Page 27 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #52)
Hannah
Walking into the pack house, I wave at the omegas who are busy tending to the front garden filled with herbs and edible flowers.
They smile as I pass, some wishing me a good morning before I head toward the stairs and climb to the second floor.
I can already smell Fabian’s and Julian’s scents as they lead toward the conference room we will be using today; the two of them are a good twenty minutes early.
Claira, Aidan, they are already in the conference room, I warn my beta and her father as I get closer to the room. I can feel Claira’s annoyance through the link and chuckle just as Aidan warns his daughter to calm down.
Misa and I are just finishing putting the refreshment cart together in the kitchen. Give me five minutes, Claira answers, her annoyance at my ex and my friend being extremely punctual evident.
Make sure there is plenty of coffee, I request, Aidan chuckling at this.
I second this statement. Hannah, I am two minutes out, Aidan quickly adds, making me smile.
I shut the link as I reach the conference room, taking a deep breath and instantly regretting it because the scent of mangoes brings the mate bond to life inside me, the broken strands reaching out toward Julian. Goddess, this is going to be a long day.
Pushing open the door, I step into the conference room and instantly feel Julian’s gaze on me, prickling my skin.
I keep a neutral expression while taking my seat at the head of the table and nod toward the wolves already sitting and waiting.
I nearly stumble when I notice that, instead of just Fabian and Julian at the table, there is a third wolf I recognize named Mikos, Julian’s theta.
“My wolves are bringing up refreshments,” I say just as Aidan walks into the room, a smile on his face.
“And lots of coffee,” he chimes in, taking his seat on my left.
“Definitely lots of coffee,” I echo, smiling at my theta as he places his briefcase onto the table and takes out a few folders from within.
“That’s good. We can use some coffee,” Mikos says, leaning back in his chair and looking me up and down.
I frown at his disrespect, giving him a growl of warning and releasing the power inside my blood.
Mikos stiffens, his eyes wide as he slowly sits up, averting his gaze to the table instead. “When did you become so powerful, Hannah?” he asks, making me growl again.
“That’s Alpha Cross to you,” I warn Mikos, watching Julian frown and glare at his theta.
“And I have always been this powerful. I just had to hide my true strength in the royal pack because I was assigned as Julian’s hidden guard,” I declare.
Mikos’s head shoots back up, and he does not bother to hide his shock and surprise. His gaze switches between staring at me, then at Julian, and back at me.
“You were King Julian’s hidden guard?” he asks in disbelief, making Fabian and Aidan scoff.
“She was,” Julian answers instantly. “It’s why she was always by my side.”
My gaze meets Julian’s, and it takes everything in me to keep my emotions in check because the intensity in his green depths causes the mate bond to surge.
“It’s also why there were rumors about me,” I add, raising a brow to see what Julian would say next.
“Yes. Because she was my hidden guard and always by my side, the she-wolves in the pack spread rumors about Hannah—rumors that I believed when I should have squashed them,” Julian admits, guilt seeping from him.
“Glad to see you fucking admit this,” a voice calls from the doorway. Seconds later, Claira walks in with Misa trailing behind her, pushing the refreshment cart. Julian bristles at my beta but stays silent, his green eyes watching her as she takes her rightful spot beside me.
“Claira, behave,” I say warningly, glaring at my beta. She sheepishly looks down at her lap before muttering an apology to me. Thankfully, Misa had already placed the refreshments on the table and scurried off, closing the doors behind her.
“Anyway, let’s get this meeting done. I have something to take care of at my company afterward,” I continue, thanking Aidan as he hands me a mug full of steaming hot coffee.
“Well, as you already know, my job as the alpha king is to manage all the packs in the world,” Julian begins, his gaze returning to me.
I nod, already aware of this after having joined him on a royal tour years ago.
“So, I just need to know about your day-to-day life in the pack, how supplies are procured, and whether or not I can speak to the Haven Trail wolves alone,” he continues.
“You have my permission to speak with my wolves and walk around my pack lands,” I state, reaching for the folder and handing one to Julian.
He takes it from my hand, and I feel a jolt of tingles from his fingers brushing against mine. I watch his skin slightly shiver, the mate bond still affecting us both as I try not to jump back.
“In this folder are our scheduled supply trips to the local stores and our hunting schedules. Each trip is planned four weeks in advance. There are other day-to-day pack operations inside,” I continue.
Julian, Fabian, and Mikos take a moment to read over the documents.
The meeting goes surprisingly well as Julian and Fabian ask the usual questions about how I run Haven Trail.
The refreshments slowly dwindle down, leaving only the coffee at the end of the meeting.
As it comes to a close, I stand and stretch, ready to race out of this room and away from Julian to my company.
“Hannah, can we talk alone, please?” Julian asks as I am about to leave the room, his soft tone stopping me in my tracks.
Do you want to talk to him? Aidan asks through the link, staying close to my side.
Not really, but I have to agree since he is here on official business, I answer, feeling unease creep inside me. Can you and Claira wait by the door outside until I come out? I ask as Julian watches me with a hopeful gaze.
You don’t even have to ask us that. We aren’t going too far while your ex is still here, Claira replies quickly, giving me a smirk.
Thank you. Have Fabian stay back with you just in case I need him to restrain Julian, I say before taking a deep breath and facing Julian.
“I have somewhere to be, so you have five minutes to talk,” I add, stepping further into the room.
Fabian pulls Mikos outside before Aidan and Claira walk out, shutting the door behind them. An uneasy silence settles between Julian and me now that we are alone, and I wait, wanting to hear what he has to say to me.