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adjective ~ inclined to conceal feelings and intentions

POLLUX

Why was Charlie staring at me like that?

What has he done?

Charlie blinked, giving me a grin but otherwise staying silent. It was breakfast time, and after leaving my space for my morning routine of tea and toast, I turned around to find Charlie sitting at the kitchen island staring at me.

"So..." I drawled, clinking my fingers against my tea. "Morning?"

"Morning, Polly." He chirped.

"What brings you down here at this time?" I wondered.

"Oh, you know, just excited for today."

"Uh-huh..." I pursed my lips, leaning against the counter. "Are you going to eat anything or..."

"Oh yeah, I should probably do that." He snorted, jumping from the bar stool. "Big day and all that."

"Yeah..." I muttered, pushing away from the cupboards. "Have a good morning, Charlie."

"Wait!" He shouted and I stumbled to a stop.

"What do you want?" I sighed.

"Uh... Eat with me?"

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Not really!"

"I thought it was a big day?" I cocked my head.

He hesitated, chewing on his lip. The toast popped in the background and he didn't react, lost in his own mind.

I raised my eyebrows, about to ask him what on earth was he doing, but he suddenly changed his demeanour. He straightened his spine, meeting my eyes head-on. Smoothing his hands down his casual shirt, he cleared his throat. I watched curious, sipping my drink as though something exciting was about to happen. My eyes trailed across his face, picking up on the hickey that revealed itself beneath his collar.

How interesting...

"I have been assigned a job." He began, his voice lowering an octave.

My eyes snapped back to his. "Good for you?"

He shook his head. "I am assigned to you for the day."

"Assigned to me?" I raised my eyebrows. "Like a toy boy?"

His eyes narrowed. "No, like a guard."

"I don't need a guard, Charlie. I am perfectly capable." I shook my head, finishing my drink. "You do realise I roamed human and rogue territory for years on my own?"

"Yeah, I know. But this is for your safety." He frowned.

"My safety? Of what? Getting drunk?"

He sighed, rounding the kitchen island. "I'm not supposed to tell you why."

Oh, he was going to tell me, Charlie couldn't keep a secret when it did not benefit him so.

"Why what?" I probed.

His brown eyes shifted around the room before he pulled me in close. I cursed, glad I put my empty cup down already as he pulled me to stand right before him. I turned a little to the side, so our arms were touching. Front-to-front was a little too intimate for my liking.

"Why I am your guard for the party." He mumbled

"If it's just for the party, why are you watching me now?" I whispered back.

"Extra safety." His eyes narrowed.

I sighed, pushing my hair back into its ponytail. "Just tell me, Charlie. I cannot go the entire day with you a step behind me without reason. Aren't you going to the party with Calida?"

"Calida knows I have a job to do. I told her." He sighed.

"What's the job, Charlie? Why do I need a guard?"

He hesitated, his throat bobbing. "Fine, but if Phoenix knows I told you..."

"Why would Phoenix be pissed?"

"Because if Nova finds out, it'll all go to shit."

"This affects Nova too?" I glared. "What's with all the secrecy?"

He looked around the room before leaning into my ear. I felt his breath fan my cheek but focused all my attention on hearing what he had to say for himself.

"There have been threats to the pack, specifically outlining their need to destroy our power." He mumbled.

My head turned so we were nose to nose. "What's that got to do with me?"

He frowned. "Some of those threats were directed toward you."

"Me?" I blinked, surprised.

"You and Nova, and even the twins. They want your blood." He muttered.

Said blood ran cold and I stared up at Charlie with unease. Did someone want my blood? Why mine? I wasn't that special. Sure I could heal, but I couldn't create life like Nova. And the twins? Why would someone want to hurt the babies?

My lips turned down as I growled softly. "Why?"

"We don't know." He sighed. "Power, money... It could be anything. They think Phoenix is too powerful and they don't like it."

"He is a royal blood, of course, he is powerful." I scoffed.

"Take away his family, and he will do anything to get them back." His eyes were hard.

"Even attack an enemy," I muttered.

"Uh... should I be concerned?" A gentle voice interrupted.

Our faces dived apart, to find a mirror staring back at me. I rolled my eyes at Nova and her ever-questioning gaze, stepping away from Charlie. I suppose we had been too close to be considered normal.

"We weren't doing anything." I huffed.

"Just discussing diary entries?" She teased.

"Shouldn't you be in the office?" I countered. "Doing luna stuff?"

"I am on mum duty today." She crossed her arms. "What's your excuse?"

"I am getting breakfast, and then going for a walk."

"I am on Pollux duty." Charlie shrugged.

"Pollux duty? Is he going to run away?" She laughed.

We shared a look, realising she truly did not have any idea of what could happen tonight. Boy, Phoenix was going to be in shit if he didn't tell her. It was his major character flaw; he always kept secrets from Nova.

"I might, if he keeps breathing down my neck." I scoffed, giving Charlie a pointed look.

I didn't mind having a shadow, but Charlie's was large and overbearing.

"We were going to go for a walk together," Charlie suggested. "Before we have to help with this damn party."

"Hey, don't curse my party."

"It's not your party." Charlie rolled his eyes.

"It's not even a party," I added.

"Whatever." She grimaced.

"If you're on mum duty today, where are the spawns?" Charlie wondered.

"Asleep." She cocked her head, studying him. "In the office."

"With Phoenix?"

"Where else?"

"No question, just clarifying." Charlie raised his hands.

"You are acting stranger than normal."

"I think I am acting normal."

"Exactly," Her eyes narrowed as she stepped closer. "It's suspicious."

He laughed, brushing her off. "I'm fine. Now, come on Pollux. Walk time."

Charlie took me by the wrist and pulled me away from my twin without so much as a goodbye. I sent her a sheepish smile, but the crease between her eyes only deepened. Once out of the room and toward the door, I finally turned around and yanked my limb from the damn beta's grip.

"I can walk myself, you know."

"Just making sure." He hummed.

Luckily, I had my boots already on, so stepping outside was painless. The air was chillier today, but I welcomed the warmer April breeze across my cheeks. It was still a little cool, but thankfully I wore a jumper and it was just right.

"So, where to?"

"I thought you were taking me for a walk." I snorted.

"You do these daily, it's your little thing."

Rolling my eyes, I trudged forward toward the forest, hearing his wider footsteps fall into place behind me. He was silent until we reached the trees, where he began to sigh and complain about missing Calida at the dance tonight.

"I am not holding you back," I told him, hand to heart. "You don't have to watch over me all the time, Charlie. I am capable."

"You are a target, it is my mission."

"It's a celebration! Nobody is going to be stupid enough to start a fight." I sighed, running my hand down the bark of a familiar oak tree.

"Phoenix will just command me anyway. He is fiercely protective of his family."

A strange warmth flooded my chest and I dipped my head the moment my emotions reacted to his words. It was weird to have someone be protective of me. All my life I questioned who my family were since I knew Gaia was not my true blood. So to have someone like Phoenix, an alpha royal, be protective of me, made me feel strange.

"I can fight for myself. Better than Nova can." I changed the subject.

"You are still weaker. Look what happened when we saved Nova from the mountains."

"That was nothing." I shrugged, wincing at the blurry memory. "I still stood up and walked into the pack house after."

"Then promptly passed out and I had to carry you to the damn hospital." He tutted.

"You sound like Phoenix," I smirked over my shoulder.

He growled, frustrated. "I do not."

"That's more like it." I grinned.

"How'd you learn to fight, anyway?" Charlie sighed, walking beside me now. "I don't see Gaia as the aggressive type."

"She isn't." I laughed. "However, she taught me defence, and from that Raven and I learnt the offence."

"Ah, yeah, I forget people have siblings to annoy." He admittedly sadly.

I felt a pang of unwanted guilt strike my chest, my hand coming to pat his back.

"You have all of us, we are your family."

"I know," He nodded. "But those years you lived with Gaia; did your heart not long to find your blood?"

"Of course." I agreed.

"Except I know all mine are dead." He sighed. "I saw my parents' end. It's harrowing."

"Surely there is someone else?" I wondered.

"Father was from the pack, so everyone was killed. Mother was always secretive about her past, and I never met any family on her side before their deaths." He explained with a frown. "After that, I was rogue and then I ended up here."

"What if your mother's family is hidden somewhere? Have you ever looked for them?"

Charlie shook his head, an embarrassed hue colouring his cheeks. "There are rumours she was a rogue. I don't think there is anyone."

"You don't know your own bloodline?"

"Hey, you can't talk." He made a strange noise, his tongue sucking against his teeth. "It's something for the nighttime dreams."

I made a soft noise of agreement, still slightly intrigued by Charlie's background. Our footsteps trudged through the soft soil of the forest, the birds high in the trees squawking warnings to their fellow flocks. They were often quiet, or happily singing when I passed, so I assumed they sensed the danger of Charlie's wolf.

"Why did you run?" Charlie suddenly blurted.

"Huh?" I wondered. "Run?"

What the devil was he on about?

"Maybe the wrong word... Why did you leave Gaia? Why did you leave home?"

"I wanted to explore." I frowned.

"Why?"

I searched his brown eyes, finding nothing but uncertainty. He was curious, and I knew it was also a step closer to uncovering lil' ol' Pollux's life. They were all suspicious of me, of what I kept quiet.

"I wanted to explore, that's it. I wanted to see the world whilst I could." I shrugged. "I was seventeen, with a fresh, excitable wolf that wanted to taste freedom."

"So that's it? You just left?"

"That's it." I nodded, smirking at him. "Expect some dramatic reasoning?"

"Well, yeah. Sounds rather lame."

I rolled my eyes, tutting him. "It was fun. I saw so many towns, so many villages and cities... I met so many interesting people."

"And none of them ever gave you trouble?"

"Often some small towns are suspicious of any visitors. I passed through those, moving on to the next towns." I mused. "I ended up in a human jail once."

"A human jail?" His eyebrows raised with alarm. "Pollux in jail? What did you do? Stroke a cat in the wrong direction?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "It was nothing I couldn't get out of."

"Do tell." Charlie grinned. "I want a little dirt on you."

Shaking my head, I sighed. "I crossed a line I shouldn't have."

"Physical, or mental?"

"Both."

"You gonna tell me or am I going to force it out of you?" Charlie warned.

Sighing, I moved toward a fallen log and sat down on it. Charlie was fast to follow, excitedly running closer to me as I folded my hands on my lap.

"Story time with Pollux." He grinned.

"Yeah, story time..."

Question of the Day:
Favourite hairstyle? Mum life is a bun because you never get your haircut 🥲