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Chapter 24
FAYE
I was still half in my head when I stepped into the dining room that morning. The smell of coffee and fresh bread floated through the air, warm and welcoming, but the scene waiting for me at the table quickly replaced the comfort with curiosity.
Two women sat there. The first was Irene…of course, Irene…looking as lively as always even with a spoon halfway to her mouth. But the second… I didn’t recognize her.
She looked like she’d stepped straight out of a glossy magazine. Her makeup was precise, her hair perfectly styled, her outfit so coordinated it almost made me check if I had crumbs on my shirt. She didn’t resemble Irene in the slightest–too polished, too… staged… almost fake. She reminded me of one of those decorative porcelain dolls: pretty, rigid, and somehow unnerving if you stared too long.
And she was staring at me.
Not the normal curious stare you give a stranger in your space. No, her eyes had this sharp, almost repulsed glint in them. As though she’d just seen something dragged out of the forest, dirt–covered and wrong. Her perfectly lined lips parted and she asked, very clearly,
“Who is she?”
No smile, no warmth. Just that blunt, cutting question hanging in the air like smoke.
Irene’s head shot up from her plate, and her eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Oh, finally,” she said with a grin, “I was starting to think you’d decided you’ve had enough of my face in the mornings and skipped breakfast altogether.”
I laughed genuinely, because Irene had that effect on me. “I considered it,” I teased back, “but I figured you’d miss me too much.”
I greeted them both as I made my way to the table. Irene’s reply was quick and warm. The other woman’s… was barely a response at all. If I could even call the little hum she made a
response.
She was still looking at me like she couldn’t decide whether I was lost or just audacious enough to wander into her territory uninvited.
I took my seat, trying not to let her expression crawl under my skin. Still, I couldn’t help the thought: Is she really this confused about me, or is she doing it on purpose?
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Irene didn’t jump to introduce us right away, which was unlike her. She usually filled silences before they had a chance to form. The mystery woman took advantage of the gap.
“Who is this,” she asked again, sharper this time, “and why is she joining us for breakfast?”
I looked at Irene in time to catch the shock flicker across her face. That was when I realized- oh, this wasn’t confusion at all. This woman was being rude. Deliberately.
And the question that instantly formed in my head was why?
We’d never met before. As far as I knew, I hadn’t done anything to offend her. Did she simply dislike strangers? Or… was there something else?
Irene was still staring at her, clearly deciding how to respond, when the woman rolled her eyes like she’d grown bored of waiting. She turned to me, her tone losing any pretense of politeness.
“I’m Bella,” she said, like it should mean something to me. “Alpha Alexander’s sister… Irene’s sister.” Her gaze sharpened. “And who are you?”
The words landed heavier than she probably expected. Not because I was intimidated, but because I was surprised.
Alexander had two sisters? Since when? Irene talked a lot, about everything, but she had never once mentioned another sister besides herself.
I glanced at Irene, and she looked… embarrassed. That alone told me this was not going to be one of those friendly introductions where everyone instantly gets along.
Irene was opening her mouth, probably to answer for me, but no. Not this time.
I didn’t need her to soften my edges or smooth the tension.
I smiled, calm and deliberate, and spoke before she could,
“Faye,” I said. “Luna Faye of the Blood Crescent Pack.” I’m not sure why I chose to introduce myself like that, but it sounded just right.
I even extended my hand across the table for a handshake, because some part of me wanted to see what she’d do.
What she did was look at me like I’d just slapped her. She was shocked.
The air went still for a moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Irene biting her lip, a smirk tugging at the edges that she was absolutely failing to hide. For some reason, she must have enjoyed the reaction from Bella.
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Bella didn’t take my hand, she didn’t even pretend to consider it. She just let it hang there for a moment, then scoffed quietly, but with enough disdain to make her point–and turned to
Irene.
Irene avoided her gaze entirely and focused on her plate.
I withdrew my hand slowly, not because I felt embarrassed, but because the moment had told me everything I needed to know.
She wasn’t just dismissive, she was defensive. Like my existence here was a problem she hadn’t prepared to face.
I turned my attention to my own food. If she thought I’d be unsettled by her attitude, she was wrong. I’d dealt with far colder receptions than this since I came to Blood Crescent, and truthfully? I was too curious to let it irritate me just yet.
But as I ate, I found myself wondering: Did she not know Alexander had a mate? Or did she know and just… hate it?
Whatever the reason, Bella’s appetite seemed to vanish. She pushed her food around on her plate, fumbling with her fork, her eyes darting between me and Irene as though she was trying to read something in the spaces between us.
Weird…very weird.
“Where’s Alexander? Busy again?” I asked Irene, casually.
But Bella answered. “Isn’t he supposed to be your mate? you should know his whereabouts.”
I looked at her, and I just lacked words at that moment.
“Ignore her,” Irene said to me. “Alex went to the gym.”
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