<19 Coward
- Coward
Skye’s P.O.V.
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I sat hunched over my drawing table in my bedroom, the soft glow of the desk lamp illuminating the room. My pencil moved in slow, deliberate strokes across the paper, my focus entirely on the image taking shape beneath my hand. It was a sketch I had been working on for days now, one that both exhilarated and terrified him.
The subject was… of course… Lila.
I had captured her perfectly-the fiery cascade of her red hair, the delicate curve of her lips, and the striking blue of her eyes that seemed to hold a thousand unsaid words. The image wasn’t just a simple portrait; it was a study of her, an attempt to capture the essence of the woman who had turned my life upside down since the moment she’d crashed into me outside city hall. The drawing was raw, real, and full of the emotions I hadn’t yet dared to speak aloud.
But that was precisely why I hadn’t shown it to her.
What if she saw it and realized what I was feeling? What if it scared her away? She was still healing from the chaos of her almost-wedding, and the last thing she needed was me pushing my own feelings on her. I wasn’t even sure if she felt the same way about me, and the thought of her seeing the depth of my feelings laid bare on this page was enough to make my chest tighten with anxiety.
I sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing a hand over my face. My wolf was restless once again, pacing in the back of my mind, urging me to act, to claim what was ours. But I had been holding back, keeping my distance from Lila all week, hoping that space would help me get my emotions under control.
You’re a coward, my wolf Cooper grumbled, a growl lacing its voice.
She’s ours, and you’re too scared to show her.
“Shut up,” I muttered under my breath, glaring at the sketch as if it were the source of my frustration.
“You think I don’t know that?”
Before I could respond to my inner wolf’s taunting, the door to my bedroom burst open with a loud bang, startling me out of my thoughts. Blade stormed inside, his face a mix of fury and disbelief.
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< 19. Coward
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“What the hell, Skye?” Blade’s voice was a low growl, his eyes narrowed in accusation.
“You’ve got some serious explaining to do, brother.”
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion.
“Blade, what are you-”
“Oh, don’t even start, you little dipshit!” Blade interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You’ve been hiding this from me? From all of us? Lila’s your mate, and you didn’t think to mention it? To mention it to me out of all people?”
My heart skipped a beat.
“How did you-”
“Figure it out?” Blade cut in, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“I’m not an i***t, Skye. I can see the way you look at her. And then there’s the fact that you’ve been acting all weird and ‘avoidy’ since she showed up even though you were the one that brought her in here. Not to mention, Lila came to me, asking why you won’t show anyone your drawings. You’ve got her all kinds of confused, man. So badly that she came to me out of all people asking for advice!”
I winced.
“I wasn’t trying to hide it,” I said, knowing full well how lame that sounded. Blade raised an eyebrow.
“Really? Because it sure seems like you’re doing a damn good job of it.”
“I just… I didn’t want to pressure her, my wolf has been going crazy all week long” I admitted, feeling a pang of guilt.
“She’s been through a lot. The last thing she needs is me pushing this whole mate thing on her.”
Blade stared at me for a moment, then shook his head in disbelief.
“You’re a f*****g idiot.”
“Thanks for the support.” I scowled.
“No, seriously,” Blade continued, stepping closer and jabbing a finger at my chest.
“You think keeping your distance is helping you out in the long run? You’re just confusing the
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< 19. Coward
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hell out of her. And by the way, this whole brooding artist routine? It’s not cute, it’s just frustrating. If you like her, you tell her. If she’s your mate, act like it.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Blade wasn’t finished.
“And another thing,” Blade said, his tone shifting from angry to almost amused,
“When were you actually planning on telling me? You know, your favorite brother, who might want to know that you found your one true mate for life?”
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
“I didn’t know how to bring it up.”
“You didn’t know how to bring it up?” Blade repeated, his voice rising in disbelief.
“You’re unbelievable, shitface! All this time, I’ve been giving you space, thinking you’re just dealing with your usual brooding or that you’re on your period or whatever, and it turns out you’re secretly mooning over your one true mate. And I find out because Lila’s over here trying to figure out why you’re avoiding her like she’s got the plague while she is smoking
hot!”
“I wasn’t avoiding her,” I protested, even though I knew it was a lie.
“I just… didn’t want to make things worse. And for f***s sake, don’t call my mate smoking hot, for the love of God!”
Blade rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, well, you’ve already made a mess of it all by yourself. But lucky for you, I’m here to kick your ass into gear. So if me calling her smoking hot will make your brain work, so be it!”
my wolf Cooper growled in agreement, and I couldn’t help but smirk.
“You think you can take me, Blade?”
Blade grinned, his earlier anger melting away.
“I’m not worried about that at all. I’m more worried about you screwing this up with the hot redhead downstairs.”
My expression sobered.
“I don’t want to screw it up,” I admitted quietly.
“But I don’t know how to do this, Blade. What if she’s not ready for all this?”
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< 19. Coward
“She’s your mate,” Blade said, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
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“She’s made for you, just like you are made for her. She might need time, but she also needs you to be honest with her. So stop being a damn coward and show her how you feel. And maybe, just maybe, show her that damn drawing. It’s f*****g good and she’ll love it.”
I looked at the sketch on my table, my chest tightening. Could I really do it? Could I risk showing her how deeply I already felt for her? Blade gave me a playful shove.
“Come on, man. It’s time to stop hiding.”
I took a deep breath, nodding.
“Alright. But if this goes south, I’m blaming all of it on you.”
Blade laughed, already heading for the door.
“I’ll take that bet. Now get your ass in gear and do something about it already. And FYI, if you keep something this big ever from me again, I will kick your ass!”
As Blade left the room, I stared at the sketch of Lila, my resolve hardening. My wolf rumbled in agreement, the urge to protect and claim growing stronger by the second. It was time to stop hiding. Time to show Lila exactly what she meant to me.
