Sitting in my living room, my leg bouncing due to being nervous, I sip on the camomile tea while I wait for Rune to return. After he agreed to move in with me for the time being while we deal with Devlyn, Rune drove me home in my truck before taking it to the dorms so that he could pack his things and bring them here. That was about an hour ago and in that time I prepared one of the two remaining bedrooms for him to take. He may be my Mate, but I am not comfortable sharing a room with him yet.
The door to the cottage opens and I turn in time to find Rune walking in with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a single box that he carries in his arms.
“Is that all you have?” I asked, shocked by the small amount of items that Rune brought.
“No, I have two more bags to grab from the truck. I wasn’t able to bring much when I left Pine Moon but this box is filled with stuff I gained while being part of Crescent Pheonix.” He admits with a sheepish smile. My heart aches as I think back to his bedroom wall that he had filled with photos and achievements Rune gained through out his life. How he proudly showed off each trophy that he won during tournaments at school. To think he left most of it behind when he escaped Pine Moon.
“You can take the first room to your left down the hall.” I manage to squeak out past the lump in my throat.
“I just put fresh bedding on the bed and it’s your room if you want it.” I add. Hurt crosses his face just long enough for me to catch it before a beaming smile is plastered on his face. He must have thought we would share my bed and the realization that we would be sleeping in separate rooms might have hurt a lot. I know that me asking him to stay here was a spur of the moment thing, but I feel like it is the right step if we are to build the trust that he lost months ago.
“I will be back then.” With that, Rune makes his way to the room I mentioned and returns a minute later before heading out the front door. I continue sipping on my tea, the bond humming contently at the closeness of my Mate. His scent of mint and vanilla is already invading my home and for a moment I second-guess this decision. Shaking my head, I remind myself that if Valor sent a spy, then me and my pup are in danger. I have kept my pregnancy a secret with only Jasmin, Rune, and Asteria knowing about it but the thought of this news leaking to Valor and Tanya makes my blood run cold.
Rune enters the cottage once more, the final duffle bags in hand. He smiles at me as he shuts the door and moves towards what is now his room. Having him here puts my nerves at ease. I know that Rune has changed, have seen it myself. With the threat that Devlyn poses now looming over us and the preparation for war against Pine Moon still on going I feel relieved that Rune, my Mate, is here to help me keep our unborn pup safe.
Placing my empty cup on the coffee table, I stand from the couch and make my way towards Rune’s room. Leaning against the door frame, I find Rune busy with putting his clothes away in the oak dresser.
“There is a laundry room in the basement if you want to wash your clothes.” I state, watching Rune jump in surprise.
“I am putting a bell on you.” He groans with annoyance, a hand over his chest where his heart is. I burst out laughing at his reaction, doubling over as Rune lets out a slightly annoyed growl. I have never seen Rune jump in fright before and I can’t help but want to make him jump when every I get the chance to.
“A bell won’t help. I have learned where the creaks in my floor are.” I manage to say through laughter, getting an eye roll from Rune. He turns away, continuing to put his clothes away while I watch on, calming down from the laughing fit caused by his reaction to me startling him.
“Could you teach me how to do laundry?” Rune asks in a mumbled tone. His voice is so low, barely audible from where I stand. Shocked by Rune’s request, I walk closer to him to find him staring at a duffle bag full of dirty laundry.
“Do you not know how to do laundry?” I ask, playfully bumping my shoulder against his arm.
“No. Valor thought it was a useless skill to learn and so Omegas took care of the laundry. Even in the dorms, the Omegas took care of the laundry while the rest of us took care of other things.” Watching Rune’s shoulders slump, I feel pity for him. To think that Valor thought basic skills were useless and Rune never learned simple things.
“If you want, I can show you how to do it now.” I offer. Rune perks up beside me, a smile on his face as he picks up the duffle bag from the bed. My face scrunches as the scent of dirty laundry wafts towards me and I nearly puke right there and he notices it, quickly shifting his body so that the duffle bag is behind him. I give him a grateful smile and take a moment to calm my churning stomach before I leave the room and lead Rune to the basement stairs. I have a sinking feeling that I will be teaching him basic survival skills that every adult should know like cooking and cleaning now that he is living with me. Skills he will need to know for when our pup arrives.