Chapter 4

I insisted on driving myself to the reception. Lucas reached for my keys. "Your wolf's still recovering. Let me drive."

"The other car's being cleaned. I'm more comfortable with this one."

I didn't want to spend another ride finding things Blair had left behind. He still thought I was just feeling unwell. He got into the passenger seat and set the navigation for me without another question.

Ruby was having a pajama party at home. Before we left, she stuck a dinosaur sticker on each of us and told us Mommy and Daddy weren't allowed to fight on their date. Lucas laughed and promised to bring her something sweet.

At the hotel entrance, he tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and led me over to greet the alliance delegates. Several other Alphas' mates came to hug me. When one praised Grayridge's new childcare center, he jumped in. "That's all Erin. I just sign the checks."

They laughed and told me I'd picked a good one. I looked at the dinosaur on his cuff and couldn't bring myself to smile.

During the reception, he brought me a pomegranate mocktail and welcomed the families who'd recently moved to Grayridge. Whenever they asked about medical appointments or school placements, he turned to me.

I answered each question as I always did. To everyone watching, we were still the couple running Grayridge together.

At eight thirty, he leaned close. "Owen's downstairs. We've got to sort out the patrol roster. Twenty minutes, tops."

"Go ahead."

I stayed to hear a she-wolf tell me about her son's first shift. When her mate returned, I excused myself to use the restroom. Downstairs, I heard Blair laughing behind the basement fire door.

I didn't open it. I called Lucas instead. He picked up quickly, but his breathing was uneven. "What's up, sweetheart?"

"I'm not feeling great. Is Owen with you? Can he take me home?"

"He went to get the roster." The pause before his answer lasted barely half a second. "Sit down. I'll be right up."

Blair called his name. There was a smack of a hand against bare skin, followed by a laughing "Ow" that didn't sound like pain at all. Lucas moved the phone away from his mouth. "Quiet. Knock it off."

"Who is it? Her again?"

"Work. Do you want me to stay or not?"

I lowered the phone. Only minutes earlier, he'd been keeping people from offering me wine upstairs. Now I was waiting for him to finish with her.

"Lucas?"

"The signal's bad." His voice came closer to the phone again. "Stay where you are. Wait for me."

"Don't forget Ruby's treat."

"I won't. I'll get you something, too."

I ended the call and went back upstairs. The woman I'd been talking to pulled out a chair for me and asked where my Alpha had gone. I told her he was taking care of something.

He returned half an hour later with a cardboard box of lemon tarts. His collar had been buttoned again, and Ruby's dinosaur sticker was gone. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Owen had the whole shift rotation screwed up."

"As long as it's sorted." I didn't take the box. "Leave those in the car."

He rested his hand on my shoulder, his thumb brushing the edge of the patch on my neck. I bit the tip of my tongue to keep from pulling away.

A message from Dad appeared on my phone. [Your travel documents are all set, yours and Ruby's. East checkpoint next Tuesday. See you there.]

Lucas glanced down and caught the end of it. His smile faded. "The checkpoint? Where are you going, Erin?"