Chapter 8: Chapter 8

ELEANOR

As we reached Xavier’s house, I got out of the car and started walking away from the entrance of the house.

“Where are you going?” Xavier asked me.

“I need some fresh air. I’ll come home later,” I said. When I was about to walk away, I thought I heard him say something, but I couldn’t make out what it was. “Did you say something?” I asked him as I turned to face him.

“Thank you. I don’t think we would’ve sealed the deal today without your help,” Xavier said.

I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Wow. The badass beta actually said thank you. Should I be writing this down somewhere?” I teased.

The corner of Xavier’s mouth twitched. “Don’t get used to it. I have a reputation to maintain.”

I smiled and then turned to walk toward the nearby forest.

I didn’t have a particular location in mind, so I just followed the pathway. I arrived at a beautiful meadow with a river running through it.

No one was in sight as I walked closer to the river and stared down at my reflection on the water. A smile appeared on my face while Xavier’s words played in my mind. I didn’t expect him to thank me.

I wasn’t in the market for falling in love, but I did feel affection bubbling within me when I thought of sitting close to Xavier. I took a step back, removed my heels and sat down on the wet grass. Then I dipped my legs into the ice-cold water.

“~I think he likes us,~” Erica said.

I closed my eyes to listen to the sounds of nature. It was normal for my wolf to feel this pull toward him, but I knew this was solely business. Once the contract was over, we would part ways.

~Crunch!~

My eyes flew open when I heard something behind me. I turned around to scan the trees and saw a brown-and-white wolf standing near the tree line, gazing at me. With its sheer size and height, I knew that it was a male, but no alarm bells rang within me.

“~He’s a pack member~,” Erica told me, and I nodded my head and turned back around to glance at the river.

~He must be on his patrol.~

“What is a pretty woman like you doing all alone here?” a masculine voice asked me, and I looked up to see a man around my age standing in front of me.

He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts, so this must have been the wolf that was staring at me a few minutes ago. I guessed he had a stash of clothes nearby.

“Nothing. I just came to have some time alone,” I told him as he sat next to me.

“Well, looks like Beta Xavier has kept you up all night then? You look tired.”

I turned around to see a shy smile on his face.

“Something like that,” I mumbled.

I definitely didn’t want to share my basically nonexistent sex life with a pack member.

I mean, how embarrassing would that be?

“Who are you?” I asked him.

“I’m a warrior,” he answered, and this made me arch an eyebrow, waiting for him to provide a name. “My name is Ivan,” he introduced himself while he extended his hand for a handshake.

“Eleanor Amato,” I said and shook his hand.

“So, you’re on patrol alone?” I asked him, but he shook his head.

“My shift was over, so I was heading back home. That’s when I saw you,” he told me.

“But the pack houses are the other way,” I said when I saw a smile appear on his face. Something didn’t add up. The pack borders were miles away from this river, so there was no need for him to come here in the first place.

“Yes, but I sometimes take this route,” he answered, and I didn’t question him further. “Are you truly his mate?”

The question was abrupt.

“Excuse me?”

“You didn’t exactly look thrilled when you met him. And I saw the little misunderstanding you two had at the ballroom last night.”

“I wasn’t ready to leave my parents yet,” I told him.

He got quiet but didn’t get up to leave.

I focused my gaze at the flowing water when I felt the breeze get stronger. I got a slight scent of rotten eggs. It was a scent that distinguished pack wolves from a rogue.

I stretched a little closer to Ivan and took a deep breath. The scent seemed like it was coming from him. Was he the person helping the rogues enter into the pack?

“Are you going so soon?” Ivan asked when I got up from the ground.

I gave him a forced smile and nodded my head.

“I’m exhausted. I’ll see you around,” I told him as I began walking back the way I came.

I was almost back to the main path when I didn’t see a root and my heels got stuck. Just before I hit the ground, I felt a pair of strong arms break my fall and pull me back up.

“Careful, Miss Amato,” said an unfamiliar voice beside me.

“Thank you,” I said, and I saw a handsome man beside me. “I don’t think we know each other. What’s your name?”

“Benjamin, Miss Amato,” he said, and I felt my blood run cold. He detected the change in my behavior when I saw a sad smile on his face. “I guess you’ve heard of me then?” he asked me, but I didn’t answer. “I still regret what I did, Miss Amato. But I understand I have a reputation. It was nice meeting you. You may want to consider a different pair of shoes next time.”

Benjamin fled before I could say anything else.

When I arrived back home, it was eerily quiet. I quietly walked inside and saw most of the lights switched off.

I quickly walked upstairs to my room and locked the door behind me.

After taking a shower, I put on my pajamas and went to bed.

It had been a long day. I’d convinced an alpha to form an alliance, teased a beta who rarely cracked a smile, and met two wolves—Ivan and Benjamin—who felt like wildcards I hadn’t quite figured out yet. My head was spinning.

Now, as I pulled back the covers of a bed that didn’t feel like mine, the weight of it all finally settled on me. I was proud of what I’d managed, even if I didn’t quite feel safe. Not yet. But I was learning to adapt quickly. I was going to continue standing my ground and holding my own.

Still, as I lay down and stared at the ceiling, I couldn’t ignore the ache of uncertainty sitting just beneath the surface.

***

The sound of my alarm woke me up, and even though I didn’t want to get out of bed, I knew I promised to do my duties properly.

So, I quickly walked to the bathroom, took a shower, and changed into a pair of blue jeans, and I paired it with a black tank top and my favorite purple woolen shirt.

After tying my hair in a ponytail, I walked downstairs to the kitchen.

I briefly looked up at the time to see that it was 6 a.m. I started preparing breakfast.

By the time I made the last waffle, I heard the front door open. A few minutes later, Xavier walked into the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” I looked up from my plate to see that he was in his workout clothes.

A pair of shorts and a gray T-shirt.

“I made breakfast for us.”

“You know you don’t have to act like my mate when no one’s around, Eleanor,” Xavier said.

I rolled my eyes and placed our plates on the table and took a seat.

“I didn’t do this out of love if that is what you’re implying,” I said as I took a bite from my food. “I always love to start my day with breakfast that I make. And I was being a generous person by making some for you as well. If you don’t want to eat, I don’t mind. You can put it in the fridge and leave. I don’t care,” I nonchalantly replied.

I felt him stand there for a couple of seconds. Then, he grabbed the plate and left the kitchen.

I shook my head and continued eating. Then, I went to the pack house to settle into my new office.

When I arrived, I saw a note on my desk.

~Please meet me at my office when you get here.~

~Samuel.~