“Excellent!”Selena beamed,pushing the sudden sense of unease aside.“I’ll instruct the staff to prepare your favorite hunt—the spiced venison.”
“Just return to the den.I have an urgent matter of pack business to attend to,so I’ll likely be late.”
“Oh,”Selena couldn’t hide the keen disappointment in her voice.“Okay.I’ll wait for you there.”
She was about to end the call when the same,sweet feminine voice sounded clearly on Kian’s side of the connection.“My apologies,Kian.I should have reminded you that Selena had attempted to reach you earlier.”
Selena’s heart plummeted,a painful physical reaction to the sound and the accompanying hint of that strange,rival scent.She was about to demand who the female was,but Kian had already ended the call,cutting her off without explanation.
Frowning,she looked at her phone screen and remained silent for a long moment,the quiet roar of her inner wolf beginning to rise.Then,she turned to Barnaby and murmured,“Let’s go back to the den.”
Barnaby instantly understood the shift in mood.He didn’t ask about the Alpha and just drove away from the powerful presence,leaving the hub behind.
When she arrived back at the lavish central den,Selena went to the dining table.She didn’t have much appetite but forced herself to consume the broth for the sake of her pup.
Then,she went to the main viewing chamber to wait for her Mate.She mindlessly watched the moving images on the screen and hugged a random cushion.She frequently glanced at the time,her focus only on the Alpha’s eventual return.
Selena was already heavy with weariness when the clock struck the tenth hour of the night.Her eyes slowly closed,allowing her to succumb to sleep on the thick velvet sofa.
After a few moments of unconsciousness,she felt the familiar,immense power of someone strong carrying her.Half awake,she moved her face and inhaled the powerful,unmistakable scent of Alpha Kian,mixed disturbingly with a hint of fermented spirits and that strange,rival female perfume that now clung to him.
“K-Kian?”
Selena opened her eyes,trying to look at the powerful figure above her.
“Yes.It’s me.”
“Your scent is fouled with spirits.”
“Yes,I shared a cask with an associate.”
Kian gently lay her on the furs.After a while,Selena heard the sound of the cleansing flow from the wash chamber.She rolled over and closed her eyes,but her restless inner wolf kept her awake.