“But I can record a message from Mila on my phone and then go over and show them the video,” Grayson suggested.
Rafe considered that idea. “Yes, that’s good. She requested that Lars not be involved.”
Picturing her with Lars tightened Rafe’s muscles once more. A jealous rage hummed through his veins at the thought of that Sacco with his mate.
He tried to shake that possessive attitude from his mind. She wasn’t his.
“Did she say why she doesn’t want Lars involved?” Grayson asked. “It’s conventional for a beta to communicate with a beta.”
“She’s being pressured to mate with him in a political alliance,” Rafe spat the distasteful words. “Anyway, we can figure the delivery part out with who will go over. I first need to convince her to record the message.”
“Ah.” Grayson nodded. “Another complication.”
Indeed. Rafe exhaled from his nostrils.
“Are you going to keep her detained in the main lodge?” Grayson asked.
Rafe exhaled with a low groan as he considered the question. He couldn’t keep her locked away there. “That wouldn’t be a very convincing way for me to persuade her to give this thing a try, would it?”
“Not exactly.” Grayson grinned. “There are better ways for a wolf to woo his mate.”
Is that what Rafe would be doing? He wasn’t sure at the moment and was winging it as he went along. He groaned. “I’ll have to let her go, but I don’t trust her. Not for one second.”
Rafe dealtwith some business matters in his office, yet spent an inordinate amount of time staring out of his window. He told himself it was to monitor operations on the mountain. The chairlifts all functioned as intended, and the lines of people waiting for them were moving along. Yet, his thoughts kept drifting to Mila.
Was he crazy to try to make anything work with a woman who detested his pack so much she tried to ruin his business? It was a foolish endeavor indeed, but one he had to play out. Otherwise, he’d be left wondering. If she was his mate, he could regret not taking a chance with her for the rest of his days.
He grunted. There was nothing simple about this attraction. At least, there were no signs of the Saccos rushing over and into battle yet to retrieve Mila. That in itself was strange. Wasn’t Kane worried about her? She’d ventured on a mission into enemy territory after all. If Rafe had a daughter and she went missing, he’d tear up every inch of dirt to find her.
He picked up a phone and made a call down to one of the boutiques in the village. “Can you send over some clothing and boots for a woman around 5’ 10”?” When asked her clothing size, he was stumped. “I don’t know.” He pictured her naked body with all those lush, tempting curves. How in the hell was he supposed to describe that as a number? “She’s fit but curvy. Does that work?”
The woman on the phone said she’d send over a few styles and sizes to find one that fits.
An hour later, Rafe returned to the main lodge. His wolf perked up inside, anticipating the moment of being near Mila again. If Rafe was truthful to himself, he was just as excited. This mate business definitely came with some inner torment. Was it like this for every wolf?
He greeted Naomi, the enforcer who was now on guard. In front of the door to the storage room, strange jitters quickened his pulse. He forced himself to ignore it and knocked before opening the door.
Mila now wore black leggings and a long beige sweater that stretched over her full breasts. His tongue moistened, and he swallowed. On her feet, she wore a pair of black boots with black and white fur on the top. The sales clerk did well.
Mila glanced at him and released a deep exhale. “Oh, thank the stars.”
He inhaled her scent, and it infused him like a euphoric spell. “What is it?” he asked.
She ran a free hand through her dark hair. He’d left one of her hands unrestrained as a sort of test to see what she would do before he released her completely—if he decided to do so.
“I’ve been going mad just sitting here,” she replied. “I can’t spend one more minute going insane trapped by these four walls. Please let me out.”
Rafe’s chest tightened. He hated being the cause of such anguish. A battle churned within on what to do. He could keep her locked in this room and record a message on his phone for her father as Grayson had suggested, or…
“Come on.” He stepped over to her and unfastened her other wrist.
She peered at him with a confused expression. “What are you doing?”
“It should be obvious.”
“You’re letting me go?” Her eyes widened with shock.
“We’re going outside, Mila. We’ll figure out our next step there.”
