My cheeks went even hotter, and I opened my mouth to protest that point, but closed it again. I guess Finch being my secret lover meant Soren wouldn’t ask any more questions.
I almost regretted it by the time our tea date was done, because he had kept teasing me about it until I’m sure my face was scarlet.
“Sorry, I have to go,” I finally said as I stood, twisting my clutch in my hands. “Thank you again, so much,” I said in a rush.
“A pleasure, as always, birdie!” he said, blowing me a kiss.
I started toward the door.
Once I climbed into the car, I let out a huge breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding.
THIRTY-ONE
THE DUCHESS
I glided up the stairs, hand trailing along the smooth railing as I ascended to my father’s private dining area. One of my father’s bodyguards opened the door as I approached, and I stepped inside with light feet, trying not to draw attention to myself.
The circular room had high mirrored ceilings, and the panelled walls were a dark black. The room let in sunlight from the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, with a sliding door that opened onto a balcony as large as the room, which my father favoured when the weather was warm.
Most of the space was taken up by a round, ebony table, where the family’s inner circle was already seated.
Jag sat to my father’s right side, his suit jacket slung over the back of his chair. His eyes slid to me and then back to my father as he nodded at whatever he heard.
Gordon Lucas was to my father’s left, looking like an older, shrewder version of Prince. He’d been my father’s second for as long as I could remember, a job that kept himbusy. Even now, he seemed to be half-listening as he typed something on his phone.
To his left, Prince’s pack father, and my dad’s cousin Marcus, was doing his best impression of a stone wall. His own suit sleeves—as always—were rolled up to his elbows, and he never wore a jacket. My guess was that he couldn’t be bothered to get one custom fitted for his massive frame. He was my father’s chief enforcer, and in charge of security, logistics, and most of the legitimate casino operations.
The last of Prince’s pack dads was Ashton Vass, who was lounging on the opposite side of the table to my father, already half-through his glass of wine. He was blond, handsome, and smooth-talking, and dealt with city officials, alliances, and negotiations. He also had a whole cowboy thing going on, even though we were deep in the city. Jeans and ornate riding boots. Ugh.
Romeo, the spitting image of Ashton—minus the cowboy vibe—was on his phone, looking bored. He ran the casino’s nightclub as a front for trading in arms and drugs. He was Prince’s older brother but was fourteen years older than me, so we hadn’t been forced to hang out while growing up, like I had with Prince.
I slid into my seat next to Prince and Romeo’s mom, Angela, not letting my gaze slip to the empty chair that Brian Caulder had sat in until last week.
Prince hadn’t come. I had expected him to show, but I wasn’t sure what he was up to now he was back in town.
My dad didn’t greet me, and I let myself fade into the background, waiting for the food in silence. Ashton grinned lazily at me as the servers brought out lunch and refilled the wine glasses, but no one else acknowledged I was there. It was only after the plates had been cleared that I was addressed.
“So, Laurel. I heard you’ve been spending time with our Prince’s pack?” Gordon asked, finally turning his attention to me.
I folded my hands in my lap, offering a smile. “Yes,” I answered. “It was a pleasant surprise to reconnect with Prince.”
“Even with that fight in your suite last night?” Ashton said.
“Not much of a fight,” I responded. “Another alpha intruded on us, quite aggressively. But he was handled. He’s a contender in the Blood Well now.”
I looked at my father, taking my chance. “Actually, the Lucas pack was talking about managing the new alpha. Trying some new things to see if he performs better,” I said, the lie flowing smoothly off my tongue.
My father glanced at Gordon, raising an eyebrow. “It’s time for them to start learning how we do things here. It’s a good plan,” he said.
Romeo looked sour; I doubted he was happy with Prince coming back and starting to learnhow my father does things around here. With that, and the fact Madison had scent-marked me… Prince was probably gunning to become father’s successor. A bold move, actually, coming from one of the youngest cousins.
“I’ll orient them to the cages,” I added, needing to find an excuse to visit Ocean without raising suspicion. Thankfully, my father nodded absently, already moving on.
“Now where did you run off to this morning?” he asked.
“Oh, my tea with Soren got rearranged,” I replied, though I’m sure he already knew.
“Ah,” my father said, “yes, I got a message from him this morning with a request to host an associate of his.”
