Page 66 of One True Mate

“If it will make you feel better about heading into tonight, we can give it a try.”

She shook her head. “No. I trust Mary, and if she says I'm strong enough to handle it, then I know I am. I just have one favor to ask, though.”

“Anything.” I said, but she wasn't looking at me, she was looking at my father.

“I need you to keep Kyle separated from the other wolves. Family only near him, not even Council. Please. I am not confident I can control anything if he is threatened or if another she-wolf even speaks to him during the challenge.”

My father laughed. “Done. In fact, with your previous aggression towards the girls, I will set it up so that only Kyle and I are in the staging area for tonight's challenge.”

“Thank you,” she said, and nuzzled up against me. With a deep breath, I knew she was taking in my scent, and the physical and emotional responses it triggered, made me shiver in delight.

“I have one request, sir,” I said formally.

He frowned like he knew what I was going to ask and nodded.

I suspected he was answering yes to my unspoken question, but I wanted to be very clear. “After the challenge tonight, I want to take Kelsey home. She'll need time to heal and recover from the challenge and you know she will only fully do so with me there.

“I know I know,” he resigned. “Kelsey is yours for the night. I will not interfere and neither will the Council.”

Shortly after that I had to say goodbye. Kelsey stayed with my parents while I returned to the office. It wasn't like I was going to get anything accomplished. There was too much on the line tonight with her first challenge. How could they expect me to focus on anything else?

Sure, I knew what was going to happen would happen and me pacing back and forth wearing a path across the carpet of my office wasn't going to help anything, but I wasn't used to being a man that couldn't control things. And I really didn't like it.

A knock on the door distracted me.

“Kyle.” Lily poked her head in, “um, you have a visitor.”

“Who is it?”

“It's Christine.”

Great. The last person I wanted to see today.

“What does she want?”

I watched Lily shrug. “How should I know?”

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. If Kelsey was there she'd have gotten exactly what she was there for before interrupting me. Not that I was doing anything but worrying, but Lily couldn't have known that.

“Just send her in.”

“Christine, come on in,” Lily exaggerated as she held the door wide and motioned her in.

Christine Canine walked in looking around my office and seeming to take everything in. As she twirled around slowly no doubt trying to give me a full view of herself in the process, ending her rotation back towards the door.

“You can go now. Shut the door on your way out.”

Lily looked at me and nodded as she stomped out slamming the door behind her.

“That wasn't necessary, you know.”

“What?” She asked in a voice of pure sugar.

I shook my head, “What do you want Christine?”

“I wanted to come by and say hi and check out my mate's office.” She looked at me waiting for a reaction, but I bit back the growl at her insinuation and just glared at her. “Besides,” she continued, seeing she wasn't getting a rise out of me, “I think it's only fair that we spend a little time together. We haven't really done that in years, Kyle. Sure, I know we'll have plenty of time later, but I wanted to make sure this challenge is worth it and looking around this place, I'd say it definitely is.”

“I assure you, it is not.”

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