Chapter 108
Camila POV
I slid down to the floor, tucked my knees to my chest, and just sat there for a moment.
No tears.
No screaming.
Just silence and the sound of my heart trying to keep up with the madness.
And I still hadn’t even brushed my teeth.
The waffle iron hissed like it had a grudge, steam puffing up from the sides like a little dragon exhaling. I stood there like a zombie, staring at it with dead eyes, spatula in one hand, the other braced on the edge of the kitchen counter.
Here I was. Making fucking waffles.
Because apparently trauma turns me into a homemaker.
The kitchen was too quiet, except for the faint sizzle of batter cooking and the hum of the fridge. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows like it didn’t give a damn about the massacre that happened here just hours ago. The scent of vanilla and butter was weirdly comforting, almost like a trick my brain was pulling to make me forget.
I didn’t forget.
I couldn’t forget.
I mean, it’s kind of hard to forget when your stepbrother–slash–psychotic–werewolf–mate murders a bunch of intruders and then smears blood on your face like he’s tucking you in for a nap.
The waffle iron beeped.
I blinked.
Right. Waffles.
I opened the lid and the golden square of carbs inside looked way too innocent for the hell I was living in. I scooped it out and dropped it onto a plate, then poured more batter in for the next one.
Behind me, I heard footsteps. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
Ethan
I could feel him watching me. Could practically taste his stare on the back of my neck. That quiet, unsettling presence that never really left. Always lingering. Always too close. Like a shadow.
“You look exhausted,” he said softly, his voice holding a hint of concern.
“No shit,” I muttered, flipping the waffle like it was personally responsible for my mental breakdown.
I heard the chair scrape as he sat at the table behind me. He didn’t say anything for a moment. Just… sat there. Watching me. Probably smiling. Always fucking smiling.
“You want waffles?” I asked, because apparently I was now the kind of girl who fed her emotionally unhinged maybe–murderer soulmate
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Chapter 108
breakfast.
“I would love some,” he said cheerfully.
I clenched my jaw. God. That voice. That chipper, casual tone like we weren’t surrounded by the ghosts of last night. Like there hadn’t been bodies in our foyer. Like I hadn’t touched blood thinking it was water and then screamed like something out of a horror film.
He didn’t even flinch when it happened. Just crouched next to me, soft and gentle and creepy as hell, and told me to go back to sleep.
I slapped another waffle onto a plate, maybe a little too hard, and turned to set it in front of him. He beamed at me like I just offered him the moon on a silver platter.
“What are you going to do if you get caught,” I said flatly, not even trying to sugarcoat it.
He blinked. “That won’t happen.”
I blinked right back. “You seem quite confident.”
He shrugged. Shrugged!!
“That’s because I am, Camila.” He chewed on a piece of waffle. “I removed all traces of them ever being here.”
Oh, wow. Arson and body disposal.
And then my phone rang.
I nearly jumped out of my skin, the sound slicing through the tension like a blade. I scrambled for it, praying it was anyone normal. I
checked the screen.
Mom.
Fuck.
I stared at it, heart pounding like I was about to get caught sneaking in after curfew–even though I didn’t do anything wrong. I wasn’t the one slaughtering people in my spare time.
Ethan’s gaze flicked to the phone. “Are you going to answer that?”
I didn’t respond. Just swallowed hard and dragged my thumb across the screen.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Camila! Sweetheart! I’ve been trying to reach you since last night, but your phone kept going to voicemail. Is everything okay? How’s the house? You settling in alright?”
So many questions. I looked at Ethan, who was still calmly eating his waffles. Blood probably still under his fingernails.
“Yeah,” I lied, forcing a smile she couldn’t even see. “Everything’s… fine. Just, uh, bad signal here.”
“Oh,” she said, laughing. “Make sure you eat properly, okay? And don’t stay up too late!”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine,” I said, pushing my food around on the plate.
“Is Ethan treating you okay?” she added, voice a little softer now. “I know he can be a bit… quiet, but he means well.
I almost laughed.
Chapter 108
Quiet wasn’t the issue, Mom.
“He’s… around,” I said vaguely.
“Well, you two get along, okay? And if anything ever feels weird or off, you tell me,
My hand tightened on the phone. “Of course.”
alright?”
She made a few more comments about her honeymoon and the weather before finally hanging up. I set the phone down like it was made of glass and looked back at Ethan.
“Is she safe?” I asked suddenly, still holding a waffle. My voice was low–barely above a whisper–but it came out sharper than I meant. My brain was still playing mental hopscotch over everything he had said, everything I had seen, and everything I didn’t understand.
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