Page 44 of Fated to the Enemy Alpha

My pulse raced with expectation. I knew that Magnus’s men patrolled the ground floor of Blackthorn Villa while he wasn’t there. It had taken every ounce of my watchfulness, working out their patterns, before I’d been able to safely bug the cameras.

But one thing was for sure, when I returned to New York, I was damn well going to find a way to get into that secret room, no matter what.

Chapter 17

Lina

God, I hated Mondays. The two-hour drive from Blackthorn Villa into the city was bad enough, but coming from Philly meant leaving two hours earlier, hitting the road at 5:00 a.m.

Still, it had been worth it to stay with Betty and my friends as long as possible. My daughter’s fever had lifted completely last night, and I had been able to enjoy some quiet time in which I gently prepared her for my departure again.

I’d promised her I wouldn’t be gone long, a couple of days at most. I fully intended to keep that promise by taking advantage of the leverage I had over Stephen. Just as he would have already handed a pre-approved report to Magnus detailing how I had spent the weekend in Philadelphia with my friend, I’d get him to tell the same story later this week.

As I exited the elevator and walked toward our office, my heart raced—an anxious countdown echoing in my chest with each step. A heady mix of anticipation and anxiety coiled inside me at the thought of seeing Stephen again. I’d told myself I wouldn’t be affected by him. I’d spent so much time with him this weekend that I reasoned I was immune, but as I stepped into our office and caught sight of him behind his desk, my resolve shattered.

His jet-black hair, the strong cut of his jaw, and the way he filled that clean-cut shirt made my pulse quicken.

“Stephen.” I greeted him, striving for indifference as I settled into my chair.

“Lina,” his voice layered with an intimacy that made me freeze mid-task. I couldn’t control the flush stealing across my cheeks.

My gaze charged to him, anger clouding my expression. I saw that his green stare had a heat that matched his tone.

What the fuck is he doing?

We were at work. Dozens of colleagues roamed the shared office space beyond our door. I suddenly didn’t know if I wanted to shout at him or straddle him, either of which would decimate the careful façade I’d crafted the last month. The memory of his mouth on my body flashed through my mind, igniting a desire that threatened to steal my reason.

Just as the tension escalated, Ella, our assistant, knocked on the door. Relief and annoyance mingled within me.

“The Alpha wants to see you, Lina,” Ella greeted me.

“I’ll be right there.”

As soon as the door clicked shut, my gaze shot to Stephen. “What did you tell Magnus?”

“Only that you spent the night with a female friend in Philly,” he replied, his gaze protective, an undercurrent of something deeper simmering just beneath the surface.

Something my wolf wanted to trust.

“I’m coming with you,” he asserted, rising.

“He didn’t summon you,” I bit out. “Don’t disrupt my plan—”

He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut across him.“Or yours.” I savored the brief satisfaction as he sank back into his chair, tension radiating off him like heat while he cast a murderous look at the door.

But my satisfaction was replaced by icy dread the instant I knocked on Magnus’s door, and he called for me to enter.

Magnus regarded me with a cool, piercing gaze that set my instincts on edge. The tick in his jaw suggested his displeasure, a reminder of the severity that lay beneath his calm facade.

He didn’t ask me to sit down. “You weren’t home this weekend,” he began, leaning back in his desk chair, his brown eyes boring into me, a fierceness in them I hadn’t yet witnessed. In contrast, his tone was calm. “We planned to finalize a date for our mate ceremony.”

I feigned forgetfulness, smacking my brow. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I forgot. A friend from Philly wanted to catch up.”

“No matter,” he replied, his slight smile only seeming to amplify the menace lurking beneath. “I took the liberty of sending out invitations. Our union will take place this Saturday.”

The coolness with which he informed me of it sounded as if he were talking about a deal Blackthorn was entering into. To be fair, he’d likely have shown more excitement about a lucrative deal.

A wave of panic tore through me despite this having always been my plan.

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