Tasting 289
Tasting
289âTrouble In Paradise
Nora:
This back and forth of where I belonged and who I should or shouldnât speak to was starting to
suffocate me. It felt like I was back in my childhood, constantly monitored and having no life of my
own.
We had a great dinner, and I smiled throughout it. I had learned to fake a smile now, at least for a
few hours. I didnât want Brody to think I was only happy because I heard Silas was coming over.
We returned home, and as expected, April had decided to stay awake. She wouldnât let me sleep
peacefully without seeing her face.
âYouâre up?â Brody asked her as we passed the TV room.
âYeah, I couldnât sleep. How was the dinner?â she inquired, and I kept walking toward the staircase.
I didnât plan to stick around for their conversation.
âIt was great. By the way, itâs okay. You and your friends can stay here. while Iâm gone,â the moment
he said that, I slowed down on the steps.
âOh, is it because you donât want Silas to be alone with Nora while youâre not in the pack?â The hurt
in her voice didnât distract me from the meaning behind her words.
âTake it as you will. But stay in the mansion for a few days.â So, he wasnât comfortable leaving me
alone with Silas?
But why?
289âTrouble in Paradise
And why did he think the girls staying back would benefit him?
If anything, they would just create more chaos.
I didnât argue with Brody and went to bed as soon as I changed into my pajamas. I woke up early for
some reason, and after showering and. changing into the prettiest white top and black pants, I sat
down to do my makeup.
âYou know, I think it would be good to look my best when Silas arrives,â I nodded to myself, trying to
figure out how to act in front of him.
âOr do you think looking sick would do the trick? I mean, I donât intend to play any games, but if he
sees how sad and sick I am, he might ask me to come back home. Ugh! Please help me, Akira,â I
pouted sadly as I took off my ring and placed it on the dressing table.
But the saddest part was that she wasnât responding to me anymore.
âAkira! Are you leaving me too?â I slumped back in my chair, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
The girl in the mirror looked so out of place.
Why couldnât she find a home? Why did she have to be so weak?
I wasnât weak. I wasnât born weak, and I didnât grow up weak. Abused and tortured, sure, but that
made me stronger.
If anyone could survive what I did in the past, it would mean I am the strongest. Then why couldnât I
be strong and stop thinking about my
mates?
âI get it. Itâs because of the mate bond. You know, if we had rejected each other, I wouldnât be
feeling so much pain right now,â I nodded in
299âTrouble in Paradise
understanding, pouting and waiting for Akira like every day.
But she had gone silent on me. This wasnât good. After everything I had been through, now she was
also missing.
I grabbed my ring and put it back on, knowing that no matter what I said, she wouldnât respond to
me.
I decided to look my best. Maybe I could act like everything was normal, and when Silas left, I could
leave with him.
I just needed to make it seem effortless and like a normal thingâme going back and forth between
my homes.
That was the plan.
As I left the room and walked downstairs, I saw the girls in the living room. Daphne was wrapped in
a big blanket and looked very sick for some reason, while Natalya and April were watching TV and
eating breakfast on the couch.
âPlease, just tell me where he is these days, okay?â I frowned when I noticed Daphne speaking to
someone on the phone while in tears.
The others were acting like she wasnât crying right next to them.
âI didnât do anything. He told me to stay away from him and that he needs space. He is going for
some trainingâ,â the minute her eyes landed on me, she went silent and cut the call.
What was she talking about? Did something happen between her and Nash?
290âThey Want Me Back Now