Page 69 of Excess

It sounded more romantic when he said it.

“You’re plenty young. Are you going to sit down with your parents?” David asked, pulling Freya’s plate over towards him so she could stay on his lap and eat her breakfast.

“At some point. I’ve been asked to attend a meeting at my dad’s company today. Presumably so they can tell me that I’m no longer in line to inherit it, as I didn’t emerge with a mate.”

“Not just any mate,” Blake clarified, scowling. “The right kind of mate.”

Leo laughed. “Your blood ain’t blue enough for that.”

“Not even a little,” Blake agreed, his eyes on me. “But I love Inika. I don’t think there’s a single alpha on this planet who could love her better than me. If that’s not good enough for her parents’ approval, then I don’t know what is.”

“Hear, hear,” I said, holding up my tea cup to him in toast.

The trouble was convincing them to just be my parents, just for this conversation at least. And that wasn’t going to happen until I’d faced the board of Om-Guard.

“Do you want me to go in with you or wait out here?” Blake asked, his tone perfectly neutral, accepting my answer either way.

It would have been dishonest to pretend I hadn’t emerged from my heat a little nervous about how this was going to go. Prior to this, I’d liked Blake—even toyed with the idea of being in love with him—but I’d also been acutely aware that we’d never had anything approaching a traditional relationship. What if we weren’t actually compatible at all after all of that? What if he wanted to boss me around outside of the bedroom too?

But so far, those fears appeared to have been unfounded. Blake had gone out of his way to be conscientious, checking in on me constantly while somehow never talking down to me the way so many alphas did.

Blake simultaneously trusted that I knew my own mind and could make my own decisions, while babying me just enough to keep my heart in a puddle of gooey contentment. I wondered if he even knew he was doing it.

I exhaled shakily, giving his hand a quick squeeze. “I’ll go in alone. This conversation has been a long time coming. I suspect Papa will want us to go to his house afterwards, though, so you can meet my parents.”

“I want to meet them too.”

I leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek as Brian stuck his head around the door, gesturing for me to enter while sparing a wary look in Blake’s direction.

The nerves I’d expected never kicked in as I made my way into the meeting room, acutely aware of all the stares directed at my unmarked throat. I’d deliberately pulled my hair back and worn a scoop-necked top to make it easier for them—I wasn’t hiding anything.

In fact, I felt more honest now than I’d ever felt in my life. Like I’d shed a too-tight skin that I’d been wearing since birth, revealing the true Inika underneath. Still a little spoiled, still a little out of touch, still fond of shiny things and expensive vacations.

But I was other things too. I always had been. I’d just kept them to myself because I’d thought I had to. Because wanting more—even if that more was in the form of new experiences—had seemed so greedy. So excessive. How dare I wish for anything beyond what I’d already been so blessed with?

I was still grateful for all of those things. But I was allowed to make choices for myself too.

“Inika,” Samira said, gesturing for me to take the seat next to her. “It’s good to see you.”

It hadn’t escaped my notice that Papa hadn’t been the one to greet me. He was slumped in his seat, looking defeated. I was gracious enough to allow him some time to be disappointed, but I wouldn’t give him forever to get over it. From what Mama had said, she wasn’t my grandparents’ first choice of mate for Papa, but he’d fought for her, and I would absolutely fight for Blake.

I would fight for myself.

“Hello everyone,” I said, sitting down and surveying the room. “In the interest of getting the awkwardness out of the way, as you can see, I did not take a mate during my most recent heat.”

Hans sighed heavily, folding his hands in front of him on the table, while Papa stared despondently at his laptop.

“While I have met the alpha I intend to take as my mate next year”—everyone perked up at that— “we have no intention of being involved with Om-Guard beyond my existing role at the company—if it’s still available to me. I wish you all the very best with the succession planning, and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to give you a firm answer on this subject before now.”

I crossed my ankles and looked around expectantly. I’d done all the heavy lifting in this conversation, the least they could do was politely thank me for it.

“You’re… quite sure this is what you want, Inie?” Papa asked quietly.

“Quite sure, yes.”

“The product research team has no complaints about your performance, Inika,” Olivier said gently. “In fact, the managers have repeatedly praised your efforts. I’m sure they will be more than happy to retain you if you still want the position.”

“That would be great.” I didn’t know if I necessarily wanted to work there forever—I’d never considered any other kind of job because I’d always been so loyal to Om-Guard—but I was making enough big life changes as it was right now. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to keep one thing the same.

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