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“I was coming to help and things exploded. I realized getting you out of there with the evidence was the best plan. Alan agreed. So just hang on and breathe.”

Sounded like a good plan.

“I don’t know why I threw gas on that fire,” I admitted.

“Ellie, even I know you’ve been under crazy amounts of stress,” he said gently after we were alone in the elevator going up to my office. “I didn’t help and I’m sorry for that. I really am. I—now it’s the time for this. Just know it was unintentional. But you had to bring Beth and me in so yeah, shit was already hitting the fan all around you.

“You’re so busy being the angel who swoops in to save everyone else—you seriously have several superhero capes and I’m sure I don’t know the half of it. I think it’s a miracle you haven’t snapped before this. Not as a reflection upon you, but—you’re only one person, woman. I can handle a lot but—fuck, do I feel the need to drink for you some days.”

“Thanks.”

I was surprised to see Renee when the doors opened, blinking at her.

“Are you still in shock that he’s carrying you or are you—of course I would come, Ellie,” she said gently. “I think you need to tell us some hard truths for us to help you as we will need to. Youneedto end this.”

“Not as a judgment but for yourself,” Gerald clarified. “Enough and free yourself already.”

“Yes, that’s what I meant. Sorry. I just—I’m a bit shocked at the pieces I heard,” she muttered as we hurried towards my office. “Did someone truly try to take out Clark?”

“He’s fine,” Gerald promised before I could even get worried. “Let’s get in her office.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m not myself,” Renee mumbled. “I was already sideswiped with something else today and then—sorry.” She let out a few long breaths and seemed to have herself back to normal by the time we reached my office. “Okay, let’s take a few minutes and have you settle.”

“And you,” I hedged, thanking Gerald as he sat me on the sofa and grabbed me a bottle of water.

“Yes, sorry.” She thanked him for one too. “I got a call my daughter was seriously hurt and was coming here only to find out it was the wrong child. So relief but then extreme guilt because it’s my daughter’s best friend and she might not survive and my daughter will have to handle that. The second I found out the mistake, people came racing to fill me in—”

“What a fucking fucked day,” I chuckled darkly, scrubbing my hand over my face. I didn’t mean to be rude, but honestly I couldnotdeal with the problems of a family I didn’t know right then. I glanced at Gerald. “You grabbed the proof?”

“Yeah, I’ll read it now with your permission?” he hedged.

I nodded. “From what I caught it’s bad. Like mating me would get the guy my job. I’d just hand it over and become myworst nightmare of old-school broodmare vampire bullshit. Oh, and my father trying for all my wealth that he doesn’t even know the half of. Fucker.” I was suddenly wiping tears. “Seriously, that fucker.”

Renee moved next to me and half hugged me as we both gave ourselves a few moments.

But honestly, I didn’t know if I could ever have enough moments to pull myself together again. This was the absolute last thing I’d needed and the fact I’d not just poured some fuel on the fire but gleefully dumped barrels of it all over it so publicly… I was pretty sure I’d cracked.

Big time.

15

Ha-joon

I fell a bit more for Ellie when she crashed my meeting and scorched the ground around me. I wasn’t sure anyone had done anything so amazing for me before. I was stunned… But honestly not surprised because it was her if that made sense.

And she made the deal a million times better. The only drawback was I didn’t bring as much to the future deal anymore. I was worried about that, but she gave me a few glances not to be silly.

Fuck, she was sexy.

Several times the wolves in the room gave me amused looks. Even Ha-yun plugged her nose and coughed while rolling her eyes at me.

Yeah, I was damn sure my pheromones were filling the room. I wanted my future mate.

Ellie just didn’t know yet that it was her.

One day she would.

One day she would even accept it. I would figure out a way to make that happen.