“How close?” Max asked.
“Too close,” Donovan said.
I caught movement in the corner of my eye and turned in time to see my brothers conferring without speaking. This was bad. Nothing good came of them teaming up on anything. Especially when I was involved.
Max nodded at Miles. “Tomorrow we start at four,” he said with a finality that I did not appreciate in the least.
“What? No. Did you not get that I just beat you? All of you.” There was no way I was getting up that early. I might as well not even go to bed. It was inhumane.
“Tomorrow we’ll bring in more of the pack, too. We’ll make sure they’re very respectful.” Max was talking about me, but he was looking at Donovan. “You’re with Donovan now. There’s no telling what you might walk into. You need to be prepared. The more Wayfarers in on it, the better.”
Oh, for the love… “No.” I stormed to the door and swung it open so hard that it ripped from the hinges. I tossed it behind me—hoping it’d hit one of the morons—and kept on going as they laughed. “You guys can eat a dick. I’m not waking up at three-thirty in the morning so that we can start training at four. No way in hell.”
“Where are you going?” Matt called after me.
“None of your damned business.” I was going to shower, but they didn’t need to know that.
Donovan stayed back with my brothers. Their voices echoed down the hall as they talked about the door I’d broken.
The door’s hinges are ripped in two. You’re putting up a big show for only being a little annoyed. Donovan said through our bond.
If breaking a door meant my brothers would leave me alone, then the whole house would be door-less by morning. They’re threatening to wake me up at three-thirty. I’m more than a little annoyed.
He laughed. Don’t worry. No one is waking you up.
I wouldn’t mind if it were you… And for a different kind of workout, I said in my sexiest voice. Or I hoped it was my sexiest voice. I could’ve just sounded silly.
Woman. I’m with your brothers. No using that tone with me now.
A little zing of pleasure hit me. I loved it when I got the upper hand with him.
Just you wait. Payback is coming.
Good. I couldn’t wait.
Chapter Six
After my shower, I went in search of food and Ciara. Thankfully, her office was by the estate’s main kitchen, so I could kill two birds with one stone. This time I didn’t care how much she hedged or tried to get rid of me. I was going to find out what was going on with her. Why she’d been ignoring me.
It took me a bit to work my way through the halls. By the time I got to the kitchen, my stomach was rumbling. Taking on Donovan and my brothers had burned a ton of calories, and if I wanted to stay in control of my wolf, I needed a solid meal. Or three.
I pushed through the double swinging doors. Ranges took up one wall. A gleaming slab of white marble covered the center island, with cabinets underneath that matched the black and chrome ranges. Another wall featured four full-size refrigerators next to three full-size freezers. A walk-in pantry bigger than three of my dorm rooms was off to the right. The cabinets, pantries, and fridges were stocked with anything and everything a Were’s heart desired. It was massive.
There were others in the room, but Ciara caught my attention. For the first time since I’d gotten home, she wasn’t running away from me. She gave me a nod.
She’d pulled her dark-chocolate colored hair into a high knot. The little bit of makeup she’d been wearing this morning was gone, and I wondered if she’d been upset. Had she been crying? Was that why she’d washed her face?
Without makeup, I could tell how much she older Ciara looked. Muraco was the only wolf I’d known to show his age, but he was super old, and his mate had died. He’d lived a long life and had an understandable reason to age.
But Ciara? She shouldn’t be aging. She couldn’t be. She was way too young for that.
No. It had to be something else. Whatever was bothering her must be weighing on her, but she’d bounce back.
Ciara closed the distance between us. “May I have a word?”
“Of course. You don’t have to ask me. Do—”
She shook her head. “In my office?”