CHAPTER 26: SIN BENEATH GRAVEMONT II

Theodora looked up to find her best friend standing there. He was holding a bottle of wine, and there was a firm look of displeasure on his face.

"Eric?" She stood up to meet him, "You’re here, too,"

"How did you find out about this place?" He questioned.

Theo quickly glanced around the room and found exactly what she was looking for. Finn was sitting not too far away from them, and there was an empty spot next to him.

"I came with a friend. How about you?" She frowned.

"What friend?" His brows creased in question and he looked down and saw Liam on the couch, who waved lazily at them with a look that said he’s been listening.

Eric grabbed her by the arm and pulled her somewhere more secluded. The displeased look had graduated into a more clenched expression, "Isn’t that Sinclair? The Heir of the Dark horse Pack and your dad’s rival Pack?"

"Yes,"

"Then what are you doing with him?" Eric snapped.

"He doesn’t know who I am," she said softly, "And he’s pretty cool," She shrugged.

"Yeah, until he finds out your true identity,"

Theodora paused for a moment to really look at Eric, then she asked, "Why are you so upset about me being here?"

"Because I’m looking out for you!" He snapped again, "Remember the plan? You’re supposed to lie low, not expose yourself to all...this! And I know you’re not the bad girl type that likes all this,"

He was right. She was not. Sex and sin weren’t her forte, but recently there’s been this roommate of hers who has begun to make her mind shift toward those aspects.

"You need to leave," He added softly, his voice coaxing her to do so.

She looked into his eyes, about to give in and nod, when a presence and a familiar sinful scent filled the air around them, right behind a heavy arm draped over her shoulders, leisurely.

"Don’t be so stiff, little brother. Let your friend stay for a while,"

Theodora turned to Zeke, eyes wide with shock. His arms around her shoulders tightened, and he pulled her closer to him with his eyes fixated on the stirring angry look on Eric.

Of course. He was doing this to try to get into Eric’s head, and it was working.

"Get your hands off him," Eric warned, his aura deepening with eyes beginning to flash between their normal grey and something more animalistic.

"Come on, little brother. Everyone came here to loosen up a bit. You can’t just ask your friend to leave like that,"

"He’s leaving because he wants to leave," Eric replied with an edgy voice.

"But I don’t want him to leave yet," Zeke said, his gaze sliding over to Theo’s stunned eyes, "Or...do you?"

She moved to shake his arms off her shoulders, but Zeke’s claws softly dug into her shoulders. She remembers his words about not blackmailing her anymore and saying she wouldn’t have to do anything, but now he was forcing her. He was taking control.

"I don’t!" She spat, "Now let go of me,"

"You want me to let go of you?" He feigned a surprised look, "But last night, you were all cuddled up in my arms as we slept,"

Theo almost shrieked from his words. What the hell happened to the Third rule they were supposed to uphold?

She turned to Eric, who had already gauged her expression and realised what Zeke had just said was true. He looked at her with pure disbelief and anger, "Are you kidding me, Teddy?"

"No, Eric. It’s not what you think!" She tried to pull away again, but his hold was so strong that she would have to rip her shoulders off if she wanted to be out of his grip.

"Then what the hell does he mean by you two cuddled?" Eric’s eyes flashed, "Are you telling me he knows?"

Theo quickly shook her head, "He does not know a thing. He’s only trying to get in your head, I promise. Please,"

Eric scoffed, "I can’t believe you, Teddy. Not after all my warnings. You still went ahead and...," He trailed off, then his gaze flew back to Zeke who was clearly enjoying all this with the gleaming happiness in his eyes, "You! I warned you to stay away from...,"

"How can I stay away?" Zeke asked and hugged her against his frame even more, "I mean look at him, small and cute and just...the perfect cuddle partner. I mean, he even masturbated..."

"No!!!" Theo snapped, the panic coming in even harder, "I told you that wasn’t what happened that morning!"

Zeke turned to her, "You mean the morning you slipped into my bed and lay next to me?"

"You were the one who pulled me into bed with you!" She snapped back.

"And you slept so well in my arms. That’s why you’re the perfect cuddle partner," He said with a look of pure satisfaction shimmering in the depths of those orange dots, and she understood that he had manipulated this conversation so Eric would listen.

"No, it’s not like that," She snapped her gaze back to Eric, with helpless, pleading eyes, "I promise you, we didn’t sleep together. Ever!"

"Friends aren’t supposed to lie to each other," Zeke whispered, loud enough for them to hear.

"You’re unbelievable, Teddy. So unbelievable," The look of disappointment in his eyes broke her, and she shot out and grabbed his arm as he turned to leave.

"Eric!" She pleaded, unshed tears gathering in her eyes.

He yanked her arm away and whirled back with a furious stare, "Don’t you dare touch me, Teddy! After I warned you, and after you said you understood, you still went behind my back and threw yourself in the same bed as him? Were you starved for someone’s touch or what? Fuck you, Teddy, and stay away from me. You can go ahead and keep cosying up around...," He looked at Zeke with spite, "whoever you want to,"

Zeke’s smile only broadened.

And then, Eric walked away from them.

Theodora didn’t think she had ever felt his clash of heavily mixed emotions in her life. She and Eric had never argued this hard before, and it broke her heart to lengths she couldn’t describe.

He’s never looked at her with so much fury before, so much disappointment.

And it was all Zeke’s fault. She was boiling with anger. She was boiling really, really hard.

The noise from the Den still thrummed in her ear - the laughter, the moans, the chatter - but all she could hear were the words, ’Fuck you, Teddy’ echoing inside her ear. She could feel it scraping over her chest.

Zeke’s arm was still loosely draped around her shoulders, smugness bleeding off him along with his heat.

"You should thank me," he said lowly, his lips ghosting near her ear, "Now you won’t waste your time chasing a man who’ll never see you the way you want him to,"

That was the last spark she could take.

Theo turned on him so fast that Zeke barely had time to step back. Her fists she had clenching so hard all this while came up to his face, and she sent it smashing into his cheekbones.