Chapter 267
Ellie’s POV
The morning was quiet, mainly because I was up before Mara knocked on my door for once.
I dressed quickly, pulling my hair into its usual braid, and was already halfway down the stairs by the time she appeared at the top of them with a slightly affronted expression on her face, like she’d been robbed of her one job for the day. I ignored her and slipped outside.
Colt was already out by the time I found him, standing near the gate outside. He looked up when he heard me coming.
“So.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets and stopped in front of him. “How about that tour?”
He nodded and gestured for me to lead the way.
We started at the east side of the property, where the training grounds sat between the tree line and the back of the barracks. A few of the warriors were already out running drills, and Colt paused to watch them for a moment before we moved on.
I took him through the grounds methodically. The stables, the east gardens, the outer fence line, the meeting hall. I kept the pace easy and the conversation light. Colt was good company, I had to give him that. In my past life, I had never bothered to get to know him too deeply. We might have exchanged less than a dozen words between each other. I was always too focused on Dominic, and he was always too focused on Vivian.
Speaking of the devil.
I led Colt back toward the main house and opened the back door.
“So the main house,” I said, gesturing for him to enter. “Obviously you’ll have access to the common areas, the kitchen, and most of the main rooms.”
Colt nodded ducked inside after me.
The hallway was quiet. I led him through it at a leisurely pace, past the study, past the sitting room doorway. I glanced in as we passed.
Vivian was sitting in one of the armchairs, holding a book in her lap that she was very clearly not reading. She looked up when she heard footsteps. Her eyes found me first, then landed on Colt.
Her fingers tightened around the book.
“Morning, Vivian.” I smiled politely. “You remember Colt, right?”
She didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze had hardened, her left eye ticking slightly like she was fighting against her wolt. I glanced at Colt, and he was just staring at her, mouth a little open.
“Vivian.” I folded my arms and tilted my head. “Are you going to say hello?”
Her eyes snapped to me, darkening slightly before she nodded once to Colt and muttered, “Hello.” Then, she snapped her book shut, stood, and walked out of the room without another word.
Colt and I both watched her go. She moved quickly and without looking back, and I heard the side door slam as she went outside
Once we were alone, Colt glanced at me. “That’s your sister?” he asked.
I sighed, but smiled. “Unfortunately.” I put my hand on his arm. “Come on. Let’s finish your tour.”
We finished the tour without further incident. By noon, Colt had a reasonable working knowledge of the property and had met Ryan, who looked him over once and gave me a nod that I took to mean he approved, or at least had no immediate objections to his presence. That was high praise, coming from Ryan.
C
+30 Bonus
I caught up with Dominic in the front hall just before the afternoon got underway. He was on his way out with his jacket half-on, talking to one of the pack elders about something I only caught the tail end of.
“Dinner,” I said when he was done.
He looked at me with a quirked brow.
“Tonight,” I clarified, tucking my hands into my pockets. “I would like Colt to join us. Give him a proper welcome.”
Dominic blinked and finished pulling his jacket on. “Does he need a proper welcome?”
+30 Bonus
