“Welcome, Miss Holmes.” The front manager greets me like a long-lost friend, and he ushers me towards the private function room.
Both Charlie and Bradley go to rush me past where the Maître d’ stands waiting at the door, but I excuse myself to use the ladies’ bathroom first. I wait outside in the corridor while Charlie runs a quick check of the bathroom before both my bodyguards leave to let me do my business.
Walking straight past the marble sinks in the powder room, I open the bathroom stalls making sure they’re empty before I unlock the discrete side door. And there I find him, looking heartbreakingly beautiful.
“I’m glad the tux fits,” I offer, nearly tripping over my own feet at how incredible he looks.
Ayden swings around, his eyes full of a collision of conflicting emotion. The brown in them seems almost a different colour because of it and the early afternoon sunlight.
“Are you nervous?” I ask, being careful not to get too close or I’ll be saturated in his scent, which will have me responding and forming a cloud of my own scent.
His eyes hood as he watches before he physically shakes himself and takes a step back. It’s like the shadows swallow him. Luckily, too, because the door behind me opens and Charlie pokes his head out. “Heidi, if you need air, I’ll bring you. You will get me fired if you disappear when I’m meant to know where you are every second of the day.”
He drops his hand, careful not to touch. Because bodyguards do not touch. Sadly, in his haste and my duplicity, I miss the chance to use the bathroom. This time I smile at the Maître d’, who makes my arrival overly grand.
“Gentleman, Heidi Holmes,” he announces unnecessarily.
With a practised smile, I walk through the swirling scents and presence of the Executive members of our Board of Directors. The four older Alphas make up my parents’ pseudo pack. I’ve grown up with these men, they’ve been at every function since I was a child, but at the same time, I can’t afford to show them any weakness—it would be like bleeding in the ocean.
My father is noticeably absent, and I go to ask Bradley where he is, but William Lowly, Verdune’s most trusted senior financial analyst, sweeps in and guides me over to the table where the others are already seated.
All of a sudden, I’m feeling like I’m being played.
“Where’s Allan?” I ask him as he pulls my chair out.
“I just got off the phone with him. He’s locking himself in his laboratory for a few hours. He thinks he’s close to a breakthrough which means, it is just us.”
Which is fine, I knew dinner would be just with them. The four Alphas are mostly nice when they’re not railroading me. William has been with Verdune the longest and serves as our CFO. John Hill heads Research, Troy Oberdan is the resident physician and residing Chairman, while Leigh Chalmers is a professor specialising in ADV who started with Allan.
William stays behind me, with his hand on the top of my chair. “Allan asked if you, Graham, and Joseph would do the welcome speech for the Shareholders tonight in his absence.”
“Of course, I will. It’s an honour,” I reply, but my spidey-senses are tingling, so I take my time sitting.
William’s son Graham and John’s son Joseph—together they make Pack Lowly with two others. They’re fine, just not my people.
“You know Allan would be here if he could, but you know how he gets when he’s close to answers,” Leigh adds as he leans over to pour a glass of sparkling water for me.
“We’re all praying for the same thing. It’s no hardship at all being here. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about…”
Behind us something crashes into the door, well that’s what it sounds like. Everyone jumps to their feet because it’s The Lodge, and they pride themselves on discretion which means the noise was intentional. The door rattles again, and everyone moves to surround me.
Twisting around, I’m stunned to see Ayden barging his way inside the door. His eyes are locked on me, but Bradley’s hand on Ayden’s shoulder is one of restraint, stopping him from coming closer.
I go to welcome him, but the mood in the room descends into near panic, and the Alphas all stink of stress.
William growls uncharacteristically. “Don’t just stand there, Ayden, tell us what’s going on. Do we all need to evacuate? Are we at risk?”
“Ayden? William, do you know Ayden?” My voice pitches in my stress. I clear my throat when either of them refuse to look at me. “William?”
“Of course, I know Ayden, Heidi,” he barks dismissively, swinging a look over his shoulder, his eyes full of frustration. He looks pissed off.
“But how?” I ask, pushing for answers because right now, I’m confused as hell.
My eyes bounce from one Alpha to the next. These men, who have seen me grow up, start to shut me out like I’m a stranger. They act like I’m not in the same room as they are. They act like they’ve been busted. I turn to face the four of them, putting my back on Ayden.
“No, no, no, no, you do not make this one of those things I am not allowed to know about.” My voice is clear, despite the feeling like I’m drowning under waves of anxiety.
I discover the meaning of “you could hear a pin drop.” There’s not one sound in the room except for a growing sound of my heart as it beats against my chest. The silence grows, the mood of the room sinks further down as their regret becomes the only thing I can smell.
