Page 103 of The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate
“Welcome to Silvercrest. I’m Lydia. I run the household for Lucas. We’re very pleased to have you here. Your rooms are ready for you; the staff will take you to them.”
I’m about to tell Violet I’ll show her to her room when I see Lillian staring at Lydia.
“You look awfully familiar,” Lillian says.
Lydia laughs lightly. “I have that kind of face. Why don’t I take you to your room? Alpha Moonvale, you and your luna have the room next to hers.”
“Darius and I will be in my office,” Lucas tells me. “Why don’t you make our guests comfortable?”
Our guests.
He’s talking to me as if this is my home. For a moment, I try to process that. Until he spoke those words, a part of me was still expecting to go back to Moonvale. As Lucas walks away, I stare at his back, reeling.
Home.
This is my home now.
“Sienna?” Violet takes my arm, worried. Lillian and Lydia are already climbing the stairs. “You okay?”
I blink. “Yeah. I just…It just hit me that this is my home now. All this time, I was looking forward to going back to Moonvale, and now, I can’t…” My voice trails off.
My friend puts her arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a hug. “Moonvale will always be your home, Sienna. You will always have a place to come back to. Don’t ever think like that.”
I sink my teeth into my lower lip. “You’re right. I just got a little emotional. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact I’m mated to the alpha here.”
Violet hugs me tighter. “Things are happening really fast. Give yourself time to get used to it all.”
I nod. “Yeah. I know. I’ll be okay.”
Violet’s hand finds mine. “Show me where I’ll be staying.”
“Come on.”
Her room is at the top of the east wing staircase. Violet closes the door behind us with her elbow, drops her bag at the foot of the bed, kicks her shoes off, and walks straight to the window, which looks out over the back lawn.
“Finally, we’re alone,” she says, turning to face me. “Let’s talk. How are you, really?”
I sit on the edge of the bed, sighing. “I’m fine.”
“Sienna.”
“I am,” I insist. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
She puts her hands on her hips. “Try that on me one more time.”
I trace a pattern on my skirt for a moment, feeling Lucas through the bond, a quiet, steady presence. “Honestly. Things are better. We talked. He apologized for everything. He’s been good to me ever since.”
“And the mark of the curse?”
“I already told you. It’s a little bigger. I’m sure Lillian will look at it tonight.”
“How about you and Lucas?” The question is blunt. “How’s your relationship?”
I want to say “fine,” but I just look at the rug instead.
“Sienna, you’ve changed.” There’s a hint of upset in Violet’s voice. “You were never this quiet or restrained.”
I run my fingers through my hair. “It hasn’t been easy, Violet. I guess I’m still trying to navigate…everything.”
