Page 79 of Fated to the Wolf Billionaire

I snorted. “A special gift from a special monarch.”

He reached for my hand, and together, we started picking our way back down the mountain, out of the foothills of the Dolomites.

* * *

There wasa sleek black sedan waiting for us at the bottom of the trail, our luggage from the hotel already packed neatly in the trunk, with room for our overnight bags.

The driver took care of the bags, then held open the back door for me to slide in, while Reed opened his own door on the other side.

“Fiona, this is Lee, my head of security for travel abroad. He’ll be escorting us on the jet until we meet up with my stateside security.”

I blinked, looking between Lee, who drove along without anything more than a nod at me in the rearview mirror, and Reed, who said this like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“You have separate security teams for home and abroad?”

“I do. They help out with events at the restaurants locally, when I’m not in need of security.”

“That makes sense, I guess.”

I stared out the window as we drove back to the airport, where abiggerjet was waiting. This one was painted in the same colors—a logo on the back tail fin I hadn’t paid any interest to on our first flight, that I now realized was his company’s logo.Monstru Fine Diningwas in the center in fine script, surrounded by fancy curlicues.

Some part of me had already known Reed was rich; filthy rich, some might have said after seeing the first private jet. But it was starting to sink in that Reed’s money was on a whole different level than I’d maybe realized. There was money, and then there was… billionaire. And I was starting to realize he had to be the latter.

I did well for myself as a photographer, and one day, I would publish my book of wildlife photography to add another feather to my cap. My independence was something I was damn proud of because I’d built it from nothing despite all the odds stacked against me. But as I buckled myself into the plush seat of hissecondjet, I couldn’t help but feel wholly out of place.

Not something I expected to feel at his side this far along in the relationship.

A lot more things made sense, looking back through this new lens. The way he was entrusted with negotiating with a king, while Gael happily stood to the side and let him. The way the king knew who he was and treated him with grudging respect. The wayReedwas the obvious choice to go and handle a dangerous vampire with a business empire. How the high alpha was always pulling him away to join him on calls for pack business.

Yep, the chips were falling into place, and I felt pretty stupid for not putting it all together beforehand.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Reed’s voice was soothing, even as I started questioning how he’d feel to know he’d saddled himself with a working-class woman.

“A penny seems awfully low for a man of your means. Should I hold out for a more competitive offer?”

I’d hoped to come off as teasing, but his sharp eyes saw right through my insecurities. The flight attendant was approaching with a tray, but Reed waved her off, turning to face me fully in the seat. The sunset light framed his face beautifully. It made me wish I had my camera instead of it being packed away in my luggage.

“What is it? You can tell me anything, no judgment.”

“It’s stupid.” I picked at the seam in the seat, unable to spot a single fray despite my studious avoidance of Reed’s attention.

“It’s not stupid if it’s bothering you, no matter how small.” He lifted my chin with gentle fingertips, but rather than lecture, he pressed a kiss to my forehead, his favorite little gesture.

Mine too, actually. It was grounding, a small intimacy.

“You could have any woman in the whole world, with money like yours. Bombshells, models—anyone. But fate saddled you with my mixed-up magic of unknown origins, topped off with a seizure disorder and a working-class job.” I winced at the bare truth, tempted to pull away but knowing he’d just follow me. So, I forged ahead despite the way it all made me want to cringe. “Won’t you start to regret that over time? Surely there’s someone out there more suited to be your partner than I am.”

He smiled softly, already shaking his head. “Oh, Stormy. You don’t think I know about the many, many blondes out there?”

“Did you just quoteGilmore Girlsto me?”

“Not important. What’s important is thatno, there’s no one more perfect for me than you. You’re the one. The Moon Goddess made us exactly for each other, and if I lived to be ten thousand, I’d never find a female more intriguing than you. Besides, you don’t think I started out with all this, do you?”

I paused, considering. “Well, kind of yes?”

He laughed, not at all offended. “Not even close. I started out in the kitchens of a place owned by one of the women in my pack. Her name was Soreena.” The smile he wore was one of fond, long-ago memories.

“The kitchen was rough around the edges, but I became obsessed with cooking, food, and the entire dining experience. After two years working for her, Soreena fired me, only to press an acceptance letter to the best culinary school in France into my hands.”

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