The lie tastes bitter on my tongue.
I’m not fine.
What the hell just happened?
Chapter Two
Darius
“The quarterly reports are showing promise, but we’ll have to put some additional trackers in place if we want a more accurate estimate,” my assistant drones through the Bluetooth as I park the car in front of the main house.
“Then, get it done,” I say coolly. “I need reports, Thalem, not a rundown of every single thing you can handle on your own.”
“Yes, sir.”
I end the call as I get out of the car. James hurries toward me, and I toss him the keys. “Park this, will you?”
“Yes, Mr. Darius.” As he slides behind the wheel, I remove a pack of cigarettes from my jacket pocket. I shake one out before lighting it.
“Has dinner begun?”
“It will start in five minutes,” the butler affirms before glancing at the lit cigarette clenched between my teeth. “Your mother won’t appreciate the smell of that.”
“Stepmother,” I correct him idly, taking a puff before letting out a stream of smoke. “Who’s our surprise guest?” My question immobilizes James with his hand hovering over the key in the ignition.
He sighs. “I’m not allowed to tell you. I’m sorry. Alpha’s orders.”
I roll my eyes. “What about Zion? Is he here?”
James stiffens the way most people do at the mention of illegitimate children. Doesn’t matter that my older brother is the Alpha’s first-born son. “He is busy with other things.”
I snort. “Of course he is. You can go.”
As James drives my car toward the garage on the other side of the house, I drag on my cigarette until my shoulders have relaxed. Shifters don’t typically smoke, but I’ve always liked the smell of it. My stepmother hates it, but she can’t control me like she does her own daughter.
The unbidden thought of the young girl with shy, hazel eyes has my mood worsening. I shake off the image, ignoring my wolf’s soft, broken whine, and finish my cigarette. Staring up at the main house, I feel the desperate urge to turn around and leave. I hate coming here, hate coming into this house that feels empty to me, hate searching in corners for one particular scent that has long since faded.
I toss the cigarette butt on the ground and stomp on it. After taking a deep breath, I head up the front steps.
May as well get this over with.
I push open the front door and step into the foyer. The familiar, oppressive silence of the house surrounds me immediately, but something’s different tonight.
My wolf stirs, restless and curious, as a scent hits me.
It’s perfumed, with floral notes that would normally put me off. Too artificial, too heavy. But underneath it, there’s something else. Something that makes my wolf pace inside my chest, agitated and alert.
Pleasant. The word surfaces unbidden. The aroma is pleasant in a way I can’t explain, in a way that makes me want to breathe deeper, follow it to its source.
Voices drift from the dining room. My father’s deep timbre, my stepmother’s crisp tones, and something else. Someone else.
The mystery guest.
I move down the hallway quickly. The scent intensifieswith every step, embracing me, sinking into my lungs. My wolf is fully awake now, prowling beneath my skin with an intensity that’s unsettling.
What the hell?
I reach the dining room and open the door. My father sits at the head of the table, my stepmother to his left. And then, my eyes land on her.
