SWNOVELS : Chapter 67
“Is everything alright, boss?” Kayden jogged up to me, sweaty and panting, squinting against the late morning sun.
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Why do you ask that?”
He shrugged, turning his body the same direction as mine. We stood shoulder to shoulder, watching our men sparring in pairs. “Just a feeling. You were pushing the guys pretty hard earlier.”
“Wish I didn’t have to.” I narrowed my eyes, watching the soldiers carefully. Some of them were slipping, their reaction times slow. Slower than was acceptable. Having not seen active combat in months, they were getting lazy and comfortable, forgetting that
we could be called back into battle at any time.
The pack was out of earshot, all of them groaning and grunting loudly with exertion as they attempted to out-fight each other into submission, but I lowered my voice and turned around anyway, leading Kayden a few paces off in the opposite direction.
“Think any of them can tell I’m distracted?” I asked my beta quietly.
“Doubt it.” He shook his head dismissively. “I just know you. What’s going on, Alex?”
I frowned, contemplating how to sum up the cause of my damaged mood. “Fiona.”
“Ah,” Kayden replied, as if he understood perfectly without needing a single detail. I appreciated that he did not ask follow-up questions, just waited, offering
an ear if I wanted to say more.
“Something’s wrong, but I can’t figure out what,” I elaborated vaguely. “I don’t know why but I just can’t stop thinking about it.”
My head was still aching intermittently. It struck me with another sudden blast of stabbing pain while we were talking. I closed my eyes for a couple seconds and pushed the sensation away. I can do that easily with physical pain.
The type of pain that Fiona was putting me through, though—that was something different. Something I had no practice with.
“Women are like that sometimes,” Kayden said. “I bet she’ll come around.”
The ambiguous attempt at reassurance was not
helpful, but I was ready to be done with the conversation. “And how is it that you know anything about what women are like?” I asked my friend with a sarcastic smile.
“Fair point.” He glared at me briefly with feigned offense, then laughed once and followed as I turned and began approaching the pack. “Anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
I nodded, having an idea. “Finish up here for me. I’m going to go talk to her right now. I won’t be able to focus on anything else until I do.”
I nodded, having an idea. “Finish up here for me. I’m going to go talk to her right now. I won’t be able to focus on anything else until I do.”
Fiona
I spent all morning talking on the phone, which meant I had very little time to eat. My catered breakfast was cold and untouched on the small table by the office window, and it was almost time for lunch to be delivered already.
Checking a list I’d scrawled in my planner, I crossed off the name of the company I’d just hung up with, and smiled. It had been the last one. I’d already made this same round of calls yesterday, but I liked to follow up my follow-ups.
I got up from my desk and went over to the table, removing the cloche from my neglected breakfast tray. The eggs were cold and unappealing, but my mouth watered at the sight of a flaky pastry stuffed with sugared berries. I was just reaching out to pick it up when my intercom buzzed.
I went back to my desk and pushed the button to
“Apologies for the interruption,” said the secretary who staffed our floor’s front desk. “But there is a…
gentleman here to see you.”
“A gentleman?” I was certainly not expecting any visitors. “Who?”
“Yes… uh, Sir?” The secretary’s voice got quieter.
She was turning away from the receiver to address my supposed visitor. “What was your name, Sir?
Baron?” Her volume increased as she repeated,
“Baron. Shall I send him to your office?”
A chill went down my spine.
Why was my faithless creep of an ex-fiancé here?
And how did he manage to get through building security and all the way up to the restricted top floor
without having legitimate business here? What could he possibly want from me anyway? These questions all flashed through my mind in a split second.
“Yes, send him in,” I answered quickly.
Baron was uncouth and unpredictable, and I did not want him causing any kind of a scene. Whatever it was that he wanted, I was going to try to handle him as discreetly as possible, out of sight of my colleagues and, most importantly, Conrad.
Baron was in my office a minute later, straightening out his shirt as he walked in. “Hey, Fiona.”
“What are you doing here?” He paused awkwardly just inside the door and looked, pointedly, at the chair opposite my desk, making it clear that he wanted me
to invite him to sit down before answering. I shook my head tightly to say no.
“Listen,” he said, “I’m real sorry to show up uninvited, but I had to talk to you.”
“Why not call me on the phone?” I stared him down, demanding an honest answer.
“Would you have picked up?” Baron gave me a pleading look, apparently thinking that he could manipulate my emotions by acting pathetic. But I knew this man, and any performance of pitiable humility he could affect, I saw right through it. “Can we please just talk, Fiona? Just for a minute, then I’ll leave you alone.”
I glanced through the tinted windows that lined the hall-facing side of my office. No sight of coworkers milling about, for now. But the lunch cart would be
coming through soon, stirring everyone up from their desks.
“Fine. You have one minute to say what you came to say,” I said firmly. “Go.”
Baron looked me up and down with wide eyes.
Something about me seemed foreign to him, I could tell, though I didn’t know what.
Finally he told me his sob story, the pace rushed to meet my one-minute deadline. It turned out that after Alexander swept me away from Baron’s and my wedding, Baron lost his status as an heir. He was no longer regarded as a viable pack leader when he insisted on pursuing a relationship with Lily, his low-class “true love.” Then, Lily dumped him. (Hearing this, I had to work very hard not to smile.) And Baron’s cousin, who he hated, was taking his place as Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack.
I glanced at my watch. I had not actually been timing Baron’s speech, but I acted as though I had, since it seemed to give him some anxiety. “And what am I supposed to do about any of this?” I asked impatiently.
“Please, talk to Alpha Alexander for me. He can help me set everything right. He can get me my rightful place back, leading my pack.”
My mouth fell open, letting a single, breathy laugh tumble out. I could not believe Baron’s nerve.
When we were engaged, I tolerated a lot from him.
But I owed this man nothing, now.
I was finally free to give him a piece of my mind.