was


    her turning hostile on me when I already had Rona to deal with.


    It would be suspicious for the council to turn down a descendant of the moon goddess from joining us if


    she pledged. She was all but guaranteed a spot. With Aurora on my side, I hoped that thest council


    seat would be someone worthy of trust and respect.


    I ignored Cyrus''sment and narrowed my eyes at him. We needed to get him alone to discuss the


    issue of Rona and the part he was to y in it.


    "You''ll be joining us for dinner tonight, cousin." The emphasis on his cover made him roll his eyes.


    "As I have since I got here/ His snarky retort reminded me of the conversations I would hold with


    Killian. It was how friends bantered, but I didn''t know how to make friends, and there were only three


    people that I trusted fully.


    "No, not at the dining hall. It will be at my mate''s home." I wrinkled my nose, wishing I could say it was


    my home too. But I hadn''t moved in yet. It was still his even though I had stayed there every night since


    returning.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Ah, who''s going to cook? I haven''t seen either of you eat anything that wasn''t served to you." He


    hairs on my neck prickled from Tobias''s gaze.


    I had worn my hair up because he liked it when I did that. Even before we mated, his focus on me was


    always more intent when I pulled my hair up. Now whenever I did it, his eyes always seemed to stay on


    my mark, and he would lift his head with pride.


    His woodsy scent filled my senses, and my eyes closed as I took a deep breath, feeling him stop


    behind me. When he didn''t move or speak, even in the mate bond, I opened my eyes to see him


    holding a single red rose before me.


    Hisrge, calloused hand looked so threateningpared to the flower. While he had taken the time


    and care to remove the thorns, it also felt like he could snap it at any moment.


    My hands moved up to take the stem from him, smiling as I spun and met his beautiful brown eyes.


    "How cute! Look at you, all domesticated. Like a big teddy bear." Cyrus teased Tobias, but his smile fell


    when Tobias''s hand shot forward and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him from the ground. "Not like


    a teddy bear! I meant a rabid wolf! A strong, very deadly rabid wolf!’


    I hoped Cyrus was aware of how unimpressed I was. The weak, nerdy persona he put off contradicted


    the power radiating from him. No wonder Cyrus needed shelter in the castle with the council and the


    guards. He had no idea what he was capable of.


    I had already known when I realized he was using humanndmines to defend himself against hunters,


    but it was almost sad how little he lived up to his potential. Being in hiding for so long has not done him


    any favors.


    Maybe when he was no longer hiding, he could embrace his magic. But for now, he was like the runt of


    the litter.


    Tobias dropped Cyrus, letting the man stumble back a step before Tobias ced his hand possessively


    on my hip. His jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth, but I was still focused on the rose he brought me.


    It was one of the sweetest things he had done for me. The small gesture let me know that he had been


    thinking about me, even though we had been apart for most of the day. He was so strong, quiet, and,


    as Cyrus said, deadly.


    For some reason, it meant more to me than all the big things that happened in our rtionship because


    this had no motive and no intentions. There was no game. Tobias just wanted to give me something


    beautiful.


    Tobias raised one eyebrow at me, and I knew without words that he was asking why I was alone with


    Cyrus. He hated the man, but Cyrus was growing on me.


    "Cyrus will being to dinner to catch up."


    Tobias immediately understood the hidden meaning behind the phrase '' catch up,'' and I smiled as I let


    my hand rest on his chest, leaning further into him with the rose between us.


    ''Not in our house.'' He ordered, but I ignored his refusal, focused solely on his statement of it being


    ours. Tobias turned his burning re on Cyrus, his brown eyes swirling to the ck of his beast at the


    thought of the spell caster invading the privacy of our home.


    "Am Iing for dinner, or will I be the dinner?’ Cyrus asked hesitantly.


    ***


    That night, I had dinner in the oven and tes set on the table before Cyrus arrived. When he did, his


    lips pursed, and his eyebrows met his hairline when he entered the house. He was slow to enter but


    didn''t hesitate to disapprove of the decor.


    "For two people who fuck like bunnies, I imagined this ce would be... different. This almost looks


    normal." He stated, and I looked around the room, not seeing what was so wrong with it. The dark grey


    couch had a few ck throw pillows on it. The coffee table and entertainment center matched the


    pillows.


    It was neat, stylish, and minimalistic.


    I bit my tongue, wanting to tell him I didn''t ask for his opinion, but tonight was all about winning him


    over.


    "Doesn''t look very kid-friendly either." He muttered, and I red at him.


    "We don''t need it to be kid friendly.’ I snapped. We weren''t there yet. I hadn''t even moved in yet and


    wanted to keep Tobias to myself longer." That''s none of your business."


    "I just thought when the heirs are born, you''d have them over sometimes. You guys seemed close." He


    uttered, rubbing the back of his neck again as his cheeks turned pink. "I was going to the kitchente


    pregnant, so I just assumed... Forget it."


    He cleared his throat just as Tobias rounded the corner, handing me my ss of wine.


    "Thank you," I muttered, but my mind was locked on the idea of us having kids. What if they looked like


    me? What if they had powers instead of the wolf gene? What if they were born as humans since I had


    human parents?


    We should have discussed these things before we mated but have yet to get around to it. Would Tobias


    be okay with that, or would that be a deal breaker? Did he even want kids with me one day?


    "It''s weird that you invited me for dinner, right? This feels weird." Cyrus tried tough, but Tobias and I


    just stared at him, all three of us out of ourfort zone.


    I knew I should say something corny like, Make yourself at home," or "I''m d you could make it,’ but


    we all knew it would be a tant lie. I wouldn''t sound convincing at all. Somehow my mind and mouth


    settled on "Sit."


    Tobias turned to me, raising his eyebrows in amusement, and Cyrus chuckled at mymand.


    "Like, right here?" He started to crouch with a broad smile, his slightly crooked teeth on disy as I


    groaned in annoyance. "Or can I at least use a chair?"


    I knew this would be a bad idea.


    Even worse was that he wasn''t affected by me at all. There was no intimidation, no hesitation, or fear.


    The yellow-eyed spell caster was as annoying as Killian was when we were kids, like a little brother. I


    wanted to smack him upside the head whenever a sarcasticment flew from his mouth.


    "I''m going to check the food," I muttered as my hands tightened into fists, and I spun on my heels to


    walk away. There was nothing to check. I had purchased a frozen tray ofsagna from the store and


    had thrown it in the oven. It still had half an hour to cook, and I dreaded every second.


    I ced my ss of wine on the counter before rubbing my temples with one hand.


    I heard Cyrus try to start a conversation with Tobias as they followed me and made their way to the


    dining room connected to the open kitchen.


    "So, kill anyely?" Thenky man asked my mate, and Tobias growled in annoyance.


    This was not going well. Not at all.


    But that was my opening, so I took it. "Things seem pretty quiet for you. Any threats or attempts on


    your lifetely?"


    Beyond the asional explosion on the mountain from the traps he had left behind, things had been


    going well, almost too well. It was like the calm before the storm, and I was unprepared.


    "Besides Rona trying to give me a heart attack? No. She pops up everywhere, always rubbing against


    me." His cheeks turned pink, and I rolled my eyes as he pulled a chair from the table and sat, facing


    me in the kitchen. "I''m not sure she''s the one trying to kill me."


    I let out a huff that made Cyrus tilt his head in curiosity. "What makes you say that?"


    His face moved down the scale of red from light pink to the color of my wine. "Because she seems


    genuinely attracted to me."


    Tobias scoffed, not bothering to hide his amusement when Cyrus red at him.


    "It''s true!’ He defended, but even I let out a noise and lifted my eyebrows in disbelief. "Don''t make that


    noise! She is! You weren''t there! She kissed me, took my hand and put it down.... Look, she was


    attracted to me!"


    The image he conjured in my mind made me cringe in disgust before I realized this could work in our


    favor. "We need to know for certain. If Rona is attracted to you, it won''t be hard for you to get her to tell


    you what she is up to. She''s hiding something, and it will be your job to get close to her and figure out


    what it is.