Chapter 5

Horace's POV

Ethan came around the corner, and I backed off from Elena, shivering against the corner like a scared puppy. Well, not that she was in any way scared… just a hell of a lot of sexy and surprising.

“Hey buddy, when did you wake up?” I asked, attempting to pick him up from the floor..

To my surprise, Ethan dodged and went straight for Elena, hugging her legs as he voiced out the words,

“Mama?”

The shock on both our faces was so evident that Ethan must have felt the silence that came after. He looked up and then stretched his tired hands for Elena to pick him up.

Elena was still as shocked as I was as she carried my 5-year-old son, and he immediately clung to her, rubbing his tired eyes.

“Seems like you're staying.”

“Uh…” Elena opened her mouth, but she was too dumbfounded to speak. “Wait, what do you mean…”

“Shh”, he hushed me suddenly. “You’ll wake him up.”

Elena lowered her voice, the look of alarm still on her face. “What do you mean I'm staying?”

“Where do you think you're going? Back to your ex-husband's house?”

“No, I'm not. And, he’s not my ex yet, you know. We haven’t broken our mate bond and…”

“So you still love him?”

“I don't”, Elena tried to say firmly without waking Ethan up..

“I don't love him.”

“Then stay”, I said, making my way up the stairs like that was final.

“I can’t just stay. This is the White House. Have you forgotten that you're the..”

“Alpha? What will people say?” I cut her off for the umpteenth time, walking into my study, and she followed closely.

“Let me worry about that, Elena.”

“But …”

“But what?”, I shot back so suddenly, Elena was taken back.

“Aren't you already tired enough? That man, and his low-life side chick, took everything from you, and now you have a chance to make them pay, and you want to give flimsy excuses to cover it up.”

“They are not flimsy excuses!” Elena shot back at me, but her voice was a little too loud because little Ethan raised his head, his eyes still sleepy.

“Mama?”

Elena hesitated and then said, “It's ok. It's ok”, she said, patting his head so gently I was almost jealous. The way she looked at Ethan, the tenderness in her eyes, reassured my wolf that I was not mistaken.

I could hear Elena's breathing in the silence that enveloped us as we both watched Ethan, rubbing one eye and waving his other hand frantically.

“Are you leaving Mama?”

Elena glanced at me, but I had been watching her all along, and then the tenderness in her eyes returned. It was like she fought a war within herself, not to break the little boy's heart. I had had girlfriends in the past after his mum died, and Ethan had never called a single one “mama” before, not even my grandparents.

“No … Ethan. I'm not going anywhere.”

“Please don't leave, mama”, he said, his light voice loud in the quiet room as he wrapped his hands around my neck. “I've missed you.”

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes when he said that, and she hugged him back dearly. They stayed like that for a long time until he slept off again. The maid came to study to take him to his room.

“He's never called anyone 'mama' before", I said, taking a step forward.

Elena breathed out loudly. “Well.. I don't know what to say.”

“Then say it with your actions. Stay here”

“And do what? Look, I appreciate you protecting me and exposing my ex and opening my eyes and all of that, but what are we really doing?”

“Exploring what we have with each other”, I said, walking towards her until she had her back to the counter. I towered over her, trying to hold back my wolf as her endearing body called to every inch of me, my hands wanting to capture the vulnerability of her body. I could feel her just go weak under me, trying to brace herself up, but she was damn well doing a bad job at hiding it.

“But I … I barely even know you, Horace. We just met.”

“But yet you can't deny what's between us?”

“Uh.. I …”, Elena stuttered. “Look, I've not even broken my mate bond yet. How do I know if all of this makes sense?”

“Stay to find out. Get the revenge you deserve. Make them pay and be my “girlfriend”, I said in air quotes, “... while we are at it.”

Elena's beautiful bosoms heaved up and down as she drew every breath, and my eyes wouldn't steer away from them, my wolf wanting nothing else than to be in her right now. I knew she felt the same way too, but she wasn't going to let her guard down easily, at least not now that the man she loved for over four years turns out to be a total scumbag.

“I … I need some time to think. I just got out of my marriage. My head isn't straight, Horace.”

“Well, you can do all your thinking here because I'm pretty sure Ethan would want to see his mama when he wakes up.”

Elena's cheeks flushed red for a moment, and she avoided my eyes, darting hopelessly at the ground. The tiny hands of her dress slid off her shoulders, and I took one up, feeling her body quaver to my touch. My hands went to her waist, and I raised her to sit on the counter, still towering over her even with the height. My hands touched the wall beside her, and I could feel Elena's intense brown eyes piercing into my soul. I was pretty sure she couldn't help but think

“What is this man going to do with me..?”

Elena’s eyes darted to my lips, and I could kiss her there and then, but I needed to resist the raging wolf within. I needed her to trust me.

“Besides, what's the worst that could happen?”