“No!” I shook my head violently. “No! Seriously. I’m just hormonal, and I’ve never—” I swallowed roughly. “I’ve never really been hugged. It took me by surprise, and just so you know, those tears emergedwithout my permission.”Traitorous tears. “But you don’t need to do anything about the job. It’s a great restaurant, and your staff are great—” minus one “—so I’m not surprised that it’s so popular.”
He stared at me like he knew I was full of shit but also realized I’d reached my limit of sharing. I was tucked under his arm and guided out of the staff exit toward a massive TRX RAM in the parking lot.
Kellan opened the door for me. “It’s Fin’s baby. He let me borrow it and caught a ride home with Kenzo.”
“I love big trucks,” I said as I reached for the handle to pull myself into the cab. “He must feel like the king of the road.”
Kellan laughed dryly. “He wishes.”
When he was seated in the driver’s side, he waited for me to buckle myself in before hitting the start button. As the powerful engine roared to life I asked, “We’re going home, right? I don’t need to see Hunter.”
He lifted one eyebrow in a stare of amused disbelief. “Oh, my poor, deluded omega. We’re absolutely going to Hunter. Seeing you is about the only thing that will stop him from levelling the restaurant. And maybe any other structures he runs into on his way home. Trust me, it’s in Golden Claw’s best interest that you soothe the beast.”
A low thrumming of panic was my companion all the way into the city, and when Kellan pulled the truck into a private park out the front of Reeves Industries, I debated my chances of running home from here.
Kellan cupped my chin, his long fingers wrapping around my cheeks. “You’ve got this, Emme. You’re literally the one shifter who can walk into his rage and come out the other side unharmed. Don’t fear your alpha.”
If that was the case, why did I need him to hold my hand all the way to the top floor?
When we entered the lobby, Kellan was fawned over by the ladies behind the reception desk, but I was too worried to spare them a glance. Heading straight for the elevators, no one stopped us, and when we stepped inside it was already keyed to the twentieth floor.
Luring me right into the den of a raging beast.
“Breathe,” Kellan whispered near my ear. “He’s had ten minutes to calm down. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
When I glared my strongest, most lethal glare, he just fucking laughed. The fact that none of the alphas in my life feared me was as great a tragedy asRomeo and Juliet.
The journey into the skies took no time at all, and despite my fear of these enclosed metal boxes, I spent most of it praying for a breakdown.
When the elevator doors opened, I was surprised to find that the top floor looked deserted. There were no shifters at the reception desk, all the office doors were closed, and if it weren’tfor the thunderous energy sifting in from the back rooms I’d have thought Hunter had already left.
Kellan flashed his smirk. “Hmmm, maybe we should give him another ten minutes.”
“I hate you,” I mumbled, my stomach swirling.
“Ouch, that hurts. I thought I was your favorite.”
His bottom lip jutted out, and he looked so ridiculous that it eased a fraction of my panic. “It’s a constantly rotating list. Best not to rest on your laurels.”
He dropped a brief kiss to my cheek, which was a nice distraction. “Don’t have a clue what a laurel is, but I bet I can rest on them with the best.”
Of that, I had no doubt.
Further conversation ended when the door to Hunter’s office slowly opened. His giant frame filled it a beat later and his dark gaze bored into me.
A silent command wrapped around my wolf, and despite my omega designation, I hurried forward, helpless to stop.
When I glanced back, Kellan remained locked in place near the open elevator.
Our eyes met and he managed a smile. “I’ll be right here, pretty girl. Give him hell.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond before I stood in front of a towering, furious alpha, with his wolf shining in almost golden eyes.
Hunter Reeves was beyond pissed, and I wondered if I’d survive the fallout.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
