Page 106 of Heroes & Hitmen
“Okay, okay,” Alpha laughs, holding up his hands to quiet the room before turning to face Ares, grinning like he’s already won. “Then I’ll ask you again, son. Will you honor your mate by adapting to the traditions of her pack, set aside your own pride for the sake of your bond?”
A hush falls, every eye in the room locked on us. I know the answer my father wants; the answer the crowd wants. Ares meets my gaze for a fraction of a second, his expression drawn in a blank mask, but I see the apology in it. The guilt, the resignation.
I can barely process what’s happening before he jerks a nod and we’re swallowed by applause. Alpha claps him on the back, squeezing his shoulder like a proud parent while I die a little inside. Then he leans in close, drawing the microphone away from his mouth so only the three of us can hear.
“Excellent choice, Raines, you won’t regret it,” he murmurs, smirking. “You’re scheduled for nine a.m. tomorrow.”
Of course this was all planned. Ares looks like he wants to rip Alpha’s head clean off his body, but then my father pulls me in for a hug, perfunctory and cold and all for show. The pack eats it up, clapping and cheering us on while he turns to shake Ares’ hand, then gestures for us to return to the fray, where we’re immediately consumed by a crush of well-wishes.
It's all a blur. I cling to Ares like a life raft while we smile and thank people, trying to work our way back toward Jordan and Will. A familiar face steps into my field of vision– Ross, the rogue-turned-enforcer who was present on the day of my perusal with Elias– and he flashes me a crooked grin.
“Congratulations again, Miles,” he slurs, clearly having taken advantage of the free champagne. “You look amazing tonight, by the way.”
Ares tightens his hold around my waist, his upper lip curling back from his teeth in a snarl as he declares, “Mine.”
Ross blinks at him, holding up his hands in surrender andlaughing nervously as he melts back into the crowd. Still, Ares’ grip doesn’t loosen, and I’m suddenly hyper-aware of every inch of his body against mine, of the heat radiating off him.
“You know you don’t have to play it up that much,” I whisper, trying to alleviate the tension.
He gazes down at me, eyes darkening. “Who says I’m playing it up?”
A shiver runs through me but I cover it with a smirk. “Almost forgot how good of a liar you are.”
He leans in closer, mouth brushing my ear. “No lies detected, babe. And just so you know, you’re the only thing keeping me from killing half this room tonight.”
“Romantic,” I scoff, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it’s about to burst from my chest.
Glasses clink, people dance, but for a few, blissful seconds, it feels like it’s just the two of us. And I suddenly realize that this lie feels more real than anything else in my life.
I know I should be afraid or at least nervous about what comes next, but as I look up at Ares and see the feral devotion in his eyes, I’m not. Because I’m not alone anymore, and I trust this man to do everything in his power to keep me safe.
And that’s the scariest thing of all.
We manageto slip away from the gala just after midnight, and the city traffic is so light that we’re back at the Tower in under fifteen minutes.
Our elevator ride up to the fiftieth floor is silent.
Ares stands rigidly beside me, still amped up and vibrating with leftover adrenaline from the public spectacle. His shoulders are squared, jaw tight, eyes fixed ahead on the shiny elevator doors like he’s bracing for a second fight.
I try to feel nothing, try to shove it all down. The humiliation, the trepidation, the achingwanttangled up in the wreckage of tonight. Because if I let even one thread loose, I’ll come completely unraveled and either sob or bolt. Maybe both.
The elevator doors glide open with a soft whoosh and Ares places a steadying hand on the small of my back, guiding me outinto the hallway. His touch is warm and steady, so damn comforting it makes my chest ache.
Inside the apartment, he deadbolts the door behind us to seal in our secrets, but the silence persists. I set my clutch down on the counter and reach up to pull a loose pin from my hair while Ares just stands there bathed in shadows, his dark eyes dragging over me like he’s still on the prowl.
“Haven’t you given enough death glares for one night?” I ask, letting the edge in my voice cut through the tension.
He cocks a brow, a flicker of amusement crossing his features. “Is this the part where you lie about how much you liked it?”
“Liked what?” I scoff, trying to be flippant despite the way my heart rate spikes. “You going all caveman on everyone at the gala?”
He crosses the space between us in three unhurried strides and lifts a hand to my face, thumb grazing my cheekbone. “Yeah,that. You liked it.”
It’s not a question, so I don’t answer. I just pivot, starting down the hallway toward the bedroom with a little more sway in my step than necessary, hoping the show of confidence will distract us both from the fact I’m falling apart at the seams.
I make it a whole five steps before he grabs me.
His arm bands around my waist and he spins me around faster than I can brace for, my back hitting the wall with a soft thud. Ares crowds into my space like he’s trying to fuse our shadows together, hands braced on either side of my head, heat radiating off him in waves.
