by Aria Chase
Mila didn’t miss the slight nudge her mother gave Niall before he stepped forward, extending a check to Elijah. She glanced down, surprised to see both of their names in the “To” field, along with a generous sum.
He knows Elijah’s name.
Of course her father would know every member of the pack. He was the Beta. Meanwhile, she had remained in her figurative ivory tower, interacting only with those in her class. A sudden wave of guilt squirmed through her belly. To think that she was so close to never even knowing Elijah, never loving him…
“We don’t need your money.” Elijah’s shoulders took on a stubborn set.
“I… I know, but I want you to have it.” Niall’s voice, though low, didn’t lack conviction. “Please take it, so that you can take care of my daughter.”
Mila held her breath as their gazes clashed. A silent contest of wills seemed to be taking place between the men.
Her father’s shoulders sagged and Elijah reacted, taking the check in a brisk motion. She assumed he would tear it up, but he held it firmly and extended his other hand to Niall. “Thank you,” he offered. His expression warmed, losing the wary watchfulness it had exhibited since they stepped inside the room.
Niall shook Elijah’s hand, giving a firm clap on the shoulder. “She deserves the world.”
Elijah nodded. “And I intend to give it to her, Sir.”
Niall turned to Mila with a sigh. He gathered her into an embrace, then drew her mother in as well. After what somehow seemed like an eternity and yet not enough time at all, he released them both and nodded to his daughter with tearful determination.
“I’m sorry it took such an ugly encounter for me to see the error of my ways,” he said. “Be happy, Mila.”
“Yes. Be happy and know that we love you always.” Maeva slipped an envelope into Mila’s hand. “Keys to the boat and the condo in Vancouver,” she whispered. “They’re yours, for as long as you need them.”
Mila choked back a cry and squeezed her mother’s hand. “I love you.” She turned back to her father, offering him a sweet smile. “Both of you.”
The partings were quick after that, and as they cut through the forest to find Elijah’s clothes and car, Mila could still feel the phantom sensation of her father’s arms around her. When they drove off, she had looked back just once, waiting for a pang at leaving, but experiencing none. She was doing the right thing, even if it meant leaving her parents behind.
As Elijah turned onto the main street that would take them to the dock, negotiating the sharp turns with expert precision, she asked, “Why did you take the money? Daddy wasn’t going to press us to.”
He shrugged. “I had to.”
She sighed. “I don’t need a bunch of fancy things to be happy. As long as we’re together, that’s all that matters.”
He surprised her with a chuckle. “I know that. I didn’t take it for you. I saw how defeated he looked when he thought I was going to refuse his gift, and I realized that was his way of showing his acceptance, of giving his approval. I don’t know if we’ll use it or not, but I couldn’t refuse it without rejecting his blessing.”
How had he figured out her father’s personality in such a short time when she hadn’t realized what her father’s gesture represented, and she had known him all her life? “I’m glad you took it then.”
He didn’t reply as he parked the SUV in the parking lot of the boat launch. Once the engine was silent, he turned in his seat to look at her. “Where will we go?”
“Anacortes, and from there…who knows?” She shrugged, filled with a heady sense of freedom. “The possibilities are limitless.”
They met at the back of the SUV to grab their bags, and Elijah caught her in a passionate kiss. His strong arms curled around her waist to draw her against him, and she tipped her face up to meet his mouth with fervor. As their tongues danced between quiet moans and breathless sighs, Mila felt her sex come alive with need for him.
Had it really only been a day since he was last inside her?
She pressed herself against the rock-hard bulge behind the thin fabric of his borrowed jogging pants and groaned, aching for him to take her.
The scrape of a shoe on the asphalt caused them to jerk apart. Heat invaded Mila’s cheeks when she saw Jared standing in front of them, his hands tucked casually into his jacket pockets, his eyes narrowed in disdain.
13
“It’s true then.” The only emotion revealed in Jared’s icy tone was anger. “When one of your father’s security men called me, I couldn’t believe my ears. After smelling him on you, I knew about your affair, but I thought you’d have the sense to end things before the wedding.” Jared shook his head, disgust evident in his expression. “You would choose an Omega over me?”
“Yes.” As Elijah stepped partially in front of her with a protective air, Mila notched her chin higher, meeting Jared’s dark eyes. “I love him. I’m sorry, Jared, but I can’t marry you.”
He took a step toward them, his eyes fixed on Elijah. “There are more important things than love, Mila. You’re the Beta’s daughter. Our union is expected. Necessary, even.” A shadow of strain flashed across his expression before he shielded his emotions again.
With an impatient sigh at the way he kept blocking her, Mila stepped around Elijah, who tried to stop her from approaching Jared by grasping her wrist. She turned her head to give him a reassuring smile, squeezed his hand and kept walking toward Jared, stopping a couple of feet from him. Elijah’s presence was a comfort when he followed her, pressing his bulk against her back in a show of support.
She took a deep breath and gathered her courage once again. “I respect you, Jared. I do. I’m sorry for any trouble this will cause you. Elijah and I didn’t plan for this to happen, but now that it has, we can’t turn back. The pack is important to me, but not as important as my love for Elijah.”
Jared let out a low growl, but he didn’t move against them. Instead, he stood motionless, waiting for Mila to finish.
She lowered her voice an octave, ensuring no one except Jared heard what she said next, in case someone lingered in the bushes, watching. “Mother told me there is rumor of a challenge to your ascension. I know my leaving puts you in an uncomfortable spot, but you’ll cope. You are the next Alpha, and no one will defeat you.”
He lowered his head, giving a small shake as he leaned in to reply. “I’m not concerned about a physical challenge, Mila. Not being mated automatically precludes me from taking over my rightful role as Alpha.”
Mila pressed her lips together, acknowledging his dilemma with a nod. “I know this is hard for you. But we don’t love each other, Jared. We both deserve to be happy. You will find a solution, but I’m not it. Even if you were to challenge Elijah, and defeat him, I still wouldn’t — couldn’t mate with you. I’ve already been claimed.”
Elijah punctuated her sentence with a growl, and Jared stiffened, glaring at him over the top of Mila’s head. The testosterone swelled, lending a menacing air to the atmosphere. As the two men stepped toward each other, both trying to push her aside, Mila dug in her feet, refusing to budge.
“Stop.” Her voice was quiet, but her tone was thick with exasperation. She put a hand on each of their chests, pushing apart with all her might, which accomplished nothing, aside from serving to confuse the men into listening to her. “For the last time. I am no one’s possession. I am an adult woman with free will and a mind of my own. Betrothal, mate claiming, marriage? It doesn’t matter. I’m still my own person, with my own opinions and feelings. I decide who I want to be with. Me. No one else.”
Once again, she turned to Jared. “Would you really want me, knowing I love someone else? You’re better than that, Jared. And even if you challenge each other, if Elijah wins, you’ll lose all chance of being Alpha.” She sighed, begging with her eyes. “Just let us go, Jared. Please.”
For a moment the men maintained their threatening poses, seemingly on the brink of tearing into each other wi
thout the formality of morphing into their wolf forms. It wasn’t until Jared’s shoulders relaxed and Elijah took a step back that Mila was able to breathe again.
“I hope it’s worth it to you, Mila. Your actions might bring irreparable change to the Sundown Pack’s dynamics.”
A twinge of guilt assailed her, but Elijah’s warm body, so close to hers, overwhelmed it. “I trust that you’ll all be okay.”
She wanted to offer words of how she knew Jared would find a way to maintain his claim, but his stance indicated he wouldn’t be receptive, at least not tonight.
With a last shake of his head, Jared turned his back on them to stalk away, his anger no less palpable than it had been when he had first confronted them, but at least he kept his rage under control.
She and Elijah watched him leave, not moving until he disappeared from sight. Then Mila turned in his arms, sagging against his chest. “It’s over.”
Elijah held her tightly against him. “I hope so. My mother and sister are still in Jared’s reach.”
She touched his cheek. “Jared won’t do anything to them. They’re first and foremost members of his pack. He’s obligated to protect them.”
The worry faded from his expression. “I know you’re right. Still, I hope they truly understand why I left. I wish they had agreed to come with us.”
“I’m sure they know why you left.” She snuggled closer. “And it’s not like you’ll never see them again. Once we’re settled, we’ll send for them.”
A gleam of pleasure sparkled in his eyes. “I’d like that. As a former Lupina, my mother deserves better than owning a housecleaning service that caters to the richer members of the pack, and my sister should be more than an Omega.”
She grasped his hand and turned back to face him. “I didn’t know your mother was once a Lupina.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, and that I don’t know about you.” He popped the lift gate on his SUV and hoisted their bags onto his shoulders. “That’s nothing a nice, long vacation can’t remedy.” He grinned. “So much time all alone. What will we do with ourselves?”
Mila inched closer and kissed his cheek, then closed the lift gate. As they walked toward the marina, she imagined the time looming ahead of them — days upon end of lovemaking, lounging in the sun and deep conversation.
“We’ll sail around, having hot, kinky sex between ports, until we’re absolutely exhausted. Then we’ll get a small apartment and live like normal people.” She tilted her head. “I’ll finally get a chance to use my degree in botany, and you can own your own bar, if that’s what you want to do.” She lifted his hand, squeezing it before planting a kiss on his knuckles. “We can do anything we want now because we’re free.”
“Sounds perfect.” His voice was husky, and he squeezed her hand for a long second before releasing it. He paused, taking in the vast expanse of boats rocking back and forth in the water. “Um, which boat is yours?”
She laughed. “Ours, now. At least for the time being. It’s that one.” She pointed to a yacht across the marina, about a quarter-mile from their spot in the parking lot. “The Marietta.”
Elijah shook his head. “It has to be seventy feet long.”
“Eighty-one.”
He shook his head again, more emphatically. “There goes our discreet escape.”
She laughed. “Does it matter? Mother gave us the keys. No one is going to stop us.”
He took her hand, and they began walking in the direction of the yacht. “Might as well leave in style, I guess. We’ll park it in Anacortes. Does your dad have a slip there?”
“Yes, at the Cap Sante Boat Haven.” She slanted a teasing grin at Elijah as they approached the yacht. “We could borrow it for a while longer, maybe lose ourselves on a tiny island.”
He growled low in his throat as he pulled her against him. “You could lose your clothes anyway. I could get used to the native lifestyle if it meant you never wore a stitch.”
She giggled. “We could feed each other fruit.”
“Forget the fruit. You lips are much sweeter.” His mouth captured hers in a deep kiss, while his hands cupped her buttocks, kneading them in rhythm with his tongue darting in and out of her mouth. He pulled away, gripping her upper arms to keep her in place. “Wait here.”
He dropped their bags to the ground and unfastened his satchel. He rummaged around, cursing the darkness until he found whatever he was looking for and stood up, his face triumphant. Mila peered at him, curious.
“Close your eyes,” he commanded.
“Yes, Sir!” she barked, laughing at his sudden seriousness, and covered her face with her hands. “They’re closed.”
As she waited, she heard Elijah’s breath quickening, could practically hear his heartbeat pounding in her own veins.
“Okay, you can look now.”
Mila opened her eyes to see Elijah down before her on bended knee. His eyes were dusky with love, and he held a small object between his thumb and forefinger.
A ring. A gorgeous, platinum ring encircled with white diamonds and topped with a massive, brilliant red diamond. An engagement ring!
She bit her lip, barely concealing her excitement.
“Mila—”
“Yes!” She screamed. “Yes, yes, yes!” She dropped to her knees in front of him, covering his face with kisses, pausing only to extend her ring finger before flinging herself into his arms. They tumbled to the ground, making out like two teenagers in the backseat of a borrowed station wagon. She kissed him until her lips were swollen, until her arms and legs went numb from pressing against the wooden dock.
Finally, she pulled away, panting to catch her breath.
“You could have at least let me give you a proper proposal,” he grinned.
“I don’t need words to know how you feel, Elijah. You live inside me. And I live inside you.”
“Now, and forever,” he promised.
Right then, she could have wept with gratitude that she had met Elijah before it was too late. That she had found the one meant to be her mate for life.
She didn’t experience even a dart of regret for everything she was leaving behind as she stepped onto the boat. Her gaze remained focused squarely forward on the future she would have with Elijah.
Bonus Excerpt: Reparation
Thrumming with anger, Jared left his car in the garage and stalked toward the house he shared with his parents on Syringa Ridge. His mind insisted on replaying the confrontation that had taken place just minutes before among himself, his promised mate, and her lover.
He had been so consumed with rage at Mila choosing Elijah over him that he didn’t even remember the drive home. The past few minutes were a blur in his mind.
How could she be so irresponsible, to place her own happiness over the well-being of the Sundown Pack? Without her by his side at the next full moon, less than two weeks away, he wouldn’t be able to ascend as the new Alpha. All his life, his father had trained him to fulfill his expected duty, but it was all slipping away, because his betrothed had to think with her heart, not her head.
Standing with them at the dock, he had fleetingly thought of offering to turn a blind eye to their affair, so long as Mila married him. Almost as soon as the thought came to him, he had dismissed it, knowing he wouldn’t share his mate. He didn’t love Mila, but if she were his wife, she would belong to him. It was then he had accepted defeat and let her go, knowing she would never truly belong to him, even if she stayed on the island and became Lupina.
A light in the stable distracted Jared from his thoughts as he stepped onto the veranda that spanned two sides of the large mansion. The faint sound of a horse neighing piqued his curiosity, drawing him to the stables. Nearing the main entrance, he paused, watching.
Alyra stood in Achilles’s stall, speaking to him in a low voice as she rubbed his neck. The high-strung stallion stamped his foot and tossed his head, but appeared to be calming down, adjusting to his new home.
As he
propped a shoulder against the doorframe, Jared couldn’t help noticing how the bare bulb above the stall accentuated the warm red highlights in Alyra’s honey-brown hair, which fell halfway down her back. She wore Capri jeans and a black T-shirt.
He maintained a silent vigil as she soothed the horse. Jared’s eyes settled on her long fingers, nails bare of polish, stroking the horse. Each movement was graceful, while clearly projecting an air of confidence. The black stallion was a fierce animal, and many people would have found him intimidating, but she seemed to regard him as an overgrown puppy.
Jared’s breath caught in his throat when she leaned forward to kiss Achilles’s velvety nose. He could feel the phantom touch of her mouth against his for the briefest of moments, until his eyes slipped lower, drawn by the way the T-shirt molded her full breasts when she moved. He shifted slightly, to take in the view of her buttocks cupped in the snug jeans.
Why hadn’t he noticed how attractive she was before? True, his duties to the pack kept him busy, but he hadn’t been dead. Nor had knowing he would marry Mila kept him from indulging in a healthy appetite for sex.
His conscience pricked when presented with the most obvious explanation. Alyra was an Omega, which put her far below his status. Had snobbery led him to block out her desirability?
She turned suddenly, jerking in reaction to his presence. Jared straightened his spine when her eyes skittered over his face, before moving toward the ground, as she bowed her head.
“Mr. Sundown, I didn’t see you there.” Her tone was composed, but bore a faint trace of annoyance. “Did Achilles’s unrest draw you as well?”
He shook his head. “No. I saw the light on my way in.”
A perfect brow, a shade lighter than her hair, arched. “I hope we didn’t disturb you. It’s his first night in a new place.” Her voice softened, and her hands caressed the horse’s neck. “He was bound to be a little distraught.” She turned her head toward the horse, a look of adoration plain on her face. “I think he’s settled now and will soon come to regard this as home. Isn’t that right, sweetie?” Once again, Alyra kissed his nose. If she was self-conscious about her displays of affection for the stallion, she gave no indication.