Daughter of oblivion: Claimed by four alpha(s)-Chapter 110 - 109: You’re bossy...

Theodore was shirtless.

Oh Right. He had told her last night he didn’t like sleeping in shirts. But hearing it and seeing it were two very different things. Well the thing is, she actually saw him shirtless last night, but the room was dark at that time. His back muscles shifted effortlessly as he flipped something in a pan, and the movement alone made her heart skip so violently she almost felt dizzy again.

His white hair was tied back in a small messy bun, exposing his undercut. Fuck...that shit..gon be sexy as hell.

Her traitorous eyes slid down and drank him in before she could stop herself. The curve of his shoulders, the relaxed strength in his arms, the line running down the center of his spine, and fuck...the sharp V line of his waist that disappeared into his pant. Athena almost cursed at the disappointment.

And then, her eyes racked back up. Only to collide straight with his eyes.

Shit.

He had caught her staring. Not just staring...devouring. Like he was a whole damn meal.

Her breath caught painfully, and she snapped her gaze away, heat rushing to her face.

Theodore’s lips stretched into the softest smile...infuriatingly gentle, and somehow knowing.

"Good morning," he said, voice deep and sexy. Okay why’s everything sexy about this guy this morning. Don’t get her wrong...Theodore had always been sexy.

Athena swallowed, mortified. "Good...morning," she muttered, wishing the white floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Theodore didn’t comment on the way she’d stared at him, just the same smile that had been on lips that refused to disappear. Thank God.

Athena exhaled inwardly, more grateful than she expected. She couldn’t handle embarrassment right now, not after everything.

She shifted awkwardly near the doorway, hands tugging at the hem of his oversized shirt. "You, uh... cook?"

Theodore flipped whatever was in the pan one more time...in a smooth way, like he’d been doing it his whole life and nodded.

"Mhm. Sometimes," he said simply.

He turned off the stove, set the pan aside, and wiped his hands with the same calmness he did everything. "You’re awake earlier than I expected."

"Couldn’t sleep well," she murmured.

He glanced at her...soft, observing. "Headache? Dizziness?"

"A little," she admitted.

Without a word, he walked past him and she briefly felt the cold aura that always clung to him as he brushed by. He opened a cabinet, brought out a glass, filled it with water, and handed it to her.

"Drink."

She took it, her fingers brushing his accidentally. His skin was cold, but not unpleasant. It actually calmed her and she liked it.

"Thanks," she whispered before taking a sip.

He nodded once and returned to the kitchen island, plating the food: eggs, pancakes, sausages, and fruit. He placed the plate in front of her at the counter, then pulled out a stool for her and waited until she sat.

"So you didn’t sleep well? " he asked quietly.

Athena stared at the food, then at her fingers, then finally at him. "I don’t know if I slept well but... I slept. So... that’s something."

He hummed softly. "It is."

Silence fell between them. Like the kind of silence you could actually breathe inside.

Athena pushed a piece of pancake around her plate, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Thank you... for letting me stay," she said quietly. "And for... not asking questions."

He paused before sitting beside her. "I figured you’d talk when you wanted to."

Her chest tightened in a strange way. She nodded. "Yeah... maybe."

More silence settled in the kitchen.

And then she whispered, almost too softly, "You didn’t have to take care of me last night."

Theodore looked at her completely this time. Taking her in. "You needed somewhere safe. That was enough."

Her heart twisted. Nobody except Oliver had ever put it that simply.

She blinked hard, looking away, trying not to break again. "I really didn’t want to wake up alone."

"You weren’t," he said. "I stayed."

She looked up startled, meeting his eyes.

He added quietly, "I only came down to make breakfast."

Warmth spread through her chest slowly, confusing and unwilling. "...Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded once. "Eat."

And she did.

Athena cut into the pancake and took a bite, trying to act normal... except she could feel him.

From the corner of her eye, from the weight of his quiet presence, from the way the air shifted every time he breathed.

Theodore wasn’t even being subtle about it, just leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, eyes fixed on her like she was some sort of puzzle he was trying to understand.

God.

Nothing had ever felt more awkward in her life. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was staring.

She cleared her throat and forced a light, shaky laugh. "You know... staring is rude."

Theodore didn’t look away. "I wasn’t staring."

She raised a brow at him.

He held her gaze for a second before exhaling softly. "...Okay. Maybe a little."

Athena snorted under her breath and stabbed another piece of pancake. "Why?"

"You look pale," he said simply. "Wanted to be sure you were okay."

"Oh." Her face warmed a little at that.

Another few seconds passed. His eyes were still on her.

She huffed. "You’re doing it again."

"I know."

"Then stop."

He blinked once. "Why?"

Athena dropped her fork, staring at him as if he’d asked the dumbest question on earth. "Because it’s weird. And awkward. And making me feel like I’m under a microscope."

Theodore hummed, looking mildly unbothered. "You’re alive. You’re awake. You’re eating. That’s what I wanted to confirm."

"By staring into my soul?"

He gave the smallest, softest shrug. "It worked."

Athena shook her head, fighting a smile she didn’t want to show. "You’re impossible."

He uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the counter, moving closer just enough to take her empty glass and refill it. "Eat more," he murmured.

"You trying to fatten me up?" she muttered.

"Not necessarily."

"That sounds like a yes."

"It sounds like ’eat,’" he corrected calmly.

She rolled her eyes but took another bite anyway. "You’re bossy."

"Only with people who almost passed out in my arms last night."

Athena glared at her plate, cheeks warming. God, he remembered that?

"I told you to forget that."

Last night before she actually fell asleep, he reminded her how she cried like a child in his arms and teased her about it. Although it lightened the mood a little.

"I didn’t agree."

She shot him a look.Theodore’s lips twitched very slightly in a small smile...barely there.

The tension eased just a little. Enough for her chest to stop feeling like it was being punched repeatedly.