Chapter 134

Agnes

Once Olivia was gone, I hesitated uncertainly in the doorway. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I wasn’t sure what to say. What did you say to a man you’d just caught in a compromising position with his ex-wife?

Of course, this was a situation I had come to know all too well. I’d seen Olivia take advantage of Elijah multiple times, and knew exactly what had happened.

But that didn’t make it any easier. If anything, it just made it all the more difficult—knowing that neither Elijah nor I wanted this, and yet for now, at least until we found a solution, Olivia had that hold on him.

And that was assuming there even was a solution. For all we knew, maybe there was no way to unmark Olivia without killing her and Elijah would just have to accept his fate, remaining emotionally shackled to her forever.

Furthermore, perhaps we were completely wrong about her faking a mate bond. Perhaps this was just the way it was—Elijah was never meant to be my mate, only Olivia’s, and we’d been sorely mistaken in the most heartbreaking of ways.

Without meaning to, I began to take a few halting steps backwards.

“I… I should go,” I blurted out before I could comprehend what was happening. I just knew that I needed to get away, get some air, compose myself before I could speak to Elijah.

But just as I was turning to leave, he called out. “Agnes, wait.”

I hesitated, hating the way the backs of my eyes were burning from the tears that were threatening to spill over. I quickly blinked them away and glanced at him.

“She did it again,” he said. “Thank you for showing up when you did. Otherwise…”

My throat bobbed as his voice trailed off. He didn’t need to go into more detail on what might have happened between them had I not walked into the room.

For a few moments, we just stared at each other, the discomfort of it all settling over us. Part of me wanted to leave anyway before he saw my tears, and yet the other part knew that Elijah would never judge me for crying. That he’d hold me and apologize and swear to make it alright, just like he always did.

The Fixer. That was what I should call him.

Finally, I nodded, pulling my shoulders back. I cleared my throat, composed myself, and said, “Actually, she’s the reason I came to talk to you. She showed up in my office not long ago, with a gift basket no less.”

Elijah’s eyebrows shot skyward. “What? A gift basket? Why?”

Taking a deep breath, I told him about the so-called ‘apology’, the crocodile tears, the request to bit by bit.

“I told her no, in regards to the fashion show,” I said quickly at the end. “Or, well, I told her that I would have to talk to you and Thea first, but that I didn’t think it was a good idea. That’s when she dropped the act and stormed out. I guess she came straight here, figuring she could manipulate you instead of me.”

Elijah sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I should have known.” Suddenly, he crossed the room, taking my hands in his. His fingers dwarfed mine, his skin warm and rough against my palms.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “Thank you for protecting Thea. I’m glad someone like you is there for her when I can’t be. And that one of us can’t be manipulated by Olivia.”

My chest tightened at his words, a strange warmth spreading through me. But then I remembered the scene I’d walked in on, and the warmth cooled. I glanced at the desk chair where Olivia had been sitting on Elijah’s lap, and an awkward silence fell between us.

“I should probably go,” I said, forcing a smile and taking a step back. “I have a lot of work to catch up on, and you must be busy, too.”

“Agnes, wait.” Elijah’s hand shot out, catching my wrist before I could turn away. The touch sent a jolt of electricity up my arm, and I froze, slowly looking up at him.

My breath lodged in my throat.

His eyes, those piercing eyes that seemed to follow me everywhere I went, almost seemed to glow all of a sudden—as if his wolf was close to the surface.

Then, before I could react, he pulled me to him. One hand cupped the back of my head, the other wrapped around my waist, and he kissed me for the first time in weeks.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was desperate, passionate, almost frantic. His lips moved against mine with a hunger that left me dizzy, and I found myself responding with equal fervor. My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer, and a small sound escaped from the back of my throat.

The kiss deepened, and I felt like I was drowning, but in the best possible way. I’d never been kissed like this before, not even by him—it was as if I was air and he was suffocating, desperate to breathe through my mouth, my throat, my lungs.

But then reality crashed back in. I pulled away, breathing hard, my mind spinning.

I looked up at him, and my eyes caught on the mate mark on his neck. It was glowing faintly, pulsing with an inner light that seemed to beat in time with his heart.

“Your mark,” I said, the realization dawning on me like ice flooding my veins. “It’s still glowing.”

Elijah’s hand flew to his neck, instantly covering the mark.

I took a step back. Of course. This wasn’t about me at all. This was about the residual effects of the mate bond with Olivia. I was simply a convenient outlet for the energy that was still coursing through him.

Even if he was supposed to be my mate at one point, he wasn’t now. Olivia was his mate, whether through nefarious methods or not.

And the kiss, the intensity in his eyes, his wolf clawing beneath his skin…

It was because of her. Not me.

“I have work to do,” I said, schooling my face into neutrality.

“Agnes—”

But I was already turning away, not wanting him to see the disappointment on my face. And yet, as I did, something on the floor caught my eye—a small glass vial with a clear liquid inside. I bent down and picked it up.

“What’s this?” I asked, holding it up to the light. The liquid inside caught the sunlight streaming through the window, casting tiny rainbows on my hand.

Elijah frowned, taking it from me to examine it. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s certainly not mine.”

“Olivia must have dropped it,” I suggested. “When she rushed out.”

Elijah’s frown deepened. “What even is it?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea. But it seems suspicious, doesn’t it?” I took the vial back from him. “Maybe we should hold onto it.”

If anything could be connected to my missing wolf or Olivia’s mate bond with Elijah, then I was going to take it.

Elijah nodded, still looking troubled. “That’s probably a good idea.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to go to a meeting now. Can you take it to the lab in the basement when you get a chance and have it tested? I’m curious to see what it is.”

I nodded and slipped the vial into my pocket. One more mystery to add to the ever-growing pile where Olivia was concerned, I supposed.

I watched as Elijah gathered his things. He didn’t look up, but his voice was all business again, his mark no longer glowing, as he said, “By the way, there’s a labor union dinner tonight. I have to attend. Would you come with me?”

I hesitated. A work event with Elijah sounded nice, but… “Will Olivia be there?” I blurted out.

Elijah grimaced. “Possibly. She mentioned being involved with the union. She’s a high-ranking model in the industry, and models have their own union representatives.”

My heart sank. After what had just happened, after what had happened in his office, the thought of seeing Olivia again so soon made my stomach churn. “I don’t know, Elijah…”

“Please,” he said, taking a step toward me, “I want you there. I want you by my side.”

The sincerity in his eyes made something in my chest soften. Despite everything, I found myself nodding.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go.”