“You’re not disappointed?”
“I’m relieved.”Clara laughed softly.“Honestly?I was worried you’d go through with it and destroy something you actually wanted.The ledger was useful when you needed armor.But armor isn’t supposed to become a prison.”
The mental ledger.I hadn’t thought about it in days.The sins were still there, still real, but they no longer defined everything he was.They were history, not destiny.
“Thank you,” I said.“For understanding.”
“Call me when you’re ready to tell me the rest.I have a feeling there’s more to this story.”Clara’s voice warmed.“And Lena?You sound happy.Actually happy.Hold onto that.”
I hung up feeling lighter than I had in months.
Raphael appeared at my office door just after noon, his presence reaching me before I saw him.Warmth flooded through our connection, steady and familiar now.
“Lunch,” he said.It was not a question.
Michael was passing in the hallway behind him, and he paused to nod a greeting.“Mr.Antonov.Good to see you again.”
“Michael.”Raphael’s voice was pleasant, neutral.But his attention sharpened, a flicker I caught along our connection.A flicker of suspicion I could not quite name.
Michael smiled and continued down the hall, and Raphael watched him go for a moment before stepping into my office and closing the door.
“That general manager of yours,” he said.
“Michael?”I looked up from my desk.“What about him?”
“Nothing.”But I sensed a flicker of something I could not quite identify.Not suspicion exactly.More like a question he could not quite form, a thought half-started and then abandoned.“He seems dedicated.”
“He is.He’s been here for years.My father trusted him, and so do I.”
Raphael nodded, and the flicker faded.Whatever had caught his attention, he let it go.He crossed to my desk and pulled me up from my chair, wrapping his arms around me.Through the bond, his wolf settled, content now that we were close again.
“I missed you,” he murmured against my hair.
“It’s been four hours.”
“Too long.”
I laughed, and we went to lunch.
By the time we drove back to the manor, the sun was sinking behind the mountains and I was pleasantly exhausted.
Evening at the manor was quiet.
Dinner was simple by Alice’s standards, which meant herb-crusted lamb with roasted vegetables and wine.But we ate together at the kitchen island rather than the formal dining room, our knees bumping under the counter, and that made it feel domestic.Normal.Like we were any couple in any home, sharing a meal at the end of a long day.
Through the bond, Raphael’s contentment ran steady and deep, with no trace of the darkness I had grown accustomed to sensing in him.The wolf was at peace.The man was at peace.They had gotten what they wanted, and what they wanted was me.
“What are you thinking?”he asked.
I looked down at my plate, pushing a piece of lamb around with my fork.“I’m thinking that this is nice.”
“But?”
He could feel the but.Of course he could.The bond made it impossible to hide.
“I’m scared,” I admitted.“I’m scared that this won’t last.”
He set down his fork, giving me his full attention.“Why?”
