Tasting 351

351–The Old Me

Nora:

I had cleaned up nicely. When I wore a brown dress, braided my front hair, and tied it back while

leaving big curls of my hair to flow freely, I almost didn’t recognize myself.

“You’re all set,” the woman doing my hair and makeup stepped back, exiting the room while I

continued to stare at my reflection. For a moment, I saw the old me–the unruly and detached

version of myself.

And I hated that image.

I quickly got up and fixed my shoes, making sure to hide the anklet behind them as instructed.

Despite everything being in place, I still felt incomplete. In that moment, it was as if I was dead

inside. Even the faintest light and colors were overwhelming.

“Brody wants you to come to one of the big bedrooms and pretend you’ve been in there-” Rollo

knocked on the open door, startling me when he suddenly fell silent.

“You’re the first person to knock on my door,” I commented, avoiding his lingering gaze.

“So, he wants me to act like I was in the master bedroom?” I asked, finally noticing how long he had

been staring at me.

“What’s wrong?” I glanced down at my dress, wondering if something was amiss.

“Wow!” He shook his head and looked away. “Yeah, Brody wants-” He closed his eyes, making me

raise an eyebrow in confusion.

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351 The Old Me

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“Are you okay? Having stomach issues?” I asked, genuinely concerned, and he immediately burst

into laughter.

“You’re just too cute, you know that, right?” His words stunned me. For a second, I couldn’t move.

I had heard that word before–right before people used and betrayed me.

“I’m not cute–I’m a mother of four children,” I replied bitterly, clearly catching him off guard as he

hurried to correct himself.

“You’re more than just a mother, Nora,” he said, though I had no interest in finding out what he

meant. I was done trying to understand things I no longer cared about.

“Anyway, I-” I paused when I noticed him holding something in his

hand.

It was my ring. The ring that had kept me safe for so long. Now I realized the importance of it.

I thought I had lost it when I took it off the first time. I never really felt the need to wear it again. Akira

was what mattered now. In fact, she was the only one who mattered. Without her, this pack would

have disappeared from the charts.

“Brody wants you to wear this,” he held the ring out to me, and I silently stared at it. The memories

of the past few years made me feel numb.

“I thought I had lost it,” I extended my hand and grabbed the ring.

“Brody had it,” Rollo answered. “Listen, I know he won’t tell you this, but I don’t think he plans to let

you meet your babies until the alpha kings leave,” he whispered, as if sharing a secret.

“He’ll make up excuses, but-” he stopped abruptly and stepped back.

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I had started out as an enemy with Rollo, but over time, I began to wonder if he could be trusted. Of

course, I wouldn’t trust anyone except myself and Akira, but he did seem more like a friend than a

foe.

“So, that means I have to make sure the brothers leave as soon as possible,” I put the ring on and

nodded, understanding the task ahead.

Gone were the days when I’d cry and ask questions with obvious answers. Now, I didn’t argue. I

knew even if I argued or cried, the outcome would be the same. Brody wouldn’t let me see my

babies.

So now, I save my energy and focus on finding solutions.

“Yeah, and let’s go before the brothers come out of their rooms. They went to the guest rooms to

freshen up,” he quickly added, and I sighed.

“Sure, let’s go. Lead the way, boss,” I joked, and he chuckled, walking ahead of me. I was holding

my true emotions back because I wanted to remain cold but it was shocking how I was feeling

slightly lost after the arrival of my mates. That’s what happens whenever they are around.

He once told me I seemed like someone who could be forgiving. Maybe he misunderstood–I had

become someone who didn’t care much about

people anymore.

The reason I could joke with him now was because it didn’t mean much to me. I hardly dwelled on

their past actions.

Once we were in the mansion, I took a deep breath and felt goosebumps. The scent of the brothers

was strong as I twisted the ring on my finger. But I quickly adjusted it and walked into the master

bedroom that Brody had set up to make it look like we were living here together.

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