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Chapter 199
+25 BONOS
Chapter 199
I nod, torn between relief at his departure and anxiety about being alone with Arthur. Will he press me for more answers once Caleb is gone? I want to tell him, but after what Caleb told me, I feel uncertain.
“Thank you for today,” I tell Caleb.
Caleb gives me a small smile, then extends his hand to Arthur. “Alpha President.”
Arthur stares at Caleb’s hand for a moment, but then shakes it. “Good seeing you, Caleb.”
“Likewise.”
I walk Caleb to the door, aware of Arthur’s eyes on my back the entire time. At the threshold, Caleb leans in close and whispers, “Remember what we discussed. A few more days.”
I nod imperceptibly, then close the door behind him. When I turn back to Arthur, he’s standing in the middle of my living room, looking slightly lost among the scattered remnants of my etiquette lesson. He’s still holding the flowers, although they’re basically dangling at his side now.
“So,” he says, clearing his throat. “Etiquette lessons?”
I nod. “After the interview debacle, I figured I could use some help. Caleb offered, and I accepted. We’re… friends now.”
Liar, a tiny voice in the back of my mind hissed. The guilt tasted like ash on my tongue. “You could have asked me to help you,” Arthur says, and there’s hurt in his voice now.
My chest tightens. “You’re busy enough as it is. And honestly…” I trail off, searching for the right words. “It’s embarrassing, having to learn all this stuff at my age. Things everyone else in your world already knows.”
Arthur crosses the room in three strides, gently turning me to face him. “Iris, you don’t have to be embarrassed with me. Ever.”
I look up into his green eyes, so full of concern and love, and the guilt threatens to choke me. How can I keep lying to this man? My mate?
But I remember Caleb’s warning, his insistence that we need more time to figure things out. I’m not entirely sure why Caleb is so adamant about not telling Arthur, but I want to respect his wishes. It’s a tough spot to be in, though. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. betray my family when I’ve only just found them or betray Arthur, the man I care deeply for. “I know,” I finally whisper, leaning into Arthur’s touch. “I just want to make you proud.”
Chapter 199
+25 BONOS
“You already do,” he says fiercely, pulling me into his arms. The flowers smell sweet. “Every single day. And if you want to seek Caleb’s help, regardless of the way I feel about him, that’s your decision. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Thank you, Arthur. I appreciate your trust.”
I breathe in his familiar scent, mixed with the scent of the flowers, and let it calm my racing heart. His wolf responds to my distress; I can feel it in the way his body tenses protectively around me.
For a moment, I wonder what it would be like if my own wolf was awake, if we could communicate on that deeper level.
Soon, I tell myself. Soon, I’ll tell him everything. Just a couple more days. Arthur will understand.
Arthur finally pulls back and gently presses the flowers into my hands. “These are for you.”
Smiling, I inhale the smell of the flowers, the tension slipping from my shoulders as the sweet scent envelops me. Arthur follows me to the kitchen and watches, leaning against the doorframe, as I find a vase under the sink. I add water, then carefully cut the stems to fit and arrange the flowers in the vase.
“So,” he says, his eyes softer now, “how about that second date?”
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