Chapter 6

Elena's POV

Horace had ordered the maids to prepare another master bedroom in the White House for me.

When I entered the room, I couldn't help but love the lavishness of the room. Everything in it was state-of-the-art.

“I mean, this is the White House”, I said to myself. A maid came up to inform me that dinner would be ready soon, so I decided to take a shower

I came out, wrapped in my bathrobe, and I was more than shocked to see the Alpha Horace in my chambers, a dress folded in his hands.

“Oh my God!” I squealed in fear and shock, holding fast to my robe quickly. My reaction seemed to amuse him because he wasn't even in the least bothered.

“What… why are you in my.. room?”, I said, my face clearly horrified because beneath that bathrobe, I was basically Eve standing in front of the almighty Alpha of my pack

“I came to give you this. Some new clothing for tomorrow”, he said, gesturing to the dress in his hand.

“You could have knocked”, I said, my hands still tightly clutched at the two hands of my robe.

“I did, but I don't think you heard”, he said, his voice so soothing, I was having a hard time keeping my wolf from pouncing on him. And he wasn't making things any better by coming closer.

“You missed dessert”, he said finally. “Or did you have other plans?” he asked, a smirk on his face, if I would understand what he meant.

I swear to God, if this man touched me as much as just a finger, I would let down this robe and be stark naked in front of him right now.

I gave a super awkward laugh at the thought, but Horace was obviously waiting for my response.

My response?.l

Everything in my wolf wanted to just pull him to me and let those lips do things to my body more than just talk. I didn't understand. Was I so lucky to have a second chance, mate, merely breaking from my first?

“Uhh…I would like to … dress up now. I'll need you to excuse me ”, I said weakly, wishing this man didn't make me feel so vulnerable and feminine at the same time.

“The dessert will be here in a minute. I'll leave you to … tidy up”

I fastened my bathrobe as soon as he turned his back, and just as he got to the door, I uttered something that triggered the night.

“I don't think Ethan has cancer.”

The expected silence followed, and I braced up for his response.

“What did you say?” Horace said, turning to me and this time, with a not-so-flirty look.

“I think Ethan can be saved. I think I can save Ethan.”

Horace scoffed, his eyes dead as he looked at me. I watched his fist tighten, not the reaction I was expecting.

“Don't make fake promises, Elena.”

“I'm not making fake promises, Horace. I've been spending time, a lot of time with him, and I have studied him. I know…”

“You don't know anything.” Horace cut me off suddenly, his voice gentle but strict. I took a deep breath, understanding how triggering it may be for him.

“I know that other doctors have tried…”

“And failed.”, he said, cutting me off suddenly. “You're just like the others. No one knows anything. No one has a solution. No one...”, he paused, raising his head to look at me, “.. is giving me answers”

“I know, Horace, that it is hard to trust me, but I believe…”

“I'm not interested in your beliefs,” He said, cutting me off again.

“And no, you don't know. You have no idea. You don't understand what it's like to be treated like an experiment day in, day out! I have had doctors coming here with so much hope to give, only to be disappointed at the end of the day. You can not know how exhausting that is, Elena, so please, I don't need your beliefs.”

“Then take my word for it. I will cure Ethan in two weeks if I get all the time and all the access I need. If I don't, then we can end whatever this is and you'll never see my face again. And if you think I'm doing this for my licence, then you can also revoke my licence if I don't find a cure for Ethan within those two weeks.”

What the hell was I saying? Two weeks? Really Elena.

Seconds passed with the room so silent, you could hear the big gates close from metres away.

Horace still looked down, arms now folded like this was the decision of his life.

“On one condition”, he said finally. “You stay here, in the White House.”

“We have a deal”, I said too quickly.

What the hell are you doing, Elena? This is crazy!

***********

“Elena, you're making a huge mistake.”

“What? You think the Alpha is going to marry you?”

“Don't be pathetic, come back.”

“I'm sorry, baby. Can we just talk this over dinner? Family dinner tonight, please. I'm begging. I want to make this up to you. Let's talk. Maybe, just maybe, there's some we are missing.”

My eyes went through the twenty-three messages the fool had spammed me with.

“Let's talk over dinner”, I mimicked as I threw the phone on the bed, visibly pissed.

“What dinner?”

I let out a short squeal as I turned to see who was behind me. Sure enough, it was Horace. I mean, who else could be in my room without knocking?

“You scared me”, I said, having my hand on my chest. “Why didn't you knock?”

“I did”, he said, glancing at the door.

“So what dinner were you talking about?”

“It's…nothing.”, I said, picking up my phone. But obviously, Horace wasn't going to let you do that easily.

“Michael wants to meet over some stupid dinner to talk.”

“So?”

The way Horace had his eyes cross-sectioning every part of my being made it hard for me to concentrate. And he was always too close, always filling up the proximity between us, making my whole body just shudder at the thought of him standing close to me.

And to make things worse, he was in the same shorts as last time.

Moon goddess, help me.

“I'm… I'm not going”, I finally stuttered, attempting to wiggle my way out of the corner this man had created. But he took hold of my waist and I felt my breath cut.

He looked down at my tiny tummy, his thumb like a wiper, one hand still on my waist.

“You’re … soft”

“Uhh…”, I stuttered. With his hands on me, all I wanted to do was pull him close and give him a long, passionate kiss.

“You should wear sequins more. It fits your skin.”

“Okay”, I managed to say, my body feeling electrical conduit.

He turned to take the call, and I just stood there, high on whatever hormones had just taken over me.

“We will go to dinner. Ask him what time”, Horace finally said once he was off the phone.

“What? No. I don't want to see or even have to be in the same space as that man.”

“Relax, Elena”, he said, placing both hands on my arm.

“This would be good. He thinks he still has some kind of power over you. Well, you're going to prove him wrong and make him sorry he ever cheated on you.”

“How?”

“By acting as the couple he thinks we are.”