Chapter 121
I gaped at the headline that Andrew showed to me at dinner the next evening:
ANDREW DUBOIS’S FUTURE SON-IN-LAW TO RUN FOR ALPHA KING
“I didn’t even know that Bob had such ambitions,” was all that I could say.
“It gets worse,” Andrew said as he took his phone back. “The Beaumonts—Lisa’s mother’s family—are backing his campaign.”
I blinked in confusion.
“What…why would they do that? Don’t you have some sort of pact from your marriage to their daughter?”
“That’s what I thought, too,” he said, his tone bitter, “but according to this article, they considered that over when their daughter died.”
His hands curled into fists, and his neck muscles clenched. I reached out and touched his wrist, but he did not relax.
“Bob is going to be my family, and this is how he treats that bond?” he growled. “And Lisa and her mother’s family are supporting him?”
Andrew stood so abruptly that he knocked his chair backwards. I jumped back in an attempt to not get hit by it.
He started pacing alongside the dining table. He would get within a hair’s length of me before turning, causing my heart to race as I felt the heat of his anger radiating off his body. I feared he might ignite if he did not calm down soon.
“How could they do this to me?” he asked. “How could my daughter do this to me?”
“I’m sure that Lisa meant you no harm by this,” I said, and in a way, I meant it. Lisa seemed to care a lot about her father, so in her own twisted way, she probably thought that she was doing well by him. Bob, on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure of his intentions.
“She should know better than to go against her family,” Andrew said as he whipped by me for the fifth time.
“From Lisa’s perspective, though, won’t Bob be her family soon, too?”
I hated taking Lisa’s side, but in this case, I needed to act as Andrew’s more rational, balanced side. No matter what that meant. I couldn’t be the one that widened the divide between father and daughter.
Andrew paused midstride and sighed.
“I suppose you’re right.”
“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s Bob’s,” I continued. Just because I couldn’t widen the gap between Lisa and Andrew didn’t mean that I couldn’t throw Bob under the bus. “He’s the one who chose to run against you.”
Andrew cracked his neck.
“Right. Bob.”
He got out his phone and started typing.
“I think I ought to have a little chat with Bob.”
I stood up and walked over to Andrew. I wrapped my arms around his waist and settled my head onto his back.
“And I’ll be right by your side when you do.”
Andrew told Bob to come over immediately for drinks. We waited for him in the sitting room of Andrew’s private quarters, sipping wine. He arrived at around 9:30—and he was not alone.
“Bob, Lisa, thank you for coming,” Andrew said, covering his surprise at Lisa’s arrival well.
“Thank you for inviting us,” Bob replied.
Andrew turned his attention to his head butler.
“Parker, could you please fetch another glass for Lisa?”
Parker nodded.
“Of course, Your Highness. Right away.”
Parker bowed and left the room.
Andrew returned his attention to Bob and Lisa.
“Please, have a seat,” he said, motioning for them to sit in the loveseat across from us.
Bob and Lisa, hands intertwined, slid onto the loveseat. Lisa crossed her legs at the ankle, her tight, short skirt restricting her movements. Andrew squeezed my hand but did not say anything aloud regarding Lisa’s skimpy outfit.
“So, Your Highness, what, may I ask, is this about?” Bob said, his eyes on the Alpha King.
“Please, have some wine and cheese before we get down to business,” Andrew replied, pouring a glass for Bob and then handing it to the other man.
Bob grabbed the glass and took a small sip. He nodded his gratitude but did not say a word.
The tension in the room grew as thick as a paste. I avoided Bob’s gaze, but I could feel his eyes drifting towards me every few seconds. Andrew must have noticed as well, for his hand released mine, and his arm wrapped protectively around my waist.
I didn’t think I could bear the silence any longer when Parker returned with a wine glass and placed it in front of Lisa.
“Anything else, Your Highness?” he asked.
“No. Thank you, Parker,” Andrew said. “You are dismissed.”
Parker bowed to Andrew and left the room.
Andrew poured a half a glass of wine for Lisa, who immediately sipped at it and nibbled on a piece of cheese.
“Now that we are all settled, let us get down to business,” Andrew said, taking a drink of wine before setting his glass on the coffee table in front of us. “Bob, I heard that you are running for Alpha King against me.”
Bob placed his wine on the coffee table as well.
“Yes, I am.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s in the best interests of the pack.”
Andrew’s nostrils flared, but he otherwise did not react.
“And why, pray tell, is that?”
Bob glanced at me, then said, “Obviously, your judgment has not been the best of late.”
“I hope you are not suggesting that my choice in love interests is a problem.”
“I am not suggesting that. I am saying it.”
Andrew shot to his feet. Bob immediately followed him. Lisa and I stood up and grabbed our respective partners by the arms, trying to calm them down.
“How dare you,” Andrew said through clenched teeth, “after I took you in, treated you as one of my own, let you date my daughter—”
Bob laughed.
“You ‘let’ me date her?” Bob huffed. “Lisa would have dated me with or without your approval.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Father, Bob, please,” Lisa said, holding her hands up in an attempt to placate them, “let’s keep this civil—”
“It’s not as though you’re a great judge of prospective partners—”
“Leave Crystal out of this!” Andrew snapped.
“Then let’s talk about your previous Lunas.”
Andrew’s face darkened.
“Do…not…go…there,” he growled.
“Bob, please, don’t,” Lisa begged, wrapping her arms around Bob’s shoulders. He shrugged her off.
“What happened to them, Andrew?” Bob sneered. “How can the voters trust you if you won’t even be honest about that?”
Andrew breathed in and out deeply through his nose. His chest rose and fell prominently, his hands curling and uncurling with the rhythm. Every muscle from his neck through his legs had tensed, prepared to pounce on Bob.
I longed to see Andrew tear Bob to shreds. I could not imagine a more perfect revenge. Still, as much as I would have loved to see Andrew’s wolf-man form kill Bob, I knew that Andrew would have only gotten into trouble for it.
My hand guided Andrew’s face to look at mine.
“Andrew. Don’t,” I said quietly, holding his gaze steadily.
His dark eyes stared back into my crystal blue ones. His breathing regulated, and his fists uncurled. He wrapped his arm around me and pressed me close to him before turning his attention back to Bob.
“Bob, I’m only going to tell you this once,” he said, “back out of the race. Now.”
Bob looked defiantly straight at Andrew’s eyes. His gaze did not waver.
“No.”
Andrew snarled.
“Then get out.”
“Fine—”
“You didn’t let me finish,” Andrew said. “Get out of the mansion and take all your stuff with you. You are no longer allowed on this property.”
Bob narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he lifted his chin defiantly.
“Very well. Give me thirty minutes, and I’ll be gone.”
“Done.”
Lisa gawked at Andrew.
“Father, you can’t!”
“Yes, Lisa, I can. Bob has an apartment. He’ll be fine.”
Lisa squinted at Andrew and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Then I’ll be fine, too.”
Both men turned to face Lisa.
“What are you saying?” Andrew asked.
“If you’re kicking Bob out, then you’re kicking me out, too.”
Andrew released me to reach for Lisa.
“Lisa, sweetheart, you don’t mean that.”
Lisa stepped away from her father and closer to Bob.
“No, Father, I do.”
“Please, Lisa, stay.”
“Tell Bob that he can stay, too.”
Andrew did not respond.
Lisa grabbed Bob by the hand and walked toward the door.
“Goodbye, Father.”
As they left the room, Andrew merely stared after them. His lips quirked downward, and his brow furrowed, but he did his best to not show how crushed he truly was.
I put my arms around his shoulders and sat him back down on the loveseat. Then I rested my head on him and rubbed his back in small circular motions.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
