Page 75 of The Wolf Lord's Mate

"Surprises are often times pleasant, are they not?" Walton gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His clothes were well crafted, I couldn't help but notice, a fine wool with the stitching swirling into French knots at the seams of his shoulders and the hem of his jacket.

From what I understood, winter took up most of the year in his territory, a near constant cold and frequent snowfalls. Perhaps the poor weather was what caused him to be so awful, I know I would be terribly unhappy without the bright sun and cool winds that I was accustomed to here.

It was almost irritating that Walton was as handsome as he appeared, soft freckles around his nose and eyes that would have appeared boyish and charming if I did not already know the truth of him.

Even the most poisonous snakes were beautiful, and from what I understood about how he ran his territory, then a human like myself would be nothing more than a mouse dropped in his cage.

I could not help but wonder if Lord Walton was mated, or if his Lady was at all similar to him. Nathaniel had never mentioned a female when he spoke about Walton, so I supposed that he must not. Whoever she was, I prayed that she was not human, for her sake most of all.

"Often times pleasant, certainly," Nathaniel gave a practiced smile of his own, "I suppose it depends on the surprise."

"I do not bring trouble with me, Nathaniel, do not fret," Walton gave a stilted laugh, the sound unnatural as it peeled from his lips, "I merely wish to discuss a few matters with you."

"Matters that could not be handled by correspondence?" Nathaniel's brow twitched as he spoke.

"Best to speak face to face, don't you think?" Walton tilted his head just slightly, observing my Lord carefully, "So much of the context of words can get lost in pen and ink. Emotions can be inferred and all of that nonsense."

"Should it concern me that you have matters to discuss that I could interrupt poorly?" Nathaniel's demeanor was as calm as ever, but the game the two Alphas played beneath their words was obvious even to me.

Taking a step back, I set the bag down against the wall next to an ornate end table. The door to the staircase that led down to the staff quarters wasn't far off, and I was building up the confidence to dart behind it.

A hesitancy pulled at me; the natural instincts of a prey animal to freeze in the sight of a new predator, but there was something else too. An odd sense of protectiveness, as if it were wrong to leave Nathaniel there alone with Lord Walton.

Rationally I knew that he could handle himself perfectly well, and that any interference from me would only worsen the situation. Still, my instincts called for me to go to him, to take his hand, and stand by his side.

But that is what a mate would do, and that was not the plan.

With a deep, steadying breath, I moved quickly, shuffling towards the door with a purpose, but a wince slipped from my lips as my hip caught on the edge of the end table, the legs rocking and banging the table against the wall.

I sucked in breath with a hiss, grabbing at my side, but the ache there was nothing compared to the pain of the silence that filled the hall, marked only by the sounds of the end table as it wobbled back to stillness.

Walton's attention snapped to me, and any politeness that had been offered to Nathaniel disappeared in an instant. I dropped my head, lowering my gaze to the floor and not budging from my place.

As much as I would have loved to leave as quickly as humanly possible, I had Walton's attention, and it would be rude for a human to leave without being dismissed.

"Nathaniel, do tell your staff to be less clumsy," Walton's words were clipped, "Humans might be especially dim, but surely yours can take some simple instruction, hmm?"

"Accidents occur, Walton," Nathaniel spoke slowly, "Are you alright, Mira?"

"Yes, sir," I startled slightly at the use of my name, spoken without any of its usual tenderness, "I am terribly sorry."

"I have heard you do not discipline humans, is that right?" Walton's tone dripped with distaste, "How else are they supposed to learn without a fitting punishment to help keep them in line?"

"I find punishment is suited for crimes and wrongdoing, whereas accidents simply take reminding," Nathaniel said, his low voice somehow even deeper than usual, "Watch where you are walking, Mira, and please leave us."

I turned around immediately, not moving my eyes from the floor until I had the doorknob in my grip.

"You smell of her." I froze, my fingers almost starting to tremble. It was a statement, but the question behind it was obvious.

"I keep a well-rounded staff here, and that one happens to have a plethora of talents."

Walton's sharp laugh hit me with a sting, the pressure of the foreign Lord's gaze lifting as he sauntered off down the hall towards Nathaniel and Captain Leo.

With that I slipped through the door, shutting it quickly but quietly behind me, and darted down the steps.