“Salamé, I dismissed all the attendants and guards from the manor – why are you still here?” Grayson asked, not masking his irritation.
“Forgive me, I forgot my sketchpad in the music room and I heard a thump upstairs so I came to check if everything was okay” she smiled. Cory could somehow imagine just how perfectly white her teeth must be; how perfect her and her smile must be.
“Go. Now.”
“No, Grayson, wait” Cory interrupted and looked at the woman, his eyes lowering to the floor and not daring eye contact with her. Grayson noticed this; he chillingly noticed this and yet again his heart thumped – this time in anxiety.
“Salamé, was it? Do you perhaps have a pair of tweezers I could borrow?” Cory asked politely, yet softly. Graysons clenched his fists as he became jittery, he hoped desperately that Cory didn’t assume what Grayson thought he was assuming.
“I do indeed” she smiled “they are in my quarters downstairs-”
Cory’s gaze lowered even more, he now stared at his pale hand.
“-I’ll go fetch the-” she spoke.
“Then hurry.” Grayson commanded and she left, he then turned to Cory, “She’s-”
“Pretty” Cory answered.
“No, she’s just an attendant Cory!” Grayson defended.
Cory kept his gaze low, “Grayson, why didn’t she bow her head when she came to your bedroom’s open door – in a seemingly empty manor?”
It was silent then, and that was all the answer Cory needed. Wolves bow to their Alpha in public and in private – unless more intimate terms had been established…
“It was just- it happed before yo-”
“It’s okay” Cory lifted his head, a look of understanding on his face as he met Grayson’s eyes, “It’s okay… I understand – I never expected you to remain abstinent. It’s normal for mateless wolves to have sex-”
“Cory, you’re not being fair… What do you want me to say? What can I say to rewind back to before the splinter? Let’s go back to the bronze curtain rails!” Grayson enthused in panic, standing up and reached for the curtains.
“Found them” the voice called from the doorway.
Grayson spun around with such anger but Cory interrupted him, “Thank you, Salamé – I’ll just use them for a moment” he held out his hand.
She took a single step into the room, “Stop right there!”
Grayson’s roar froze the female wolf in her tracks; it echoed off the grey walls making it sound even louder.
“Grayson!” Cory yelled back, but the Alpha ignored him, approached Salame and grabbed the tweezers from her hand.
“From now on, you will bow your head in respect as all the other pack members do! Now leave the manor until I tell you to come back!” He proceeded to slam the door shut with such force that it creaked slightly.
The ivory male huffed a few breaths to calm down in the silence, and once he had he turned back to Cory who watched indifferently.
“Not that blank look again…” Grayson spoke softly, “Not after the side of you I just saw.”
“Hand me the tweezers.”
Grayson kept quiet and walked over to Cory – who was still on the floor. He sat down as close to his mate as possible and passed him the small tweezers. Cory took them, skin contact inevitable; he winced at the brief contact. Grayson closed his eyes after seeing the wince of pain on his mate’s face.
Cory carefully gripped the tip of the wooden shard with the sharp instrument and slowly removed the jagged splinter, softly biting his lip. Once it was removed he sighed and attempted to stand.
“Where are you going?”
“To throw this away, and then I’d like to go back to the cottage.”
“We can still have coffee in-”
Cory spun around, “How could you speak to her like that?” he asked in angry accusation, “like she’s mere dirt! I would bet money that she spent a night, or nights, with you willingly and happily – and then you speak to her in such a disgusting way!” Cory’s voice kept rising.
Grayson rose to his feet, “Why are you defending her? That happened before I knew you were my mate! I thought that was what you wanted! She ruined the mood…” Grayson’s voice softened as he saw Cory’s eyes widen.
“You thought that…that is what I would want?”
Grayson stared at his mate.
“You think that I would want anyone to be spoken to like that? To be addressed like that?” Cory pointed at himself, “Is that how you see me? Someone who enjoys demeaning others? Using them then throwing them away?”
Now, the Alpha’s eyes widened, “Cory, of course not… That’s not… I wanted us to be alone – I thought that was what you wanted as well…”
Cory lowered his gaze again, still holding the splinter between the tweezers. He stood still for a moment before motioning to a door to the left of the bedroom, “Is this the bathroom?”
“…Yeah.”
Corry hobbled through the door and turned a tap on that eventually steamed, Grayson listened closely as Cory also rummaged through his mirrored cabinet before closing it.
His body then tensed in realization.
The condoms!
He sighed and ran his hands down his face, things just keep getting worse!
“Cory” Grayson called, “I ca-”
The red head emerged from the bathroom with a plaster on the site where the splinter had been, “Call her back – or summon her back. I want to return her tweezers.”
“I can gi-”
Cory sighed, “Grayson, I’m trying to be civil here. I’ll even have coffee with you, please just get her back here.” The semi-sorceror spoke politely and distantly.
“Okay…” Grayson answered and called Salamé through the pack link.
Cory wobbled over to the bed, Grayson thought he was going to sit on it but instead he leaned on the nightstand – much to the Alpha’s disappointment. They waited in silence until there was a knock on the door.
“Come in” Grayson spoke.
Salamé bowed her head, an impassive expression on her face. Cory wobbled over to her and took her hand gently. This angered Grayson yet he remained silent. She kept her head bowed though, “Lift your head please?” Cory asked.
She faltered slightly but kept her head bowed. Cory looked at Grayson, a mere speck of anger in his eyes and the Alpha spoke, “Lift your head.”
She did so and met Cory’s eyes, “Hi! My name’s Cory, I’m sorry for the previous interaction – your Alpha is rather moody today” Cory smiled happily.
This put Salame at some semblance of ease and stunned Grayson; Cory would smile for her but not for him?!
“Anyways, thank you so much for your tweezers, I disinfected them – so here you go” he gently placed the instrument back into the she-wolf’s hands.
“Uh, you’re most welcome” she smiled back uncertainly.
“I hope you don’t think of me as nosy, but you mentioned that you sketch – I’d very much like to see them sometime, if that’s okay with you?” Cory asked.
Salame glanced over the shorter Cory to Grayson, but the red-head spoke gently, “Salamé, your Alpha is actually very kind – you needn’t be afraid of him. You know well that he has a temper, but he wants the best for the pack. However, its me that wants to see your art and so is it okay for me to see it sometime?”
Salamé smiled slightly, “I think that would be nice… Thank you, Cory.”
“No, thank you! You should probably run along while I get shouted at” Cory joked and Salamé happily left as Cory closed the door.
“You want to see her sketches? You think I’m kind?” Grayson bombarded.
“Yes, I want to see her art. And, no – I don’t think you’re kind. I think you choose to be kind sometimes – there’s a difference” Cory clarified before readopting his chirpier persona, “So, kitchen is downstairs?”
Grayson stared at a leaving Cory.
He has a point about that one, Apollo noted.
I am kind, Grayson replied.
Apollo remained silent.
“Screw you, I’m a kind person” Grayson grumbled, following the scent of his mate.
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