I scrub a hand over my face and try to focus on the quarterlyreports that need my review. But five minutes later, I’m looking at her again.
She’s typing something, her brow furrowed in concentration. Then, she pauses. Her hand moves to her neck, fingers pressing against the marks I left there. The ones hidden beneath her collar.
My wolf rumbles with satisfaction.
She drops her hand quickly and glances toward my office. Catches me watching. This time, she doesn’t divert her gaze immediately. An odd look crosses her face before she turns back to her computer with deliberate focus.
This is going to be a long day.
The knock on my door makes me grateful for the distraction. “Come in.”
Ethan pushes through with two cups of coffee. He sets one on my desk and drops into the chair across from me with his usual casual ease, taking a sip of the other.
“You look like hell,” he observes.
“Thanks.”
He studies me over the rim of his cup. “How long are you planning to keep this up?”
I don’t pretend to misunderstand. “As long as I have to.”
“Darius.” His voice drops, becoming serious. “You can’t keep denying the bond. It’s going to eat you alive.”
“I’m not denying anything.” I lean back in my chair, the leather creaking. “I’m protecting her.”
“By sleeping with her but refusing to actually claim her?” Ethan shakes his head. “That’s not protection. That’s torture. For both of you.”
My hands tighten on the armrests. “You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it to me.”
I stare at him. Ethan is one of the few people I trust completely. The only one who knows what Violet is to me. And he hasn’t judged me for it.
“She told me something last night.” The words come out rushed. “She said when it comes to light that I’m lusting after mystepsister, she’ll be”—I search for the phrase she used—“torn apart. And I won’t help her because I’ll be too busy saving myself.”
Ethan nods slowly. “She thinks you’ll abandon her.”
“She has convinced herself that I will.” I run a hand through my hair. “And the worst part is, she’s not entirely wrong. If the pack were to find out about us, she’d bear the brunt of it. She has no status. No protection beyond being the Alpha’s stepdaughter, and even that means nothing.”
“So, what’s your plan? Keep sleeping with her in secret until…what? Until she finds another mate? Until you’re forced to take one?”
The thought makes my wolf snarl. I shake my head sharply. “I don’t have a plan.”
“You need one.” Ethan leans forward. “Because this half measure you’ve landed on? It’s not sustainable. And it’s not fair to her.”
“Nothing about this situation is fair to her.”
“Then change it.” His voice is firm now, challenging. “You’re going to be the alpha one day. Act like it. Choose her.”
His words throw me for a loop. “It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple. It’s just not easy.” Ethan holds my gaze. “Look, I get it. Your father, the pack, the politics of it all. But at the end of the day, she’s your fated mate. Your wolf knows it. You know it. And eventually, she’s going to figure it out.”
“She can’t feel the bond.”
“Not yet. But you said her wolf is stirring, right? It’s only a matter of time before she does feel it. And when that happens, what are you going to tell her? That you knew all along but decided she wasn’t worth the hassle?”
The accusation lands hard, compressing my lungs. Before I can respond, the door to my office opens.
