Talons

Chapter 132: The Conflict

Rhea’s POV

My phone starts beeping so I know that it’s time to leave the garden. I don’t want Colton to limit my time further or to place new rules on me, especially since he just gave it back to me.

One of the first things I did was call my parents and speak with my equally worried grandparents. 

I turned my camera on so they could see me, and wanting to ease their minds, I told them that I was fine, but I think that only scared them more.

The last time I called I was a crying mess, and when my parents saw me afterward, I probably looked like a well-dressed Zombie.

I told them about my social media account, and they were happy to know that they could ‘follow me around.’ They probably have no idea how to use the platform, but I’m pretty sure they can figure it out.

I’ve already posted a few ‘before’ pictures of my garden project, and while I haven’t responded to him, Mike has already been commenting under the photos, wanting to know if I were still in Miami.

When we parted ways, I told him that I could never be with him the way he wanted me to be, and while I have love for the man, I’m not in love with him. He took those words better than I thought, hugging me tightly before asking for my forgiveness, which I gave.

I thought that was the end of things but based on the number of photos he has tagged me in, he hasn’t completely given up hope. I wonder what it was about me that drew Mike in because looks definitely weren't it.

Checking my time again, I arrange the tools Colton had salvaged from the shed for me neatly and cover them with tarp. I don’t want them exposed because they are top quality stainless steel which make them durable and workable.

If they become dull, I can sharpen them, which is invaluable when trying to remove stubborn roots; Basically, Colton’s mother knew her stuff.

I start heading back to the Packhouse, hoping that the ten minutes I gave myself was enough to make it back before Colton does.

However, as soon as I opened the door to the suite, Miracle barges in behind me, and while she tried to close the door quickly, Dolton was able to push his way inside. I look between them, trying to make sure there isn’t an actual fight going on, but Dolton looks hurt, not angry.

“Please Miracle, stop this. Your mother is visiting soon and-”

“Titi Beautiful is coming?” I completely interrupt Dolton because to me, his excuse is invalid. 

He was an i***t who could’ve immediately claimed Miracle the moment he stepped foot in the country, but he chose to make pit stops first. This is why I don’t trust in the bond; one minute, Dolton was curled up with someone else and now, only my cousin matters.

“He probably would have rejected her if she’d done anything mildly similar.” I completely agree with Sylvia, and part of me now regrets not casually sleeping around; maybe then Colton wouldn’t be holding on so tightly.

“I’m talking to my mate,” Dolton says in a tone so rude even Sylvia is offended. So, wanting to be antagonistic, I ignore him and address Miracle as if he isn’t there. Mike hated that, and I have a feeling Dolton will too.

“Are you sure you want to be his mate?” My back is to Dolton, so I wink at Miracle. I know she wants the man; out of all her sisters, she has always wanted a mate, which was why she was saving herself. She didn’t want to give anyone an added reason to reject her since her bloodline is already considered ‘impure.’

“That's right; I think I may need to see other people to be sure that I really want this.” I noticed how Miracle said ‘I’ as in ‘she’ needed to see other people, not ‘we’ as in ‘they.’

“Miracle, I’ll kill anyone who touches you. You do know that, right?” My cousin shrugs, and pulls me down onto the sofa, where she cuddles up to me, obviously challenging Dolton’s claim.

I know from past conversation that any sort of intimacy bothers mated individuals, so even though Miracle and I are both women and related by blood, Dolton sees me as a threat, the same way Carter sees me as a rival.

“You’re about to go too far little alien,” Dolton says, and I chuckle at the fact that he calls me that.

When the nickname Brain was started, Dolton was preparing to move, so it never really stuck with him, but I really can’t remember how the alien term started.

Robin and Dolton were fairly close because he treated her like ‘one of the boys,’ and I vaguely remember being interrogated by them, as they pointed to images of planets in a science textbook, likely trying to figure out which one I was from.

It wasn’t until after they realized my mother and I spoke the same language that they dropped the theory, but I think they always held onto the belief because my default role in every game was an evil alien invader.

“B is my cousin; I can be as close to her as I want. You weren’t thinking about me when you were screwing around.” Miracle’s words cause a flash of anger and hurt to display on Dolton’s face, making Sylvia and I feel pity for him.

“Maybe you're being a little too harsh,” I whisper, and my cousin hops up and glares at me.

“You’re taking this cheater's side?”

I'm completely and totally conflicted because I know that Dolton didn’t cheat on my cousin. What he did wasn’t smart, but technically, he didn’t know her, and if I want to be a real stickler for details; he thought Raven would be his mate.

Almost everyone knew that Raven and Dolton disliked one another when they were younger because she found him annoying.

Unlike Colton, he wasn’t always neatly put together, and I have very vivid memories of the boy wearing dirt smudged and torn clothing.

Back then, I didn’t see anything wrong with it because I was also always covered in dirt, and Robin was just as bad, so only Raven and Colton noticed that we were ‘dirty.’

“I’m not a cheater. We hadn’t met and if I knew what was waiting for me, I wouldn’t have taken so long to find you. Even B understands that, right?” Dolton must have misread my expression because he tried to use me to get through to his mate, but that was a mistake.

“I don’t know if you're a cheater or not.”

“Really?” the man says, looking at me like I just betrayed him. “She would have felt my infidelity.”

“Yes, Miracle would have felt the infidelity, but she called you a cheater; she never said that you cheated on her.” Both people are glaring at me, and I feel like I need to leave, but Colton comes in, and for the first time ever, I’m relieved to see him. 

I stand abruptly, telling him that he has guests before heading to my room, but Miracle follows me and slams the door behind her. She’s talking aloud, but I don’t know if she’s talking to herself, her wolf, or to me, so I just watch her strip in the middle of my room and walk into my closet.

“Go take a shower,” she says. I can feel the command, but it does nothing to me. “I said…'' Miracle repeats herself, and realizing that this is important to her, I concede.

I step out of the bathroom, and she hands me a bodycon dress that Holly left in my room; one I specifically ignored because of its color.

“Just go put it on,” Miracle says, and I secretly text Mandy for help. 

My cousin calls me for an explanation, seemingly shocked that I have my phone, and before long, she knocks on my room door carrying an overnight bag.

“What’s going on?” I ask, looking between the two women, but neither of them responds as Mandy dumps the contents of the bag revealing heels, make-up, and many other dresses.

Minutes later, another knock sounds at the door, and it's Holly, who is already dressed.

“I’m not going,” I say, chucking the dress in my hands aside, but Miracle picks it up and pushes it back at me.

“Yes, you are,” she says resolutely, and I have to suppress the urge to laugh. She keeps using commands on me, and while I can feel them, they have no effect.

“Do you not remember the last time I went out?” I question, and all three women flash mischievous grins at me.

“That was before we had these made.” Holly tosses me a bracelet with runes carved into it, and tells me to put it on, but it irritates my skin. “Weird, maybe you’re allergic to something she used to make it. Anyway, you're still coming.” I really don’t want to take part in whatever’s happening, but I feel like I’ll be disappointing my cousin if I don't and truthfully, I’m just a little afraid of the look she’s giving me right now.

I’m not affected by the bond, but I do know what heartache feels like. When I realized that Mike was still sleeping with Ashley, I really wanted to get back at him for making me feel so worthless, but I also knew I would only be hurting myself.

I remember being on edge about everything around that time. I chose to self-isolate in order to work through my emotions within myself, not take them out on innocent people. 

In Miracle’s case, she probably just wants other men to look at her because I know she isn’t thinking about cheating, but Dolton doesn’t know that, and I guess that's the fear she wants to prey on.

Colton’s POV

There is a lot of illegible whispering coming from my mate’s room, and Dolton and I are trying our best to eavesdrop without getting too close to the door. Rhea may not be able to smell, but the other women can, and they would be able to tell how close we were.

“This is your fault,” Dolton links, and I screw my face up at him.

“Really? Because last I remember, you and Trey did your dirt without me.”

“You sent me with him.”

“Funny, because I remember your exact words as ‘show me where all the freaks are; I want to play around a little.’” My brother winces and I suddenly feel bad. “Sorry,” I say sympathetically.

“F*ck you idiot.”