Page 134 of Aine

She’ll hate me.

Shaking my head, I suck in a slow breath and watch as she continues puttering around the kitchen. My lips twitch as she takes advantage of my disappearance and pulls out the sugar cereal I keep hidden in the back of the pantry.

Sneaky fucking bugger.

She pours a giant bowl we both know will give her a stomach ache, and I can’t help but laugh when she spins around with the largest grin I’ve ever seen. She loves stealing it, finding pleasure in eating the one item I purposefully keep hidden from her. It’s my absolute favorite and I like to have it all to myself, but Aine doesn’t seem to care for that.

I sigh when she disappears from my view, carrying her treasure to the living room to do whatever she does with Alex all day long. I appreciate him spending time with her, so I don’t pry.

His constant teasing forces her to break out of her shell, and I hate to admit that being away from me is probably helping. I want her to believe that people respect and love her for her, not just because she’s an extension of me.

I scan the house one last time before returning to my desk. There’s so much paperwork to get through, and my scouts haven’t been able to find anything pointing to Freya’s whereabouts. I know she told Owen where and how to find Aine, the beast selling out my mate for her own benefit.

I’m going to have her head.

The sound of the back door opening has me spinning. Aine wanders outside with her lip pulled between her teeth, her hesitance visible as she glances at my office. I’m sure she knows I can see her.

I find myself holding my breath as I wait to see if she comes over. I want her to feel comfortable enough to come and pull me from work whenever she wants my attention.

I want her todemandit. Demand what’s rightfully hers.

My smile grows as she straightens her spine and scampers across the lawn. Forcing myself not to jump up and greet her at the door, I rush to tidy my desk. I’ve done this every time she’s ever come to visit me, but this is the first time I won’t pretend I haven’t noticed she’s coming over. I’m too excited to do that, and no longer do I want to hide my excitement to see my mate.

I shove paperwork in random drawers as she greets Olivia and asks if I’m available.

“You’re his mate, Aine. You don’t need to ask,” Olivia says, pleasing me. “Go right on in.”

Clasping my hands on top of my desk, I struggle to hold back a grin as my nosy mate peeks her head inside. Her heart’s hammering away in her chest, and I can see her holding back a laugh as she notes my waiting position.

“It’s about time you came to visit,” I tease, gesturing for her to come in. “I was starting to think you never would.”

Aine’s face goes red, and I resist the urge to continue my banter to see how deep I can get the color to turn. She steps inside with a quiet breath, her movements timid as she begins to approach. I pat my lap and spread my arms, wanting her to sit with me and not in one of the uncomfortable leather chairs on the other side of my desk.

Aine seems hesitant as her eyes dart between me and the empty chairs, her lips pursing as she thinks it over. I swallow, worried.

I thought we were past this stage of her being anxious around me. I stand. “What’s wrong?”

My movements seem to pull Aine from her thoughts, and with a slight shake of her head, she’s hurrying over and plopping on my lap. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her against me, trying and failing to ignore her hot breath brushing across my mark. She shivers as she feels my body’s response to her, and I’m sure if I sniff hard enough, I’ll be able to scent her arousal.

“I asked Alex what happened to Owen and he said to ask you,” she blurts out.

I tense, not having expected this. I assumed she’d eventually ask, but I haven’t planned yet what I wanted to say. She’s going to be pissed.

“I had my men tie him up in the woods. The plan was to keep him there until you were in a place to decide his outcome but, uh…” I’m unsure how to tell her what I’ve done. “I accidentally killed him shortly after we returned.”

Aine’s eyes widen as I admit my truth. I don’t need to mark her to know she’s shocked by my words, her scent and physical reaction giving me all the information she’s yet to vocalize.

His death was a genuine accident. I snuck out in the middle of the night to interrogate him, thinking it would help me understand her needs better, but after only a minute of listening to him speak about the things he’d done, my hand was inside his chest and my fist was clenched around his heart.

I know it was supposed to be her decision, and I hope Alex was right in his assurance that she probably already thinks I killed him and won’t be upset.

Aine remains silent, her lack of reaction driving me insane.

I’m ready to drop to my knees and beg for forgiveness when she finally lets out a deep exhale and slumps against my chest.

“Good.” She grunts.

I’m sure she can feel my relief as I relax and curl around her, grateful to have been gifted a mate who’s so forgiving. A comfortable silence stretches between us as I stroke her back and cup her scalp. Her hair’s growing back quickly, the strands shooting straight out and giving her a fuzzy look.

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