Chapter 43: Lucas

 

Things were still tense between Sutton and me the next day. It was upsetting that she tried to leave, and there was no denying that the incident with Daisy played a role in that. It would have been one thing if Sutton was angry about an affair that never happened, but it was clear that she was using it as an excuse to doubt herself. Then to sneak off in the middle of the night…

That wasn’t who Sutton was. That much I knew for sure. Just as well as I knew she wanted me. Sutton wanted to be with me. That’s why she was so hurt by Daisy’s confrontation. Sutton just needed to admit it to herself.

I went to the sunroom in the afternoon. Sutton was standing in the backyard, her back to the house. She’d spent most of the day out there. I hadn’t planned on giving her space today. Neither had Rhonen. After our run last night, he was ready to claim Sutton completely. The fact that he was beginning to sense her wolf didn’t stem that eagerness. It was possible he would sense her more than Sutton did for a while, especially if she kept fighting the change. These were all things I had intended to address with her, but my other responsibilities took over my day quickly.

I had to get a plan in place to deal with Alpha Anders. I wouldn’t be able to keep the situation fully contained much longer. I spent the morning introducing the situation to several pack advisors without revealing Sutton’s existence. I couldn’t risk rumors getting out that I’d found my mate. Even I wouldn’t be able to contain the information once it started circulating through the pack. I was feeling drained from dealing with the bureaucracy of the task. Looking out at Sutton standing in the sunlight, I didn’t care about space.

Making my way outside, I slid my arms around her waist. I breathed in her scent. Letting it wash over me, instantly relieving some of the tension I was carrying. It helped even more when she leaned back into my embrace, sighing as she covered my arms with hers. Her breath hitched as I kissed along her neck. My tongue sought her taste, moving along her skin with my lips. The rise and fall of her chest quickened. The scent of her arousal hit me like a storm. Every part of my body responded. I felt the ache of my canines beginning to extend as Rhonen pushed forward in my consciousness.

Maintaining an ounce of control, I spun Sutton around. Removing the ultimate temptation but knowing we had gone too far to stop completely. My mouth found hers instantly. The force caused her to stumble back a few steps. I followed, gripping her hips as we bumped into one of the work benches. Her arms were around my neck as she returned my enthusiasm.

Lifting her onto the bench, I growled as her legs wrapped around my waist. She grabbed at the hem of my shirt. I wasted no time in obliging her, tugging it over my head. She pulled me toward her. My hands slid beneath her top, exploring the curves that had been filling out so incredibly well. Gripping the front of her shirt, I yanked the buttons apart.

My mouth was trailing down her exquisite chest when a voice broke through my lust-filled haze.

“Alpha…”

Sutton jumped, gasping in my arms as she rushed to cover herself. I looked behind her to see a man standing in the doorway to the sunroom. It was Soloman. One of the pack advisors.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snapped, keeping my arms protectively around Sutton.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he said sternly. “We need to talk. You weren’t responding.”

“I’ve been busy,” I replied through gritted teeth.

“Yes, I can see that,” he stated, his eyes dropping to the woman I was attempting to shield from view. “I’ll wait inside while you straighten yourself out.”

He turned and walked back into the house. My attention went back to Sutton. Her face was bright red up to her ears and her fingers fumbled with the buttons she was trying to secure.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I helped her redo the last few.

“Who was that?” she asked with a nod.

“Ambassador Soloman,” I told her. “He’s a pack advisor from the Council.”

“The Royal Council?” Sutton questioned.

I nodded. “Yes,” I confirmed. “I had to inform him of the situation with the Dawn Stalkers this morning. But that doesn’t explain what the hell he’s doing here. I have to deal with this.” I brushed her hair from her face. “You being here wasn’t part of the discussion. Are you okay with laying low until I can get rid of him?”

She scoffed, nodding heavily. “Gladly.”

I kissed her forehead and grabbed my discarded shirt, reluctantly leaving her behind. To say my bad mood had returned was an understatement. I had no interest in hiding it once I found our unexpected visitor in my office, casually flipping through a pack logbook.

“Now are you going to tell me what you’re doing here, Soloman?” I said, taking the book from his grasp.

“I told you,” he replied calmly. “You refused to answer my calls. It was quite concerning after springing this border dispute with the Dawn Stalker pack out of the blue. As the council ambassador, these are things that fall squarely in my purview and yet it seems this has been an issue for a few weeks now.”

“It was being monitored,” I stated.

“So you said,” he stated. “And since you haven’t been seen at the pack house since this apparently all started, I was assuming that meant by you personally. So I was surprised to hear that you have been holed up here the entire time. Then to find you with a woman… in such a compromising position…”

“Within my own home,” I remarked angrily, “which you weren’t invited into.”

“With all due respect, Alpha,” Soloman began, refusing to break eye contact, “your anger only presses my next question. Are you sleeping with Beta Mason’s missing mate?”