Chapter 7

Margot POV

“Everything’s fine. Thank you.” I smiled and looked into his emotionless eyes.

“Alpha mentioned you still work full time. About the car,”

“I don’t need it. Most nights I’ll stay at my apartment near the lab. Subway and the occasional rideshare are enough.”

I knew exactly how unwelcome a stranger would be in this house.

No point in making myself more of a problem than I already was.

Henry’s brow lifted a fraction.

“Very well. Any dietary preferences?”

“None. Whatever’s easy.”

“Are you certain there’s nothing you need?”

“Not right now. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

“I'll walk you out,” he bowed and gestured for me to follow.

We reached the foyer just as Rhett came through the front door.

He stopped short when he saw me, a flicker of pure confusion crossing his face before the mask slid back into place.

His scent hit me a second later: dark cedar, clean rain, and that unmistakable undercurrent of power that made my wolf go still and low to the ground.

“Alpha.” Henry stepped forward immediately. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Left too early this morning. Decided to rest for a bit since I was already close.”

Rhett shrugged out of his suit jacket and handed it over, then tugged at his tie.

The movement pulled the fabric away from his throat, exposing the powerful line of his Adam’s apple as it shifted.

His eyes stayed on me the entire time, cool and assessing.

“Alpha Vanderbilt.” I gave a small nod and looked down.

Even the simple motion of him loosening his tie sent a stupid, traitorous flutter through my chest. My pulse kicked hard enough that I felt it in my throat.

“Settling in all right?” he asked, casually.

“Yes. Everything’s fine.”

“If you need anything, tell Henry.”

“I will. Thank you. I’m heading back to the lab. I’ll keep staying at my apartment near work so I don’t get in your way.”

Rhett’s gaze sharpened. The air between us thickened.

“Are you planning to live in the apartment?”

“Yeah, I,”

“We’re married. You live here.”

He handed the tie to Henry and walked toward the living room.

“Tea.”

I hesitated, then followed, stopping a few feet from the sofa like an employee waiting for instructions.

Which, technically, I still was.

My wolf paced restlessly under my skin, ears flat, unsettled by the quiet command in his voice.

Henry set the tea down and retreated to the edge of the room.

Rhett took a slow sip, then leaned back into the leather, phone already in hand.

His scent wrapped around me, controlled, heavy, impossible to ignore.

“This is a business arrangement,” he said without looking up.

“But certain appearances still matter. You may not understand why. You only need to follow through. Can you do that?”

The quiet weight of his Alpha presence pressed against my skin even though he still hadn’t met my eyes.

 My wolf dropped lower, submitting without a fight.

“Yes.”

“Is the house the problem, or is it something else?”

“The house is perfect. I just don’t want to impose.”

“It’s a large house. I trust you know how to stay out of the way.”

His fingers paused on the screen.

He finally glanced up. The look was mild. The impact wasn’t.

“Or are you worried I’ll expect you to perform certain… wifely duties?”

Heat flooded my face so fast it almost hurt.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

A thin, sharp spike of my scent leaked out before I could lock it down, embarrassment and something softer I would rather not name.

I flicked a brief glance at Henry.

The butler stared at nothing, his face blank as stone.

I kept my eyes on the floor. No appropriate answer came.

My fingers curled against my thighs, nails biting into the fabric of my pants like claws trying to push through.

“Relax,” Rhett said, voice still mild.

“I have no interest in anything beyond the terms of the contract. You’re free to live here without concern.”

Every word was polished.

Every word landed like a quiet slap.

 I remembered the clause in black and white: no unauthorized attempt to conceive the Vanderbilt heir. A man like Rhett had people lining up for the chance.

He’d already made an example of three employees in his first year just to kill the rumors.

That I might be the one he needed protection from was almost funny, except it wasn’t funny at all.

I had never expected him to touch me.

 I wasn’t stupid.

 Hearing the soft, civilized dismissal from the one person whose opinion actually mattered still hollowed me out. Lisa curled tight and small inside my chest, tail tucked, scent thinning with the sharp edge of humiliation I couldn’t quite hide.

The cedar-and-rain of his presence stayed wrapped around me anyway, steady, indifferent, and completely unreachable.