Bianca was relieved when Maude and Amelia appeared a minute later, reminding her of the names of major donors to thank and touching up her lipstick. Her assistants would be the buffer between her and her new security team. Bianca clearly needed to keep Pack King at arm’s length.
She was still thinking about intense black eyes and big, warm hands when she took the stage. Luckily, she could give her standard spiel on autopilot. Blah, blah, blah, generous donors. Blah, blah, blah, making the world a better place. She gave a gushing shoutout to her famous ballerina mother, who waved from her parents’ box to enthusiastic applause, and then Bianca was blessedly free to retreat to her own box to enjoy the performance.
Technically, her box also belonged to her parents, but they reserved it for their children, which meant Bianca, since her brothers required serious bribery to attend the ballet. Though there was more than enough room in Pack Bonnycastle’s box for Bianca and her siblings, they all preferred the separation.
Bianca definitely did, at least. It was one of the few so-called gifts from her parents that she actually enjoyed. She loved the ballet, loved to get lost in the stories the dancers told with their bodies. Once the auditorium lights dimmed and the curtains rose, Bianca let herself be transported. For sixty minutes, she forgot about security details and frustrating mothers, fully immersed in the movement and artistry of the performance. She was barely aware that Quentin King was just beyond the door, his scent doing its best to find its way to her nose. None ofthat mattered while the music swelled and the dancers leapt. It was just Bianca and the magic.
Then it was intermission, and she had barely left her seat before Astrid and the fathers appeared, eager to introduce her to Pack Willoughby. She allowed herself to be led through the crowd, once more acutely aware of the three alphas watching her from the shadows. Though she tried to maintain her annoyance with her bodyguards’ presence, she found them much less irritating than the three alphas who’d hired them.
“How are you getting on with your security detail?” Arthur asked as they walked, as if he’d read her thoughts. “They’re a new firm, but I was impressed with their military records. And Dan the Van was one hell of an athlete. Shame about his injury. He could’ve had a long career.”
“It’s good we found King’s Guard when we did. They’re a steal right now, but I’m sure they’ll be raising their rates soon,” another of her dads, Gregory, interjected.
Of all her parents, Gregory was the most miserly. Bianca knew he was the only one in the pack that hadn’t been born wealthy. To his great shame, he’d been raised upper middle-class. Since jumping several tax brackets after joining Arthur Bonnycastle’s pack, he clung to his money and status as if fearful the last forty years of opulence had been a fluke.
“Of course they will,” Astrid replied breezily. “With Pack Bonnycastle on their resume, they’ll attract an entirely new breed of clientele. I hope they can handle it. That one with the sparkly teeth seems like he might not be house trained.”
Bianca narrowed her eyes. She’d thought worse, but something about hearing it in her mother’s delicate accent was infuriating. Winston chuckled, though Gregory and Arthur didn’t seem amused.
“You mean the Black one, Astrid?” Bianca kept her voice cold and indifferent, though she was boiling inside. “Did you have to train your Black mates?”
Astrid’s face turned an indignant shade of red. “I didn’t say anything of the sort. You know I would never! That man is nothing like your fathers–”
Bianca tried not to smile triumphantly as her mother sputtered and stumbled over her words. This wasn’t the first time the Norwegian ballerina had put her foot in her mouth around her Black mates and biracial daughter. It was satisfying to make her uncomfortable, even though Bianca knew she’d pay for it later. Astrid always managed to get the last laugh.
“Mr. King and his packmates are of a different class, but military men know how to handle business, and how to respect their betters,” Winston interrupted, rescuing his mate from her discomfort. “Besides, that other fellow is a smooth talker. They’ll be fine.”
“He looks like a smooth talker and not at all trustworthy.” Astrid sniffed, glancing disapprovingly at the pretty security guard where he stood watching Bianca from the shadows near the doors to the auditorium. “Are you sure you weren’t swindled by their all-American story?”
“Do you not trust veterans or is it Latinos who are the problem?” Bianca asked. She knew she was pushing it, but her mother brought out her bratty side. “I notice you haven’t said anything disparaging about the blonde one. I wonder why he doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Bianca Bonnycastle–” Astrid began indignantly.
“Enough.” Arthur’s voice thrummed with alpha command, the compulsion chafing at Bianca’s nerves. Astrid’s mouth snapped shut immediately, and she bowed her head, subtly baring her neck in submission. Arthur took Astrid’s arm and gave Bianca a pointed look. “We know how to vet our employeesandour mates. King’s Guard will keep Bianca safe, and Astrid isn’t racist for being concerned about her daughter’s safety. Now smile, both of you, and let’s introduce Bianca to Pack Willoughby.”
Unsurprisingly, Pack Willoughby had little to offer in the area of physical attraction. They were distinguished-looking men who must’ve been handsome enough in their youth. The benefits of wealth and their designation had served them well, keeping them in better health than Bianca had expected for octogenarians. The pack leader was a little stooped, and one of the others was clearly a bit hard of hearing, but they were all virile enough to ogle her tits.
It was a convenient distraction for them, since Bianca found it difficult to pay attention to the tedious conversation they were having with her parents. She tried to feign interest, while being once again acutely aware of Pack King’s whereabouts. It was impossible to care about Pack Willoughby’s pleasant but unremarkable scents, when she’d been breathing in Pack King all evening. It was laughable entertaining Pack Willoughby’s advances when her body was still humming from the pretty bodyguard’s brief touch.
Luckily, despite her alpha-addled instincts, Bianca Bonnycastle was no fool. She knew how to make a good first impression. Pack Willoughby might just meet all of her requirements, especially if their medical records checked out in her favor. She’d see what Amelia and Maude could find out.
In the meantime, Bianca smiled and leaned toward Pack Willoughby, making the most of the assets she had, as Astrid had so eloquently put it. She played her part better than usual, letting the old men believe the sparkle in her eyes and the flush of her cheeks was for them, and not the three brown-eyed alphas watching her from the shadows.
Chapter five
Daniel
Daniel couldn’t believe their luck.
He’d been thrilled with the financial benefits of their new gig but had prepared himself to be mind-numbingly bored. Instead, he was having the time of his life. Bianca Bonnycastle was not at all what he’d expected.
Yeah, she was snooty and prissy as all hell, but she was also intelligent and outspoken and slightly terrifying. Pack King spent more energy trying not to piss her off than they did protecting her, since the former was far more difficult than the latter. Bianca was pretty much always pissed off. She had a tongue that could cut a man open. Daniel was constantly surprised and amused by the shit that came out of her pretty mouth. He’d always had a soft spot for assholes.
Three weeks into the assignment, he still hadn’t heard her call anyone in his pack by name. She rarely spoke directly to any of them, and when she did it was usually a brief response to King. If she had to speak of them, she called Dante “the pretty one”, Daniel “the big one”, and only referred to King as “the pack leader.” The nicknames suited Daniel just fine. He considered them to be Bianca’s idea of terms of endearment. Since everyone else just called himVan, it felt kind of special.
Daniel was pretty sure she liked them more than she liked most people, though she obviously would never show it if she could help it. She was far too contrary for that, but she couldn’t fully hide her interest. Daniel might be fun and laidback, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t just as observant as his packmates. Dante and King’s military training made them great at reading rooms and situations, but he brought a different lens. He’d dedicated many years to football, honing his ability to read defenses, to notice subtle tells that they were about to blitz or that a lineman was about to pull. That strategic focus didn’t disappear when he left the league.
Daniel was learning to read Bianca Bonnycastle’s tells: the way her stormy gray eyes seemed to linger on them when she thought they weren’t watching and how her nostrils flared when they entered a room, her spicy apple scent rising to meet them every time. Even more tellingly, she waited for their directions before coming and going now, attending to their briefings with feigned indifference, but following King’s commands to the letter.
