He nodded. “Didn’t get back until this morning. Came here for a debrief, but as soon as Blood Moon opened, I was gonna go and find you.”
“You were?”
“Yeah. It worked the first time. I spent every moment I could at Blood Moon, hoping to run into you.”
Her jaw dropped. “You did?”
“Yeah.”
She let out a laugh. “I did the same. After that night we—” She gasped as he took a step forward and his hand planted on her waist with the gentlest pressure.
“I want to you to get to know me, Olivia,” he said. “If you want to.”
“I want,” she whispered. “I mean, I want to. Will you stay if the Alpha lets you?”
“I … yes.”
The moment of hesitation from him made her chest clench. But she supposed she couldn’t blame him for being cautious. There was still so much they didn’t know each other.
“Ahem.”
The sound of her father’s voice made them jump apart. They hadn’t even noticed he had re-entered his office.
“D-Dad.” Olivia gulped, her father’s knowing gaze burning into her. “Were you able to speak with the Alpha?”
“Yes,” he said. “The Alpha wants to see you. Now.”
“I’m coming with you,” she declared.
Her father clucked his tongue. “I know better than to say no to you. You get that stubbornness from your mother. Speaking of who, I told her and your brother that we had a situation with the Alpha that I couldn’t explain now but I will once we were done. I figured you’d want to tell them the news yourself .”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He nodded at Eli. “Blake, you ready to do this?”
Eli grunted. “Yeah. I’m ready to face the consequences.”
“Really?” Her dad crossed his arms over his chest. “And you’re prepared to accept any punishment the Alpha metes out?”
“Yes. But I’m not abandoning Olivia or the baby.”
“Even if you did, she doesn’t need you. We’ll take care of her.”
“Dad,” Olivia warned. “I’m sure we can ask the Alpha for some leniency. Especially when he finds out I’m pregnant. The Lupa is his True Mate, so he’ll understand.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Eli said.
“Good,” her father said. “Now, you’ve told us everything, right? No more secrets.”
“None,” he said quickly.
Olivia sensed an odd timbre in his tone. Her she-wolf, too, scratched at her, telling her there was something going on.
You’re just being paranoid.
Everything was going to be fine, she told herself.
Chapter 4
