TO TAME THE BRUTAL LYCAN BEAST-Chapter 45: CRASHING THEIR PARTY

VALORIA WILDEROSE

Calliope helps me indoors, holding me even after we’ve left the cold, windy outdoors and I’m soaking her nightgown—up until we’re standing right in front of her room and she pushes the door open.

We walk right into the lavish, wide, beautiful room I remember—and right into a previously set-up sleepover I’ve just unintentionally crashed.

Both Yara and Elodie look up at me from their respective corners—Elodie from the wide bed, reading a magazine with the blaring picture of a half-naked guy on the front cover and an iced tea in her hand; and Yara, from the furthest back, sitting on a bean bag that doesn’t fit the aesthetic of the room, watching a movie on her laptop.

There’s no surprise or confusion—not even for a second.

"You look rough," Elodie comments with just a hint of interest and a smile, giving me a once-over.

Yara, on the other hand, looks back at her screen completely uninterested.

"H-Hello, Elodie... Y-Yara..." I greet with a bow, holding back my nervousness at seeing the both of them unexpectedly. I thought it was just going to be the two of us.

"Did you go dancing in the rain and fall on your face?"

"Uhhh..." I drawl, speechless.

"Quit asking and help me clean her up," Calliope rushes in, saving me from having to explain myself just before she begins rummaging through her closet for clothes while I drip shamelessly on her floor.

Elodie tosses her magazine aside and sits up.

"How did you wind up like this?" Her eyes continue to poke and prod at me with interest, waiting for tea delectable enough for her to sink her teeth into.

The more I delay my answer, the more her curiosity piques—until she’s standing in front of me, staring deep into my soul.

I shudder merely recalling the traumatic events that led to me stranded under the rain all over again.

How do I even say that the best part was walking in on him sleeping with another woman—just to mess with me and prove some sick point I still don’t get?

Or that only moments before, he’d buried himself between my thighs, then promised to take me by force if I didn’t leave his sight?

"She doesn’t want to tell. Leave her alone," Calliope rescues me again, returning with a change of clothes, a towel, and some bathing products, a tight frown etched between her brows.

Elodie scoffs, annoyed.

"Well, if we’re going to interrupt our evening scrubbing her clean like she’s some stray dog, she might as well offer something up as well," she blurts out bluntly.

"Elodie!" Calliope chides sharply.

Strangely enough, I’m more grateful for her blunt and direct approach. It’s better than wondering and hoping I’m not being a bother while she remains tight-lipped about her discomfort.

I don’t want to be a burden to anyone.

"I-It’s okay," I interrupt their catfight before it can begin. "I c-can wa-sh myself."

Calliope watches me with guilt and pity that shatter me more than I already am, but I brave through it with a smile, taking the things she’s brought out for me quietly and going into her bathroom to shower.

The last thing I want is to be doted on—to be treated or reminded of my weaknesses, to be stared at with those same pitiful gazes that have followed me for most of my life.

I don’t take too long underneath her shower—taking a hot bath, using insanely scented soaps, and drying myself off with her soft towel before changing into the comfiest sleepwear ever.

By the time I step out, both of them are bickering by the bed, whispering harshly but pausing once they realize I’m out.

Calliope tries her hardest to wear a smile while Elodie pouts her lips.

Something stings in my chest, knowing it has to be about me. A sign to leave has never been clearer.

"Th-ank yo-you for ev-veryt-thing," I mutter under my breath, dropping her towel and soap on a table before she can say the harsh words I don’t want to hear.

I back toward the door in rushed steps, ready to leave without looking back.

"Wait...!"

I pause a few feet away from the door, slowly looking up at them.

"You can join us for the night. Really, we don’t mind," Elodie speaks this time, a subtle gentleness in her voice that surprises me.

I thought she didn’t like me—yet her tinted cheeks and bashful gaze that avoids mine say otherwise.

A light feeling bubbles in my chest almost instantly. So much for being okay with leaving and being on my own.

Shamefully, I realize just how much I was hoping that I could stay and spend more time with someone other than myself.

"Thank you," I whisper, wobbling back into the room and settling on the space on the bed Calliope pats with a wider smile.

The moment I settle in, both of them fall into it freely.

"So, we were in the middle of a sleepover before Calliope stepped out," Elodie fills me in, her usual carefree tone soft but teasing.

I’m filled with an unusual childish giddiness, instantly followed by a surge of expectations.

I’ve heard so much about what sleepovers could be like—but I’ve never been to one before.

"You have a lot of sisters. I bet you’ve had lots of these," Calliope says, leaning in closer.

Based on her limited knowledge of my family—known for having seven daughters—her expectations of sibling love and understanding are naturally high.

I tense up, forcing a smile that forms awkwardly, knowing just how far from the truth that rumor is.

"N-n-no, actually. T-this is m-my first."

"Tough family, huh?" Elodie blurts out again—earning a hard shove right into her side from her friend.

"Ouch!" she winces, sucking in her breath and rubbing her side with a scowl directed at her assailant, who continues to smile at me.

"Well... welcome to your first sleepover—where we gossip, do each other’s hair, and play with makeup."

"Currently, we’re having so much fun," Elodie quips with biting sarcasm, having recovered from the blow.

I chuckle softly at their interaction. Though seemingly harsh, there’s an air of intimacy mixed in—it’s unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before.

"You g-g-guys seem cl-ose."

"As close as women in the court can be without trying to kill each other," Elodie responds dryly.

"It m-must be nice ha-having someone to t-t-talk to and rely on... s-someone to have sleepo-overs with. You’re like s-s-sisters that ac-tually l-like each other."

"I guess you could say that." Calliope nods with a proud smile. "You need to have someone in this crazy place to maintain your sanity."

Her eyes linger on mine as if she’s speaking directly to me.

"Enough soppy talk," Elodie interrupts. "I was promised gossip, and I haven’t gotten any since I got here. Either someone starts talking about something remotely interesting, or I start pulling my hair."

"Dramatic as ever." Calliope rolls her eyes.

I search my mind desperately, trying to make some kind of contribution—as if to prove I belong here.

I dig through the corners of my memory for anything remotely interesting and finally stumble on something. Hesitant and cautious, it’s still been at the back of my mind for a while, poking at me.

"I... h-have a t-topic."

Both sets of eyes move to me instantly.