Chapter 9: It Got Worse!

My breath caught as the voice rang in my ears, and I stopped in my tracks. I swivelled around, and sure enough, Aeron stood at the other side of the hallway, watching me with those innocent eyes and warrior gear on his body. "Alpha Aeron," I said, shuffling my feet. He stared at me for a bit before moving closer, playing with the rhythm of my heart. "Naeris. Who's giving you a hard time? You looked like you were about to kill someone," he said, that signature smirk forming on his lips. "It's nothing, just personal issues," I shrugged. "I can handle—" "By personal issues, you mean someone in this palace? Not so personal anymore. I want to know," he interrupted, folding his arms. My eyes lingered on the way his muscles rippled under the puffy cotton gear he had on, and very inappropriate images began to form in my head. Like what those hands would feel like around my neck while he slowly takes me deep and… "Naeris," he clicked his fingers in front of my face. I blinked, heat rushing to my cheeks instantly. He noticed it, tilted his head slightly, and chuckled. "Glad I'm not the only one having a hard time being around you," he said, his voice dropping an entire octave. He leaned closer, his thumb brushing my lower lip as he stared into my eyes. I would get lost in them for all I cared. They were beautiful, with a slight green swirl in the middle that reminded me of a flower that only grew in my home. They dropped to my lips, and he bit his bottom lip, as if trying to restrain himself. The sight made even more inappropriate images form, and my breath hitched until he pulled back, cutting off the moment. Then he winked and walked away, leaving me breathless and annoyingly confused at myself. My wolf was still howling for him to come back. I watched as he moved, allowing my eyes to appreciate him. Of All three brothers. Aeron was easy-going. With a sigh, I headed straight for the council hall. I would deal with the weird dynamic between my three mates later. It was large, well, way bigger than I expected, but it matched everything I thought it would look like. Polished marble floors, expensive leather thrones, and what looked like a custom-made chandelier, amongst other royal finishes. Well, here goes nothing. Around two hours later, I was finally done. Exhausted and dripping with sweat, I decided to sit down on the steps inside the hall for a bit to catch my breath. What I needed was water, but there wasn't much time until nightfall, and I needed to finish this up. So I grabbed the mop again with the rag, surveying just how much I had left. I was about to continue when the door burst open, sending a huge gust of wind through the room. I yelped softly, my hands instantly flying to the flay of the gown to cover my legs. When I regained my stand, I realized who had walked in with such anger. It was Varek. He didn't notice me at first, just marched straight to the long oak table and sat on one of the chairs. Then, like a switch flicked on in his head, he turned towards me, and my breath caught. His eyes…they looked…empty. Like a soul who didn't know their purpose, or who was tired of reliving the same thing over and over. Before I could stop myself, I dropped the mop and walked towards him. His gaze was still burning into mine. He didn't move, but the fire in his eyes was more than enough. "Alpha Varek…" I said softly, monitoring his expression. "Do you mind if I ask what's wrong?" Fucking hell, why did I even want to know? It wasn't like he cared about me at all. But like I said, I couldn't stop myself. Maybe it was the mate bond. Maybe it was my empathy. Or maybe I thought I related to him more than anyone else. "Nothing." I stopped, startled that he even replied. "Are you sure? Would you like me to do anything for you?" "No." Well, this was getting awkward. I gave up and turned to leave when I felt an arm grab mine. I froze, feeling as Varek stood up, his hands slowly snaking around my waist. "You could tell me what you would want me to do to you instead," he said, his voice gruff and husky. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat as my knees threatened to buckle. "I…I don't know what you mean. "Oh yeah? Then why do I smell your arousal already?" He chuckled, a sound so deep yet so seductive it reverberated through my bones, sending shivers down my spine. I could feel his wolf calling out to mine, howling and begging for a mark. "I…I.." Fuck. I was losing words, and my wolf wasn't even making things any easier. Why did a mate bond have to be so damn uncontrollable? "Tell me, little helion. Should I take you here, now, in front of all these emblems?" Varek continued, and suddenly I regretted ever walking down to him. He planted soft, wet kisses against my neck, his hands tracing up my thighs. Because I did want him to take me. Fucking hell, I needed it. My body craved him as much as it craved his brothers. This bond was messing with my mind, and I didn't like it. "Varek." I heard a male voice call out. I looked up to see... Of course. Draven. I fought the urge to palm my face. He stared at me with an incredulous expression, one that morphed into both malice and annoyance at once. It made me want to claw his face off. Varek stopped, his hands frozen on my waist. The familiar numb feeling spread out again in my chest, and I stepped away from him. When I looked back, his expression had darkened, and he was running his hands through his hair. "What do you want, Draven?" He asked, his frustration evident in his tone. Draven broke into an innocent smile. "Nyxion asked for your presence. We're doing a briefing for the war that's been postponed," He glanced at me, "and he would like to hear your input." "Of course he does. I'm the one who likes to fight," Varek murmured. Curiosity should have gotten the better of me, but he just shot me one last look before bolting out of the hall, his expression unreadable. Draven kept a stupid, mug grin on his face, but I guess he knew better than to say anything else, and left. I slumped into the leather seat where Varek sat, allowing his scent to fill me up. This was going to be a lot harder than just cleaning floors and dealing with witlow-IQIQ Betas. I needed a better plan.