Page 69 of Purchased

When I think about that, I suppose it could be true.

“Well, don’t tell him that. I like him indulging me.”

“Do you?”

“Of course!”

“I don’t see any of course about it. It leaves you to get into trouble and take care of matters your own way, which nobody appreciates.”

“Exactly. I’m not appreciated. It’s all very unfair.”

“I think this would be a good time to bring Armand in,” Volkov says. “Do you object to that?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

“I’m going to bring him in. You can pick up the file.”

He’s subtly giving me a task, telling me what to do. And that is why the file remains strewn across the room when he returns with Armand.

I am so angry with him I don’t want to look at him. I definitely don’t want to hear his excuses for why he did all of this without telling me. He’s been working so hard to get me to trust him, but he’s never trusted me.

“I see you found the report,” Armand says, looking at it scattered all over the room, horrible sentences of betrayal and judgment on every surface. “I’m sorry, Beatrix. I meant for you to find out, but not like this. I wanted to talk to you about the contents of it when I’d had a chance to think.”

“Fuck you.”

“Okay, fuck him for what, Beatrix?” Volkov interjects.

“Fuck you for getting that report made, and double fuck you for making it sound reasonable.”

“Alright,” Volkov says. “Now, Armand, Beatrix would like you to double, or perhaps triple fuck yourself. How does that make you feel?”

Armand gives the man a death glare, and the memory of what he did to that man who was rude to me at my first dinner comes swimming back. Volkov should be more careful. Armand has an edge to him as well. People forget that.

“I don’t think we need your interference,” he says.

“You pay for my interference, Mr. de Lune.”

It is so weird to hear someone call Armand Mr. de Lune. It feels disrespectful even though it isn’t really. Most people call him alpha ormaître, but I suppose he’s not Mr. Volkov’s alpha ormaître.

“So you don’t want to breed with me now?”

“Of course I want to! I want a family with you, Beatrix.”

“The file says if you breed with me, it’s the end of your pack as you know it. And it says I’m young. And I might get worse.”

“You are young,” Armand says. “And I choose to believe that means you’ll get better.”

“So you’re acknowledging the inappropriate nature of this…” Mr. Volkov opens his mouth and I want to make him regret it. There’s nothing inappropriate about how Armand has handled me. He’s the first man in my life to not only make me feel safe, but to actually ensure my safety.

“Inappropriate?” I burst out.

Volkov ignores me, keeps going for Armand instead.

“You purchased her, did you not?”

Armand’s eyes narrow, and I get the feeling he might seriously hurt Volkov before this is over.

“She was up for sale. What should I have done? Stolen her?”

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