Page 8

8

Kaylee

Glaring at the email I’m reading, I suppress the growl rising in my throat. Our Council Representative has been hard at work investigating Ramos, Marilyn, and Nathaniel and has begun questioning their connection to the destruction of smaller packs surrounding Blood Oath and Oak Fur. Other than Willow Harvest, no other survivors have been found—more crimes have been committed than we first suspected.

Reading further along the email, my eyes widen, and my hand instinctively reaches for my stomach. Judging by the images attached to the email and the medical report the Council’s spies were able to find, I’m not the only one expecting a pup. Now the question is, whose is it?

“Kaylee, are you in here?”

The door to my office opens, and Lucas walks in. He smiles, and the smell of food wafts inside as he steps into the room and notices my expression. His smile drops, and his brows furrow before he closes the door and rushes to my side.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas places a basket on my desk and takes my free hand, his concern for me pulsating in the mate bond. I frown, unsure what to say, and so instead, I motion to my laptop and move the chair I am on over to the side so that Lucas can look at the screen. He stares at me with a mix of worry and confusion, but when I give him a nod of permission, he moves to stare at my screen while still holding onto my hand.

The office grows quiet while Lucas focuses his attention on the email, his thumb moving across my hand in a comforting way. Suddenly, he lets out a low snarl, his body shaking, and rage radiates from Lucas in waves.

“She’s pregnant,” he states, his voice low and threatening.

“She is. The spies sent by the council confirmed it,” I answer, glaring at Lucas. He was the one engaged to her. He’d dated her for most of our teen years until just recently. I can’t help but be suspicious that the pup inside Marilyn is his.

“Is it yours?” I ask, as emotionless as I can, although my heart feels like it might shatter once more. If it is his, I’ll reject him now and move on with my life. A look of shock spreads across Lucas’ face from my question before it’s suddenly gone.

Lucas quickly moves closer to me, kneeling in front of my chair. The mate bond hums to life as he looks at me with sincerity in his eyes. He takes the hand still resting on my stomach in his free hand and kisses it.

“I haven’t touched her since a week before your birthday. The pup isn’t mine,” Lucas says with sincerity, his tone even as his eyes stare into mine. I take a deep breath and scent the air, seeing if I can detect any lies, but I find that Lucas is telling the truth. As the mate bond hums, I know, without a doubt, that Lucas is not lying to me.

“Then whose pup do you think she’s carrying?” I ask, getting a sigh from Lucas.

“I’m positive the pup is Ramos’ and that in due time, I will have a half-sibling,” he answers, his voice shaking with anger as his words end in a growl. I think back to the email he sent weeks ago about Marilyn and Ramos having an affair behind his back. It seems that Marilyn chose to have Ramos impregnate her to secure her spot as Luna of Oak Fur whether or not she married Lucas.

“I believe you,” I finally say after a moment of silence, and I watch Lucas’ lips curve into a relieved smile.

“Good, because I promise you that I will never cheat on you.”

My heart does a little flutter at his words, and for a moment, I wonder if I should give him a proper second chance.

“There’s more,” I sigh, giving Lucas a sad smile as I know what I have to say will dampen the mood. “It seems the trial for these three will not happen until next year during the Annual Assembly of Alphas. The Council needs more evidence, and I’ll have to talk with the Harvest Willow wolves about sitting down with our Council Representative and recounting everything Ramos subjected them to.”

Lucas is quiet after my explanation, with his brows furrowed again while his thumbs rub the back of my hand.

“What does Aunt Amelia say to this?” he asks.

“She’s already called David and asked that he and Kurt talk to the Harvest Willow wolves. We’ll know their answer the day they arrive home,” I answer, and he nods.

“There isn’t much more we can do until they answer, so how about we eat some lunch and work on what I came here to help with?” he suggests.

Climbing to his feet, Lucas gently pulls me out of my chair, his eyes full of warmth. After he releases one of my hands to grab the basket full of food, I allow him to lead me away from my desk and towards the sofa.

“I brought you some food since it’s past lunchtime, and I have a feeling you forgot to eat,” Lucas says with a chuckle, making me roll my eyes at him.

My stomach growls as we sit on the sofa, and with a grin, Lucas begins to remove the items from the basket and set them on the coffee table. The smell tantalizes me, and after a bit of hesitation, I reach for one of the plates set before me, finding fried rice, vegetables, and lemon chicken on it. Lucas hands me some cutlery, and with lunch between us, we begin discussing plans to prepare for the thirty wolves coming to join our pack.