Dust within ancient walls Miles Brooks 64

CHAPTER SIXTY TOUR

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CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

Talia’s POV

“No, thanks,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I’ll cover it, Alpha Nolan.”

Nolan didn’t acknowledge the refusal. He gave the attendant a small nod to continue, as if my words were background noise.

“Did you not hear me?” I asked sternly, pushing Nolan’s hand out of the way.

“It is a gift,” Nolan said, finally acknowledging me. “For Della’s upcoming birthday. And a courtesy to Beta Logan for his hospitality.”

His words annoyed me. He should be thanking my father for his hospitality, since he was the reason Nolan was even allowed to be in Silverfang. Everyone else was against it.

“I don’t want your gift,” I replied.

“Shouldn’t the birthday girl be making that decision?” Nolan sneered.

“Thank you, Alpha Nolan,” Della cut in quickly. “That is very kind of you!”

“Della,” I warned under my breath.

She shot me a look that said not here. The attendant finished packing everything as if she wanted us out of the shop as quickly as possible.

I gathered the bags before Della could reach for them. “We are heading home,” I said to Della. “Let’s go.”

We turned away from the counter. Nolan stepped aside to allow us to leave, which somehow irritated me more. Why was he being nice all of a sudden?

“Thank you again,” Della said over her shoulder. “Alpha Nolan! You should come to my party next week.”

I whipped my head around and hissed through our mindlink, ‘What the hell are you doing? Don’t invite him!’

“I will come,” Nolan said without hesitation. “Please inform Beta Logan of my attendance.”

“Uh, sure,” Della stammered, surprised at his willingness. “I will let him know.”

I continued walking, practically stomping out of the store. Della hurried to match my pace. The store’s music faded as we stepped back into the mall.

“Talia, slow down!” Della called after me when I was five stores away.

“What was that?” I asked as soon as she caught up.

“Uh, it was just a gift,” Della said with a shrug.

“I refused it,” I said with a frown.

“Well, technically it was for me,” she answered with a laugh. “You heard him.”

“He overstepped. I don’t need… We don’t need him buying anything for us,” I argued.

Della hugged one of the dress boxes closer to her chest. “It wasn’t worth a scene at the counter. He paid. He didn’t ask for anything in return.”

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

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“You don’t know that yet,” I retorted.

We took the escalator down, then cut through the crowd toward the exit. The evening sky showed through the glass doors. I kept walking until we were outside.

Our driver pulled the car from the parking space and rolled to a stop in front of us. He stepped out and took our bags from us. I opened the rear door and slid in. Della climbed in after me.

As the car eased into traffic, Della glanced at me. “You are really upset,” she said.

“Of course, I am. I’m the Princess. He doesn’t get to override me,” I explained. I didn’t understand why she didn’t understand why I was upset. I opted to not say anything else to keep from getting into an argument with her.

The driver merged and took the main road. Lights slid across the windows. We passed a cluster of street vendors, then a row of storefronts with closed signs already flipped.

“Do not invite him like that again,” I said after a while. “Not without clearing it with me or your father first.”

“Sorry, I know,” Della apologized. “I decided in the moment.”

“Do not decide like that again,” I said. “He is dangerous. Remember you told me that.”

“I remember what I said, but I also know what I have seen since he moved to Silverfang,” Della replied.

“What have you seen?” I asked.

“He keeps a low profile,” she replied. “He trains. He reads. He doesn’t undermine our warriors. He doesn’t throw his weight around.”

“Keeping a low profile doesn’t make him safe,” I said.

“It makes him easier to handle because he’s predictable,” Della said.

My wolf huffed. ‘Until he isn’t.’

“So, what’s the plan with him being at the party?” I asked.

“I’ll treat him like any other guest. If he acts up, he’ll be kicked out. Remember your father told him to be on his best behavior,” Della answered.

“Why do I feel like you invited him for another reason?” I asked. “For instance using him against Jason.”

“If Jason tries to show up and he will try, I would rather have Nolan standing in the room ensuring Jason is on his best behavior instead of being stuck policing Jason alone,” Della rationalized.

“That is not your job,” I said. “You can just say they both can’t go.”

Della exhaled. “Look, I don’t know why you’re against this. He saved you from Jason.”

“And he also said he wanted me to be his maid,” I countered.

“He probably only said that to make Jason back down,” Della explained. “You know better than anyone else that Jason is persistent. Nolan isn’t like that.”

I hated to admit that she was right. Nolan, majority of the time, was indifferent. It was only recently that he started engaging more.

“Compared to Jason, he is less trouble to have nearby. He doesn’t hound you. He doesn’t pretend you still belong to him. He doesn’t shove you against benches in public gardens and claim it’s love.”

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

My jaw tightened. The memory of the situation still bothered me. “Right,” I muttered.

We fell quiet for a block.

“You still should have asked your father before inviting him,” I said.

“I will tell him tonight that I invited Nolan and that Nolan accepted. If he says no, I will rescind it.”

“Do not argue if he says no,” I said.

“I won’t,” she said. “I will be unhappy in the kitchen and cut cake with too much force, but I won’t argue.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

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