I glance at the mansion just feet away, with the door leading into the back of the house half-open. “I haven’t seen much of it yet, but it’s beautiful.”
He turns to look at it, though not as if he’s appreciating it. “It was a gift for my son when he wanted to live a more independent life.”
“That was very generous of you.” My parents are wealthy, but I’m not sure they’d have been willing to give me a mansion when I was tired of living at home.
His gaze returns to me, and his smile returns. “I imagine you're curious about the Pack Wells name,” he says, eyes sparkling. “That’s if my son hasn’t shared it with you yet.”
“Iamcurious, and no, he hasn’t had a chance to tell me where it came from.”
“They were childhood friends,” he explains. “All were neighbors, except for Archer, of course. He came later.”
My curiosity grows. “Where did the name come from? And what do you mean Archer came later?”
Laughing, he wags his finger playfully at me. “You’ll have to ask my son to explain. He won’t appreciate his father spilling all his secrets. Do you have everything you need?”
I nod. “Yes, thanks.”
“Good. If there’s anything you need, ask Veronica. You’ll want for nothing here.”
“Dad.”
My gaze snaps from William to Callum, standing at the back door of the mansion.
He’s wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt, his eyes fixed on his dad in a way that makes me think he doesn’t like him at all. Torin and Archer step up behind Callum. Both are dressed for the day, but unlike Callum, they’re focused on me. There’s a coldness in their gaze that makes me think I’ve done something wrong.
I scramble up from my seat as William slowly gets to his feet, his smile still friendly as he draws me to his side and drapes his arm around my shoulder.
“Now, how do you like the girl I chose for you, son? She’s perfect, don’t you think?”
Chapter 6
June
“Go inside.”
I jump at the coldness of Callum’s barked order.
My eyes flick from him to the cake I made to mark the start of our new life together. “But I made?—”
“Torin, take her inside,” Callum says, not looking at me. His eyes never stray from his dad’s, and his tone is so cold. What happened to the alpha from last night who carried me up the stairs, tucked me into bed, and kissed me goodnight?
I desperately want to ask what’s happening, but the tension is so thick that I don’t dare in case whatever I say ignites the fury simmering beneath the surface of Callum’s bland expression.
I walk toward Torin. He doesn’t look at me. Just turns around once I approach him and walks inside. Archer’s eyes shift from me to Callum’s dad, and he steps aside to give me room to enter, then closes the door behind me.
No one says a word.
When I peer over my shoulder and through the glass door to the backyard, Callum is walking toward his dad. That’s all I have time to see before Archer steps in front of the glass door, his back blocking my view.
There’s no sign of Veronica as I hurry through the entryway and toward Torin.
“Torin, what’s going on?”
He doesn’t respond, so I follow him into a silver and beige living room, where he walks over to a small table and pours himself a glass of whiskey from a crystal decanter. Only then does he turn to look at me.
I’d wanted him to look at me, if only to tell me what’s going on, but the second his eyes flick to me, I regret having followed him at all. Every bit of warmth in his bright green gaze has evaporated into dust. He doesn’t lookatme. He looksthroughme.
“You know Callum’s dad,” he says, his voice flat.
