“What’s wrong?” Aurora peered at him from questioning eyes. “Is she your girlfriend?” Her mouth tightened, expression turning wary.
“No.” He ran his hands through his hair. “She’s just my pack mate, but she’s had a thing for me since we were teens. I’ve told her that it’s not going to happen, but still. I don’t want to hurt her.”
The way Aurora eyed him with skepticism scorched his soul. Not only was he hurting her, but Victoria. What a way he was failing as beta, upsetting his pack mates, and undermining his failing plan for peace.
“I’ve sensed something between you,” Aurora replied. “Promise me you are not playing games, Grayson. Because if you’re playing us both, that’s a shitty thing to do.”
He cupped her face and caressed it. “Of course not. I would never do that. I promise.”
Aurora stared at him as if trying to assess if he was sincere.
Indecision tore at him at what to do next. Should he go after Victoria and calm her before she went blabbing to the pack about him messing around with a witch and therefore screwing up the mediation with the Sacco pack? He couldn’t disappoint his alpha or his pack. Or, should he follow his wolf’s incessant need to continue to explore this attraction to Aurora?
Why not do both? “I should go talk to her really quickly and make sure she’s okay,” Grayson said. “As beta, it’s part of my responsibility to take care of the pack, and I know I upset her.”
Don’t leave her,his wolf argued.
“Fine. I’m going back to my room,” Aurora declared and averted his eyes.
Fine.That one word that a woman uttered that meant the exact opposite—that nothing was okay.
But what could he do? The pull to her was strong.
He stroked Aurora’s cheek. “Can I meet you there?”
She turned her cheek, breaking contact with his hand. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She sighed. “I mean, you’re right. Anything between us would undermine your goal in bringing me up here, and negotiations have already been difficult. We should probably forget that kiss ever happened.”
Forget it?No way. Impossible.
Shit! Every molecule in Grayson’s body screamed at that rejection.
“Aurora…” He didn’t know what to say to convince her that it was the last thing he wanted.
“You know, maybe this is not going to work out with having me here. I should request for someone to replace me.”
Grayson’s throat tightened. His wolf moaned. “Leave?”
“Well, yes. I came up here to do a job—and kissing my client wasnotpart of the job description.”
No, he couldn’t let her leave. And yet how could he convince her to stay?
“Aurora, are you sure that’s the best option? I need you here to help us avoid war between the packs.”
She sighed. “I don’t know what else to do. If we get someone else to take over, we avoid the repercussions that can result with what just happened between us.”
What could he do to persuade her to stay? “It was my fault. It won’t happen again.” Those words tasted like bitter acid on his tongue.
“Goodnight, Grayson.” Her mouth was tight, determined—lips that were parted for him and had tasted so sweet just a short while before. “Thanks for dinner.”
She turned and walked away from him. His wolf mourned inside, urging Grayson to make things right. How? He didn’t have a clue.
Reason returned, piercing through the cloud of desire. He glanced up at the mountain, at everything that he and his pack had built for the last decade. He couldn’t screw these negotiations up and lose this mountain, or worse, anyone in his pack.
Grayson stood there, gaping like a fool in the snow as Aurora retreated toward the hotel—a hotel he’d helped build to be the success it was today.
Then why did he feel so empty?
Grayson wentto the office early the next morning, watching as the sun rose over the mountain. In the end, he’d accomplished nothing last night. Aurora had left him. Victoria had ignored him, choosing to run off in wolf form through the forests.
