Fallen 31

Fallen 31 Summary

Alaric finds himself reluctantly confronting his younger brother Nolan, who has pushed him too far by smashing a bottle of scotch, leading to a physical altercation where Alaric breaks Nolan’s already crooked nose. Despite the violence, Alaric’s main concern is Meadow, who has hurt her foot on the broken glass Nolan caused. He quickly tends to her injury, revealing a protective side beneath his tough exterior.

 

Meadow’s fear is not directed at Alaric but at the chaotic situation unfolding around them. Alaric insists she sleep in his room for safety, partly to keep her close and partly to protect her from Nolan, who is a sleepwalker. Meadow is flustered by his demand, but Alaric is firm, showing a softer vulnerability in his desire to have her near.

 

The tension between Alaric and Meadow is underscored by their interactions, with Alaric teasing her about snooping in his room and Meadow’s embarrassment adding a layer of lightness amidst the turmoil. Yet, Alaric keeps some secrets locked away, symbolized by the locked drawers and the mysterious Tether Room, hinting at deeper complexities in his life.

 

Downstairs, Nolan struggles with his drunkenness and resentment, mocking Alaric about his relationship with Meadow and their mother’s worries. Despite Nolan’s hostility and attempts to brush off the confrontation, Alaric makes it clear he wants Nolan out of his life by morning, though Nolan cynically points out that his access to Alaric’s home remains unchanged, highlighting the unresolved tension and complicated bond between the brothers.

CHAPTER 0031

Alaric’s Perspective:

I had no desire to escalate things into violence, especially not with Meadow watching. Yet, my younger brother had this uncanny ability to push me past my limits—like when I found myself smashing his already crooked nose for the third time within two years.

Oddly enough, I didn’t feel the impact. I never did. But the way Nolan’s head snapped sharply to the side before his body crumpled to the floor, too intoxicated to even stand, spoke volumes. His loud curses, the way he curled inward, clutching his bleeding nose, told me everything I needed to understand.

“Shut up, Nolan,” I muttered under my breath. His groan was the only reply.

With all the chaos already swirling around me, my brother was the last person I wanted to deal with. We weren’t close by any means, but every so often, he’d show up uninvited—either to annoy me or to worm his way back into my life, always dangling our mother as an excuse.

But deep down, I knew what really drove him was guilt.

“Alaric…” I heard Meadow’s soft gasp.

My shoulders stiffened as I turned to face her, locking eyes with hers, expecting to find at least a flicker of fear.

And there it was—fear, yes—but mixed with concern. Her brows knit together as her gaze dropped to my hand, and I realized the fear wasn’t directed at me.

I stepped closer to her, my eyes immediately catching sight of the cut beneath her foot.

That was part of why I’d hit Nolan. If he hadn’t come here and smashed my bottle of scotch, Meadow wouldn’t have slipped on the broken glass and hurt herself.

I reached for the first aid kit beside her and pulled out a bandage. It wasn’t much, but enough. The cut wasn’t deep.

“You’re bleeding,” Meadow whispered quietly as I pressed the bandage over the wound. I stood up straight, curling my hand into a fist and inspecting my knuckles.

“It’s not mine,” I said simply, running my thumb over the dried blood.

Meadow nodded, swallowing hard, but I could tell she was holding back questions.

The truth was, even if it were my blood, I wouldn’t know. That was the worst part. I could bleed out until I was nearly dead and never realize it.

That’s why I needed someone like her.

—

“Your brother… is he—”

Just then, Nolan let out a low groan, mumbling something that barely sounded like words.

My jaw clenched tightly as I glanced at Meadow. “He’ll be fine.”

She looked at me over her glasses, and something about the seriousness in her expression made my mouth twitch involuntarily.

She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. “You’re sleeping in my room tonight.”

Her eyes widened, and honestly, I never got tired of how easily flustered she became. Her cheeks flushed a deep red.

“Why?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to distract herself. “What’s wrong with me sleeping in my own room?”

I thought about the perfect response as I rubbed the scruff on my jaw. Nolan was a sleepwalker, but I wasn’t about to tell her that.

Not that it was the main reason I wanted her near me. She could have just locked her door from the inside.

I simply… wanted her close. Whether she touched me or not didn’t matter.

“Because I said so,” I finally answered.

She bit her bottom lip, brows furrowed as if weighing my words. She had no idea—no clue how captivated I was by her beauty, her grace.

And apparently, her clumsiness too.

She didn’t have to agree, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.

A soft, nervous laugh escaped her lips. “Alaric, I—your brother—”

I lowered my voice, a small smile tugging at my mouth as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I’ll take you upstairs, then come back down to deal with him and this mess.”

Her eyes flicked to my mouth, and I heard her inhale sharply, preparing to argue again. But once more, I beat her to it.

“You were already snooping around in my room earlier, Meadow. I’m surprised you haven’t jumped at the chance to continue where you left off.”

Her face flushed deeper with embarrassment.

Meadow could snoop all she wanted, but the reality was there was nothing in my room I wasn’t willing to show her.

The drawers under my desk were locked.

And so was the Tether Room.

When she asked earlier what was behind that door, I fought the urge to shove her through it and reveal everything. But she wasn’t ready. Not yet.

Clearing her throat, she said, “That wasn’t—”

I narrowed my eyes, and she stammered, “You know what? Fine, I’ll just—”

She tried to jump down from the counter, but before she could, I caught her, one arm under her knee and the other around her back.

“Alaric,” Meadow protested, “I can limp just fine.”

“I’m sure you can,” I muttered, carrying her toward the stairs. “But I can’t risk you tumbling down because you didn’t limp right.”

Behind her glasses, she rolled her eyes. God help me—I wanted her to wear those glasses forever. To look up at me through the rims while I teased her sharp wit.

The thought alone tightened my pants. Damn. I never realized I had a thing for women who wear glasses.

Her skin was warm against my chest as I carried her into my room and gently laid her down on the bed.

“Wait—” she began as I turned to leave. “I think I need to get my clothes.”

My eyes roamed over her body, taking in the tank top and shorts she wore.

And then it hit me—what a huge mistake I’d made asking her to sleep in my bed looking like that.

Clearing my throat, I said, “You can wear something from my closet,” even though I knew I could just grab something from her room down the hall.

I didn’t wait for her reply before shutting the door behind me and heading downstairs.

—

Nolan was struggling to pull himself up off the kitchen floor when I strolled in, carefully stepping around the shards of glass scattered across the floor.

He rolled his eyes lazily when he saw me lean against the wall, arms crossed.

“You broke my fucking nose, Ric. Again,” he grunted, pressing his fingers against the bridge.

My jaw twitched. “That’s what you get for hurting my wife and running your mouth.”

His blue eyes widened briefly, then returned to their usual dullness, weighed down by drunkenness.

Nolan rarely got this drunk. When he did, it was usually to drown out something—some pain he couldn’t face.

I wondered what he was trying to escape this time.

He chuckled, running a hand through his dark blond hair. “Your wife, huh?”

His gaze shifted back to me. “Funny, because two months ago, you nearly gave Mom a heart attack telling her you’d never get married or have kids.”

My nostrils flared, muscles tensing.

What Meadow and I had wasn’t that kind of marriage, but I wasn’t about to explain that.

I shrugged casually. “Plans change, don’t they?”

My brother narrowed his eyes, blood trickling down his nostrils as his teeth scraped his bottom lip.

Then he staggered toward the door, waving a dismissive hand.

“Too drunk to talk about this shit, man,” he slurred. “I’ll crash in one of your big-ass guest rooms.”

“I want you gone by morning,” I said before I could stop myself.

Nolan froze for a moment. “Yeah, that’s what you always say.”

“And I always mean it, Nolan.”

This time, he turned, eyes glinting with dark amusement. “Bullshit. If you wanted me out of your life, you’d have changed your access code ages ago.”

I ground my teeth so hard I probably chipped one.

But I didn’t deny it. Because I couldn’t.