Last Female Sypher and Her Brother's Friends novel Chapter 17

t Female Sypher and Her Brother’s Friends

Chapter 17

Theo

The dining hall smells like roasted meat, garlic, and tension.

Mostly tension.

I lean against the kitchen counter, arms folded across my chest, watching the doorway as the sound of footsteps echoes down the hall.

My wolf paces beneath my skin.

She knows now, he mutters.

Yeah.

She does.

The image from last night flashes in my head again–Aria standing in the doorway of the interrogation room, eyes wide with horror while four wolves tore at each other. Nd to have it happen right after being attacked by wolves.

In my worst imagination, she looks upon me with revulsion and fear.

The door opens.

Aria walks in first.

Behind her are Liam and Kade.

Her scent hits me immediately–confusion, fear, anger… and exhaustion all wrapped under a warm, tart, caramel. She looks like she hasn’t slept a minute. The pink under her eyes makes her eyes appear more grey than blue.

Not surprising.

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Chapter 17

Finding out monsters exist tends to ruin a girl’s night.

She stops just inside the room and looks straight at Kade. “I want you to take me back to The Pine Crest.”

Her voice is steady.

Too steady.

Kade closes the door behind them and scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah… about that.”

Aria’s brows knit together. “What now?”

Kade gestures toward the long dining table. “We’ve got a few things to discuss first.”

She blinks, pressing her lips together in a thin line.

Liam shifts awkwardly beside her.

The guilt rolling off him is strong enough to choke on.

Aria notices it too.

Her eyes narrow. “Why do you look like someone just told you Santa isn’t real?”

Liam rubs the back of his neck. “Because this conversation isn’t going to be fun.”

My wolf snorts.

Understatement.

I push off the counter.

Time to redirect before Ronan gets here and starts issuing Alpha orders like thunderbolts.

“Hey,” I say casually. Aria looks at me. “Are you hungry?”

Her stomach growls immediately.

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16:22 Tue, Sep 1

Chapter 17

Loud.

The room goes quiet.

She closes her eyes in humiliation.

I grin.

“Well, that answers that.”

Kade chuckles.

“Food first,” I say. “Existential crises second.”

Aria sighs. “It’s not like I have a choice.”

:

She walks over to the table with Kade and drops into one of the chairs.

Liam hesitates.

“I’m going to grab Barric.”

I shake my head.

“Don’t bother.”

He pauses.

“Why?”

“Ronan’s in the office,” I say. “Barric’s with him. They’ll be in here soon.”

Liam nods slowly and takes a seat across from Aria.

My wolf nudges me.

Feed them. Hungry humans get stabby.

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16:22 Tue, Sep 1

Chapter 17

Good point.

I head into the kitchen and start bringing out plates.

Most of the meal is meat–steak, roasted chicken, and sausages.

Shifters eat like carnivorous monsters.

I toss in a few starchy sides to keep things balanced: potatoes, bread, and a couple of sauces.

When I set the platters on the table, the smell fills the room.

Aria’s eyes widen slightly.

“Is this a feast or lunch?”

“Lunch,” I say. “We tend to burn more energy than humans, so we eat more as a result.”

She leans closer to the steak platter. “Guess that explains all the protein. I’m surprised you cooked it.”

I smirk. “We do enjoy the occasional raw steak.”

“Eww,” she shudders.

We all start filling plates.

I glance at Liam.

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He’s staring at the food like it personally insulted him.

“So,” I say, sliding into my chair. “How did the meeting go?”

Liam exhales slowly. “Not how I expected.”

Aria glances between us. “What he means to say is that Mom left us a mindblowing parting gift. One that takes us up several tax brackets.”

He nods. “She left us more than I thought.”

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