Chapter 326: Ink, Blood, and Other Misunderstandings

Chapter 325: Ink, Blood, and Other Misunderstandings

Orion stared at her like she had personally betrayed him.

"Shorty... what is—" Orion shook his head, then readjusted his words.

"Is this," he asked slowly, lifting the book again as though it might bite him, "what you enjoy reading?"

Sophia rolled her eyes and leaned forward, plucking the book neatly from his hands. "Give it back. You’re being dramatic."

"I am not being dramatic," he said, affronted. "I just read about someone being eaten alive."

She settled back against the pillows, reopening the book as if that explained everything. "That happened at that point in the story. It’s not the whole novel."

"That is not a comforting clarification."

Sophia glanced up at him, unimpressed. "You’re acting like this is the first time you’re seeing something like this."

"In a novel? Yes, yes it is. In real life..." He shrugged. "Not exactly the same context, but something similar, yes."

"So?"

"So?" he asked incredulously. "Shorty, what I saw in real life were our kind killing our kind..."

"Some in wolf form too, right?" Sophia asked.

Orion gave her a look. He opened his mouth to argue that nothing like that happened while people were in wolf form, but that was a lie. Some people were eaten alive—especially during the enclave attack.

"See? It’s not really new to you after all," Sophia told him.

Orion stared at her like he couldn’t believe this was his mate. "It’s not really new to you after all," he muttered.

"You didn’t even flinch," Orion pointed out. "You were sitting there, cross-legged and calm, while someone was being torn apart in your novel, and you were so immersed in it like you were having the time of your life."

"It’s fiction," Sophia argued. "And it’s an interesting novel too, so of course I would be immersed in it."

"It’s graphic fiction, Shorty. It’s fucking bloody," he told her.

She sighed, patient in a way that suggested she’d had this argument internally and had already won. "It’s only certain parts, you oaf. The novel isn’t really that bloody. Just... some sections."

The fact that that was true bothered him more than he would have liked.

"When you say sections, how many do you mean? Because I just read at least three paragraphs, and it was a graphic description of how the beast was ripping that man apart."

"Maybe a lot of sections?" she said. "But the character deserved it. He had been told not to go into that place exactly, but he still went there."

Orion dragged a hand down his face. "I thought you were reading a romance novel."

She brightened. "I am."

He looked at the book, then back at her. He waited for the uncomfortable feeling that came with someone lying, but there was nothing—only sincerity—which left him even more baffled.

"How is that a romance novel?" he asked.

She laughed softly. "The female lead and the male lead go into the forest to retrieve something for their priestess. They’ve always liked each other, so this journey explores what it means for them to depend on each other and gives them an opportunity to explore their relationship. They go with a small group of people, though. But the issue is, no one has ever ventured into the forest before, so what lies in it is unknown. They have no idea that beasts even exist there, so it has thrill, adventure, and also romance."

Orion’s brow furrowed despite himself. "I’m still not getting how going into a forest to fight off beasts could be considered romantic."

She shrugged. "They rely on each other. They protect each other. They’re terrified, but they still move forward together. The fact that they come to understand each other is romantic."

He gave her a look. "Someone gets eaten."

"Yes," she admitted. "But not them."

"That is a very low bar."

She grinned. "Survival together builds intimacy."

"Why does the forest remind me of Nirvana? Who wrote the novel?" he asked. "Someone in the pack?"

Sophia nodded. "Yes. I don’t know exactly who wrote it, but I saw it with Jacob the last time I went to the library and asked if I could read it and provide feedback. This is just the manuscript... I think."

Orion nodded.

"You know, the forest reminds me of Nirvana," she said quietly. "Even the beasts."

Orion gave her a look. "Of course it would remind you of Nirvana. I’m sure the author took inspiration from it."

"That’s what I thought," she said.

She closed the book and placed it beside her on the bed, fingers lingering on the cover for a moment before letting go.

Orion pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. His palm followed, resting there briefly as he checked her temperature.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"Better," she replied. "I don’t feel as much pain when I move anymore."

He nodded, relief easing something in his shoulders. "You look better too."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Less like you’re about to die at any moment," he added.

She rolled her eyes. "I want to say I didn’t look like I was about to die before, but I know that’s a lie."

He chuckled.

She studied him for a moment, then smiled. "Let’s forget about my novel. What’s in the boxes?"

"You’ll get to know soon, but let’s make a deal—remind me not to take your novels from you next time, okay? I can only imagine what other things you classify as romance," he said.

"You wouldn’t listen even if I told you not to touch the book," she replied lightly.

He paused.

Then nodded. "That’s true."

He stood and reached for her hand, tugging gently until she protested more out of principle than resistance.

"Come on," he said.

"Where are we going?"

"Right here," he replied, dragging her the short distance to the table where the boxes waited.

He nudged them toward her. "Open them."

She eyed the boxes suspiciously. "Did you put poison in here?"

"No."

"A trap?"

"No."

"Something that jumps out?"

"No," he said. "Sophia."

"What?" she asked innocently. "I just want to know if I’ll make it out of here alive. I can’t be so sure you didn’t put something in the box."

He rolled his eyes. "I did nothing of the sort. Open the box and stop asking stupid questions."

She glared at him.

Then, very slowly, she placed her hands on the lid of the first box, squeezed her eyes shut, and lifted it a fraction—just enough to peek, as though expecting something to leap at her. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Orion chuckled at her antics but didn’t say anything. The moment she saw what was inside, she froze, her eyes widening in shock.