Chapter 24

“Never said it was your fault. When a man leaves home on a business trip and comes back not even a week later to find everything turned upside down, he gets curious.” He looked up and removed a thick pair of reading glasses, motioning for her to come forward. “Let’s have a look at you.”

His eyes were shrewd and green, and it felt like they were looking through Bella. They widened sharply as he looked her over, and he rose suddenly from his chair.

Bella took an instinctive step back and hit the wall that was Darian. He put his strong hands on her shoulders and kept her steady. The longer the Alpha watched her with those piercing eyes, the more she felt like returning to the Lodge had been a mistake.

Just when she was sure she was about to find out whether Darian’s protectiveness over her extended even to the man he revered so deeply, the Alpha composed himself and straightened his back to reach his full height. He had to be at least six feet tall.