Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Everybody needs to leave.” Jackson’s voice cut through the air like a whip. “Emily and I have to talk.”
Caidrik hesitated, his sharp gaze sweeping over Emily as if assessing her condition. “Nadia? I’ll be outside.” Then, with a brief nod to Jackson, he headed out the door.
“We’re leaving.” Philip cut off Nadia’s protest.
Emily twisted a loose thread from the blanket around her fingers. “Please set her up in the west wing. We’ll talk later,” she said to Nadia. “Sister to sister.”
Nadia lingered for a moment longer. Her eyes met Emily’s, and something unspoken passed between them. A flicker of concern? Loyalty, maybe? But when Jackson’s gaze shifted toward her, she huffed a breath and marched after her bodyguard.
Something unfamiliar and warm bloomed inside Emily. This female, her sister, had tried to protect her. That mattered. It stirred something deeper than obligation within her. Maybe having a sibling wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Jackson’s lips twitched as Nadia disappeared, amusement dancing in his eyes. He masked it quickly, but Emily caught the faintest curve of his mouth before his expression shifted back to something more serious.
Philip lingered in the doorway, his gaze flicking between Emily and Jackson as if considering what to say. “I rarely go back on my word, Jackson, but I didn’t have the right to promise my daughter to anybody. In addition, she has decided to lead this pack once I’m gone. So, she can’t mate you.” His gaze narrowed on Emily. “Unless she wants to. Because I’m young and healthy and don’t need an heir right now.” He gracefully exited the room and shut the door.
Silence thickened in the air around them. Jackson shifted his weight, the too-short dress pants doing little to diminish the air of authority he carried. His gaze found hers, steady and unflinching. Blood streaked his chest and chin—none of it his. His eyes gleamed with something primal, a reminder of what he’d done to keep her safe.
The room seemed to shrink around them, the air heavy with the weight of unspoken words. He stood at the foot of the bed, his broad shoulders casting long shadows against the wall, his gaze steady and unyielding as he took a step closer. Emily swallowed against the lump rising in her throat.
“You’re not as fine as you claim,” he murmured, gaze dropping briefly to the bruises peeking from under the blanket.
“I’ve had worse,” she replied, lifting her chin.
“I don’t like that. At all.” The rough edge in his voice made her chest tighten.
The rain began falling again, tapping softly against the glass like a distant heartbeat. The smell of water hitting earth drifted through the slightly open window.
Jackson stepped back and dropped onto an antique chair next to a feminine vanity, the seat creaking beneath him. His gaze hadn’t left her.
“I never agreed to mate you, so I haven’t broken my word,” she muttered. Of course, she was lying her ass off about stepping up as the Alpha for the pack. But they had to keep Victor from challenging her father until they figured out a better solution. “Unless you want to mate and take over my pack.” She kept the teasing tone in her voice, but she was only half-joking.
“Funny, but no. I’m rather attached to leading my pack.” His voice was low and steady. The antique chair groaned as he leaned back, his broad shoulders making it look too small.
Emily bit back a wince. If he broke that chair, she’d kill him. The beautiful antique had been her mother’s. “Why are you looking for a mate, anyway? Won’t that cut into your partying?”
“Not if you party with me.” He flashed a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I would mate you, you know.”
“I’m not into partying.”
“I do that a lot less than you think.” His tone softened, the playfulness fading as honesty slipped in. “Truth be told, it would be a good alliance, and I’m fine with a contractual arrangement. Love is a myth. I don’t know where Seth and I stand, but if there’s ever a dispute between our packs and his or Erik’s, they’ll band together faster than wolves scenting blood. If that happens—”
Emily cut him off. “I’m friends with both Seth and Erik. They won’t go to battle with us.”
Jackson shook his head. “They might not have a choice. A weak pack can’t be allowed to continue in the coalition. Plus, you and Erik were more than friends. You were engaged, and he’s already mated to somebody else. That should be a declaration of war.”
Emily’s left arm felt numb. How badly had she been hit? “I called off the engagement, which we created to free his brother to mate the woman he loves. It was an arrangement. When I saw how Erik felt about Luna, I broke it off. I’m happy for them all.” It’d be nice to be happy for herself, but she didn’t see that happening anytime soon.