SAMANTHA
During lunch, Phiona did most of the talking, a smile on her face. She pretended everything was fine. Samantha played along, nodding and allowing Phiona to take the lead. Phiona said a lot, but nothing of substance. Like the more words she spoke, the further from that afternoon she could get.
At one point, Sam could have sworn she smelled Alester. But he was nowhere to be seen by the time she looked. She had a feeling Phiona had smelt him too, but she didn't move to look for him... Maybe she needed the girl time.
.....
Samantha stood in her room after her shower. Damp hair, fresh-ish clothes, and she was feeling much better than she had that morning. Especially after getting all the sweat off. It was like washing off what remained of that man's stare.
She finally felt she could understand a part of Phiona, though the situation that led her to that understanding wasn't good.
Samantha realized she would have to be on high alert. She wouldn't want to be alone with that man. Maybe she could find someone to chaperone? Or maybe she could talk to Phiona's dad...
She knew Phiona would talk to her father, but Sam had a nagging feeling that it might not be enough... That maybe he already knew? Samantha shook the thought away. She didn't know Phiona's father. She had no reason to question him about his ethics. Maybe that man's behavior was normal for wolves? Though that didn't seem likely.
Samantha steeled herself, walked out of her room, and eyed the corridor in front of her. Phiona had pointed out her dad's temporary office when she helped take her to her room. 'In case she ever needed any help.' She definitely needed help now. She just needed to remember which room and hope he was there currently.
She took a step, then two. She started to double-guess herself about whether confronting Phiona's dad was the right thing to do.
Yet, she kept walking, slowly, listening intently to see if she could hear rustling paper or muffled business talk behind the doors she passed. Most of the rooms were silent, empty. She turned the corner, getting close to a stairway. There she heard voices carried from a crack in a door a little way in front of her. If she hadn't been listening so intently, she probably wouldn't have heard the faint conversation.
"I understand your concern, little lamb. But rest assured, Mr. Liam means no harm. He has been nothing less than a professional working for me. I have received no complaints."
Phiona's dad's voice rang full of confidence and all the love and affection a father could hold for his daughter. Even Samantha wondered if perhaps they had the wrong impression of Liam. The memory of Liam's hungry, roaming eyes played through her head and she knew she was right about him. And he was anything but professional.
"But you didn't see the way he looked at Samantha! He looked like... like..."
"Have I ever steered you wrong, little lamb?"
The love in his voice remained the same, but it held an inflection of sadness. The disappointment was palpable.
"No. Papa."
The defeat in Phiona's voice was a stark contrast to her normal bubbly confidence. Why was she giving up so easily?!
"I won't steer you wrong now, either, little lamb. I will look into Mr. Liam thoroughly and keep a watch on him to ease your mind. For now, let it be, and if his presence truly bothers you that much, stay away. That girl's studies may have concerned you today, but now her tutor is here and I'm sure she doesn't want you interfering in her personal life. Now, you can focus on your mate. I'm sure it will overjoy him to have more time with you... Also, stuttering does not suit you, little lamb."
The more Samantha heard, the more she became enraged. He may be Phiona's father, but everything about him put Samantha on edge. The tempo in which he talked. It was too even and controlled. The words were too cherry-picked and informal. Even his term of endearment placed Phiona as a helpless animal who knew nothing but to follow direction, and his words seemed to back it up. This was not a good man, and it seemed like Phiona couldn't tell.
Despite all the fear and hurt Phiona felt toward Liam, with all the care Samantha knew Phiona had for her, and all the confidence Phiona normally talked with, Phiona gave up on the conversation with just an "Ok. Papa."
Samantha felt equal points of anger, disappointment, and guilt. Because she was angry at Phiona for just accepting what her father said, leaving Samantha in a dangerous situation with a horrible man. But she knew if it was her adopted parents, she wouldn't have put up much of a fight, either.
The conversation had reached an end, and she didn't know whether she should hightail it back to her room or if she could catch Phiona and give her a piece of her mind about her father. Though it probably wasn't her place. And what would Phiona think about her eavesdropping?
Before Samantha could take even one step in any direction, the stairs creaked and the spicy scent of musk and citrus reached her nostrils, crashing her right back to the uncertainty of that morning all over again.
She watched as Alester walked down the stairs. Sam couldn't move. All her senses were focused on Alester. It took only a moment before Alester was up the stairs and staring at her, too. His mouth set in a frown. He wasn't pleased to see her.
Her mouth gaped as she tried to find the right words to say. So much raced through her head that she didn't even know where to start. She opened and closed her mouth at the beginning of each new thought. Pain, nervousness, and hope grasped her heart.
"Hi." She forced the words to reach her lips. One word had never been so hard to say. But it was unheard, drowned out as Phiona skipped out of her dad's office, calling his name. Alester's eyes widened in horror and he tried desperately to hurry away, but where he was going was in Phiona's direction and she caught him as he passed her by, linking her arms in his.
Phiona didn't notice Samantha. And as she desperately held onto Alester, she was singing Samantha's praises. Phiona's voice carried down the hall, her legs pushing her quickly as Alester tried to race off to wherever he was trying to escape to.