Chapter 342 - 76: Gift From My Neighbours

Thirty minutes wasn’t nearly long enough to flush the tension out of the house.

After the birthday debate in the kitchen finally wound down, Dane had retreated to the living room to pull off his heavy boots, leaving me at the edge of the sofa with my legs tucked beneath my skirt. The television hummed quietly on the low stand, casting a soft glow against the darkening windows, but neither of us was paying attention to it.

Dane’s shoulder was broad and warm where I leaned against him. His thumb moved absently along my arm.

For the first time since Aurora had come into our lives, I was beginning to understand how exhausting it was to have someone constantly looking for a way into your marriage. I was tired of her. Not afraid of her, not threatened by her. Just tired.

The quiet didn’t last. Footsteps hurried down the hardwood corridor. Sonia appeared in the arched doorway, still holding the damp tea towel she’d been using in the kitchen. Her face had changed.

"She’s here."

Dane’s hand stopped moving. "Aurora?"

"She walked straight up the front path," Sonia replied. "I let her inside. I wasn’t about to have the BloodMoon guards watching a scene unfold on our front lawn, not with her standing there shouting your name like she owns the road."

My stomach tightened. Of course. She couldn’t stay away, not even for one evening.

Before Dane could get up, the soft click of heels echoed from the entryway. Aurora stepped into the sitting room. Elara followed behind her.

I stared at the woman who had somehow decided that our home was another place she could walk into whenever she pleased. She was dressed in deep crimson, her hair swept back neatly, her lips painted a sharp red. She carried a dark box tied with ribbon in both hands.

A gift. I almost laughed. After everything that had happened, she had the nerve to walk into my home carrying a present.

Her eyes moved around the room before settling on Dane. Then me.

"Hello," she said.

I stood. "What are you doing here?"

Aurora smiled faintly. "Visiting the neighbors."

"Then you should have stayed on your side of the road."

Her eyebrows lifted. I heard Dane shift beside me, but I didn’t look at him.

Aurora glanced at my skirt, then back at my face. "Your gatekeepers seem to think courtesy requires a formal invitation."

"Maybe they know you better than I do."

Her smile thinned. Dane rose beside me.

"You don’t have business here, Aurora."

"I brought a housewarming gift." She held up the box. "Or a belated wedding present. Take your pick."

"Our wedding was weeks ago."

"And I wasn’t invited. I know." She said it lightly. That was what irritated me most.

My mother had spent days preparing for our wedding. My father had stood beside me through everything. Our house had barely settled into its new rhythm, and this woman had already found ways to bring trouble to our doorstep. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she still smiled.

"Consider it an apology for yesterday’s misunderstanding."

I folded my arms. "There’s nothing to misunderstand."

Aurora’s gaze shifted to me. I held it.

"You came looking for a fight. You found one. That’s all."

Her expression remained pleasant. "I was emotional."

"You always seem to be emotional when you don’t get what you want."

Dane glanced at me. I didn’t care. I was done swallowing every sharp thing just because Aurora happened to be standing in the room.

Aurora walked to the coffee table and placed the box down. The glass inside clinked.

"I don’t like being ignored," she said.

"Then you’ll have to learn."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Destiny."

"No." I shook my head. "Don’t say my name like we’re friends."

The room went still. For the first time, Aurora’s smile disappeared completely. Behind her, Elara looked down.

I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest, but I didn’t retreat. Yesterday she had brought her chaos to our door. She had dragged my family into it. She had treated my parents’ home and my parents’ patience as if they were things she could use whenever convenient. And now she was standing in my living room as though she had simply come over for tea. I couldn’t pretend that didn’t anger me.

"You don’t get to keep walking into our lives whenever you’re bored," I said. "And you don’t get to behave however you want and then put a ribbon around a box and call it an apology."

Hannah’s voice came from the hallway. "She’s still being ignored." She leaned against the doorframe, wooden spoon in hand, looking Aurora up and down. "And you look like you got lost on your way to a tavern."

I almost smiled. Aurora turned toward her.

"It’s called effort, darling. You should try it sometime."

Hannah snorted. "I have a husband. I don’t need to dress like I’m auditioning for one."

Aurora’s eyes hardened. Dane stepped forward before the exchange could grow uglier.

"We don’t want your gift."

He placed himself partly between Aurora and me, one hand reaching back until it found my waist. I let him pull me against his side.

Aurora looked at his hand. Something flashed across her face, then it was gone.

"Refusing a neighborly gesture seems a bit uncivilized," she said.

"We’re not keeping it," Dane replied.

Aurora’s fingers brushed the ribbon. "Seth is living two houses away from yours. You can walk right back across the street and take your gift and seduction to him. One piece of advice, though. If you wish to woo him, you should not treat him as an errand boy."

Her mouth tightened. "I’ll remember that." She looked at me, then back at Dane. "But this gift is for your new home."

"Leave it, then." Dane’s voice was final.

Aurora took a slow step backward, her eyes remaining on him. I felt something hot twist inside me. Not jealousy, not exactly. It was the sheer audacity of it. She had come into my house, dressed to provoke my husband, carrying a gift he hadn’t asked for, after spending the last day making trouble for my family. And somehow she still expected me to stand quietly and watch.

I stepped away from Dane. "Aurora."

She stopped.

"If you come here again, come because you actually have something to say." Her eyes met mine. "Don’t come here to parade yourself in front of my husband and then pretend it’s a housewarming visit."

Dane’s fingers brushed my back. I didn’t look at him.

Aurora stared at me for several seconds, then smiled. "You’re becoming quite confident."

"I had a good teacher."

Her eyes flicked toward Dane. "Clearly."

She turned toward the hall. "Keep the decanters. Or throw them out. It makes no difference to me. I’ve seen what I came to see."

Elara followed her. At the front door, Aurora paused and looked over her shoulder at me.

"Do try to keep him relaxed, Destiny. He carries far too much weight on those broad shoulders."

Something inside me snapped. I took one step forward. "Don’t worry about my husband."

Aurora’s expression shifted. "I know how to take care of him."

I held her gaze. "Maybe you should start taking care of your own life."

For a moment, neither of us moved. Then Aurora turned and walked out. The heavy oak door closed behind her.

The sitting room stayed silent. Outside, the iron gates groaned as the guards locked them again.

Sonia let out a breath. "I’ll lock the back entry." Hannah shook her head and followed her mother toward the kitchen, muttering something I couldn’t make out.

I remained beside Dane. My anger hadn’t gone anywhere. It sat beneath my ribs, hot and uncomfortable. I looked at the dark box on the table, then at the closed door.

"I hate this," I said.

Dane looked down at me. "I know."

"No, you don’t." My voice cracked slightly, and I hated that it did. "I hate that she can walk into our home and make me feel like I have to defend what is mine. I hate that my parents have had to deal with her because of us. And I hate that every time she shows up, everyone expects me to be the reasonable one."

Dane’s expression softened. I swallowed.

"I don’t want to be reasonable with her anymore."

His hand settled around my waist. "You don’t have to be."

I leaned against him, finally allowing some of the anger to drain out of me. Then I glanced at the box again.

"Still, we’re not keeping that."

A faint smile touched Dane’s mouth. "Agreed."

I looked toward the door Aurora had disappeared through. "She can take her decanters back." I paused. "Or give them to Seth."

Dane laughed under his breath. And despite myself, I smiled.