Page 98

By now, the worst of the aftereffects of the three Heats has faded enough for dread to settle into its place.

My thighs ache beneath borrowed sweatpants, the fresh Marks at the base of my throat pulse beneath the collar of Orien’s sweater, and every inch of me is loose and oversensitive after days spent wrapped around my Alpha.

But none of that compares to the crushing reality waiting in the back office.

Because the moment Rowan summoned us, the outside world came crashing back in.

I snuggle into Orien’s side, rubbing my cheek over his pec. “What happened to William’s suggestion that your mate recover and not leave the apartment?”

A ghost of a smile touches Orien’s mouth. “We spent all of yesterday resting.”

“Nothing about yesterday was restful,” I grumble.

Orien gives me a shrewd look. “Do you need me to carry you, trouble?”

With an offended hiss, I straighten and take a step away from my mate. No way in hell I’m meeting Rowan for the first time while being carried like a baby.

A muffled snort comes from Orien.

My head whips toward him, and I glare. How dare he think he can manipulate me?

At the secure door to the back rooms, Orien punches in the code and holds the door for me to go first.

As I pass, he smirks down at me. “Feeling more confident now?”

“No.” My hand lifts to the back of my neck. “I’m starting to question our logic.”

I’m a bonded mate. To a man whose crew my family is trying to destroy.

“Hey.” Orien pulls me to a stop and tips my chin up. “No one’s going to hurt you here.”

I grip his wrist. “Even if our mating doesn’t change my family’s plan?”

He bends until our foreheads touch. “Whose side are you choosing?”

My hand lifts to rest over the steady beat of his heart, and I match my breathing to it. “Yours.

“That’s right,” he murmurs when my breathing steadies. “Now, let’s cross this first bridge before we deal with your family.”

I want to be optimistic for Orien’s sake, but dread still churns in my stomach. “Rowan’s going to want answers.”

“He will.” Orien’s hand slides to my nape, fingers tracing his Marks, and the touch soothes me far more than when I did it to myself. “And you’re going to give them to him.”

“Sorry,” I mumble, embarrassed. “I’m not usually this insecure.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” He kisses me slowly. “Three Heats in twenty-four hours would put the strongest person on their ass. I promise this won’t take long, and once we’re done, we’ll go back home and spend the rest of the day in bed watching fox videos.”

A soft laugh escapes, and I straighten away from him. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

Orien guides me past a handful of closed doors to the one at the end, where he knocks once before opening it without waiting for a response.

The office beyond is larger than I expected, with a desk in the center and bookshelves lining one wall. A worn leather couch sits beneath the single window, the afternoon light streaming through the blinds to stripe the floor in gold.

Rowan stands behind the desk, a phone pressed to his ear, his brow furrowed in concentration. He raises his head as we enter, his attention flicking from Orien to me before returning to the call.

Ash sits sideways in one of the chairs across from the desk, a tablet balanced across his knees and a cup of coffee sitting untouched on the armrest. He pauses his reading as we enter, concentration giving way to surprise, then concern as he takes me in.

“You look like shit,” he says, not unkindly. “When was the last time you ate?”