Fate’s Curse, Hate’s Kiss

Chapter 7

The month that followed was unexpectedly sweet.

Joel had sent me a letter to let me know he had been offered a temporary role at the school, teaching the younger teens combat training and that he'd be close by if I needed him. I had wanted to meet up with him but I’d not had the chance yet.

Niall seems to have really committed to his role as my tutor and to fixing our relationship.

We spend the mornings doing academics and the afternoons doing various fun activities such as painting or baking. He promised that once my arm was fully healed he would teach me archery, which I am so excited about. He’s even stopped having girls around, choosing to spend his evenings with me instead, watching movies, playing cards or just talking. I’m really starting to feel genuinely happy and content for the first time in a very long time. I feel as though I can finally be my true self around Niall too.

Today we are going to bake cookies for my mum.

She has been bedridden for weeks after a complication that caused the doctor to order her onto bed rest, her pregnancy is now deemed high-risk. My stepfather has been largely absent since my attack too. He has been busy with office work and patrolling the borders with his new Beta.

We follow recipes that Gwen had left us for my mother's favourite ginger cookies and some chocolate cupcakes for me and Niall.

Niall puts the tray of cookies into the oven, when he turns back to face me I burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny, Princess?” he scowls playfully.

“You have flour on your nose,” I giggle.

“Oh, and that's funny, is it? You should see what you have on your face, that will really give you something to laugh about,” he smirks.

“What is it?” I ask, wiping my hand over my face but feeling nothing. Niall moves in close. His hands lean on the counter behind me, blocking me in with his arms.

“It’s right here,” he says, bringing his hand up and wiping a blob of chocolate frosting on my nose before jumping back out of my reach.

“Niall,” I gasp in playful outrage. Picking up one of the freshly baked cupcakes I throw it at him. He catches it and immediately takes a triumphant bite.

“Oh, they're so good,” he moans around the mouth full of cake. “Try it,” he says, bringing the cupcake to my mouth.

I take a small bite and close my eyes with a moan like he had as the soft sponge melts on my tongue. He’s right, they are such good cakes.

When I open my eyes again Niall is staring at me intensely. His piercing blue eyes are mesmerising and it would be easy to get lost in their depths.

“What?” I ask, wondering what has him looking at me like, well, like he wants to eat me.

“Nothing,” he blinks and turns away from me.

Were we having a moment then? Did I ruin it? Do I even want to consider there may be something more between us because that would be wierd, right?

There have been a few times I have caught him looking at me like that and I've always ignored it, sure that I'm reading him wrong, but now I'm not so sure. It’s insane to think he may be attracted to me though. He's spent so many years hating me and actively trying to make my life hell and now he is making an effort to be my stepbrother. Just a month ago I'd never have even dreamed we could be anything more than rivals, forced together by our parents and a cruel fate. Now though, I don’t know what I want or where we go from here.

Niall’s presence now fills a void I never realised I had and for the first time in years I actually feel cared for, I feel like a valued member of this family and this house is quickly starting to feel like a home.

“Something smells amazing,” Alpha James says as he walks into the kitchen. I quickly wipe the frosting from my nose before I turn to the Alpha, bowing my head in respect.

“We are making ginger cookies for Mum, they're her favourite and are said to help with pregnancy symptoms,” I tell him.

“Wonderful, I’m sure she will be pleased. She is sleeping at the moment but if you leave them on the counter I'll take them up for her later,” he smiles. “Niall, can I have a word?” he asks, his tone a little more serious now.

“Yes, Alpha,” Niall nods and follows his father out of the kitchen. I finish the baking and clean the kitchen.

That evening Niall invites me to his bedroom to watch a movie as there's a pack meeting happening downstairs and they can sometimes get loud.

I have never been in his bedroom before and I gape when I see it. The walls are painted a dark green and his bed is a large mahogany wood with large posts on each corner. Shelves line one wall in the same wood as his bed and they are filled with books, ornaments and a few pictures of his mum. He must really miss her. My heart twinges with sympathy for him, I know how it feels to miss a parent. The room is dark but not gloomily or depressingly. It’s surprisingly cosy and calming. Niall puts on a war movie and I find myself falling asleep quickly, completely relaxed in his space and company.

The next morning I wake up in Niall’s bed, the morning sun peeks in through a gap in his curtains and casts a soft glow over his face. He looks younger in his sleep, his face relaxed and his almost permanent frown gone. I take the opportunity to study him.

He is a stunning man, with a jawline that looks as if it was carved from granite and plumped lips that look like they'd feel soft to touch. His thick dark eyelashes make me envious, I need mascara to achieve what he has naturally.

“It’s rude to stare,” he mumbles, making me jump.

“I’m not staring,” I lie. His eyes never opened so I know he didn't see me but it doesn't stop the blush of shame heating my cheeks.

“Niall, wake up,” Alpha James voice booms. His tone is urgent and Niall quickly jumps up from his bed. He is still fully dressed so he rushes straight out to see what his father needs.

I get up too, creeping silently towards the bedroom door. I press my ear to the wood to listen for voices and when I hear none I gently pull the door open.

There is no one in the hall so I pad silently to my room, not wanting anyone to get the wrong impression if they catch me leaving his room. As I approach my bedroom door I hear a commotion coming from downstairs and when I hear my mother's distressed voice I rush to find out what is happening.

“What's happening?” I ask as I take in the scene in front of me. Alpha James holds my mother in his arms as she cries out in pain, gripping her stomach.

“I don’t know. I am going to take her to the hospital. Niall is acting Alpha until I return,” James says as he rushes towards the door.

I follow them out and watch as the Alpha climbs into the back seat of his car with my mum in his arms, his Beta is in the driver's seat and they speed away as soon as the door is closed.

I drop down, sitting on the front step as I watch the car disappear into the distance. My mum is strong, and my sibling has alpha blood, he or she should be strong enough to survive whatever this is.

Hours later we receive news that my mother has miscarried.