Chapter 459

Olivia

My heels clicked loudly on the marble floors as I walked up to Nathan and the leggy blonde who was perched provocatively on the arm of his chair.

“Nathan,” I said, “can I talk to you for a moment?”

Nathan lifted his gaze to meet mine, and there was a look of surprised innocence in his blue-green eyes. “Of course, love,” he said with a soft smile. “We were just discussing a few financial ventures I’m considering investing in for the pack, but it can wait.”

“I see,” I said stiffly, my gaze drifting over to the concubine. Her green eyes flashed as she looked at me, and with a flip of her blonde hair over her shoulder, she rose and sauntered off.

Once we were alone, I exhaled tightly. No way was I going to cause a scene here, but the territorial glare that that woman had shot me raised my hackles.

“What did you want to talk about?” Nathan asked.

“Not here,” I hissed. Taking his hand, I pulled him up out of the chair a bit more roughly than I intended and pulled him down a nearby hallway. He let out a soft gasp of surprise as I yanked him after me, my steps quick and harsh.

“Okay, spill. What sort of ventures, exactly?” I kept my voice low so as not to be overheard. “Because that girl was eyeing you like a juicy bone just now, and I don’t like it one bit.”

Nathan lifted his palms innocently. “Whoa, easy Liv, it was just harmless business chatter. Am I missing something here?”

I let out a soft sigh and shook my head, taking a step back. “No, you’re fine,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “But you do know who most of these women are, right?”

Nathan shot me a confused look, indicating that he was completely oblivious to the truth of the matter. “Family? Friends? I don’t know, Liv.”

I leaned in closer, lowering my voice to a whisper. “They’re prostitutes, Nathan.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You’re pulling my leg.”

“They’re not. Look around you.” I paused, nodding my head toward the same blonde that had approached Nathan now standing next to one of the Alphas. Her delicate hand had come up behind him, gently twirling the hair on the back of his neck.

Nathan let out a breath that sounded like a low hiss and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Liv, I had no idea,” he said softly. “Really, I’m sorry. It didn’t occur to me in the slightest.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said with a soft sigh. “I didn’t know, either, until one of them introduced herself as a concubine. Seems quite proud of it, too.”

“I… never expected this,” Nathan said softly. “I’m sorry, Liv.”

Hearing his sincere words was enough to make my shoulders relax. But, still needing some comfort, I wrapped my arms around Nathan’s waist and pressed my cheek against his sturdy chest.

Without hesitation, Nathan’s strong arms enveloped me and pulled me close. I felt his lips graze the top of my head. For several moments we just held each other, listening to the faint orchestral music that was drifting down the corridor.

Eventually, Nathan pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, his expression softening. “You’re the only woman for me, Liv,” he said softly. “I promise, I’d never touch anyone else.”

“Promise?” I murmured.

Nathan smirked, grabbing my hand and pressing it against his groin. He was a little hard. “Promise,” he whispered.

Feeling him like this stirred that familiar passion that always seemed to be simmering between us. I leaned up on my tiptoes, pressing my lips firmly against his. A thrill coursed through my body as his strong hands grasped my hips, crushing our bodies impossibly tighter together.

Nathan wasted no time swirling his tongue with mine, one palm trailing up to cradle my neck while the other smoothed down my dress to grip my ass. A sense of dizzying desire flooded through my veins, and in that moment, I felt a stirring in my panties. The idea of sneaking in some intimacy right here in the quiet hallway crossed my mind, but I knew we couldn’t.

We reluctantly broke apart, panting for breath, after several moments.

“Well, Alpha...” I purred, guiding his hand pointedly across my breasts. “I guess you’ve proven your point.”

Nathan’s amused grin turned molten as his fingers grazed the soft skin of my breasts. With a glance over his shoulder to make sure that no one was watching, he effortlessly spun us around, now pinning me to the wall instead.

“Mmm… I’d certainly say so, Mrs. Ford.” Nathan trailed his fingers along my collarbone, making me shiver. “But maybe, just to be safe, we should put it to the test later. In our own bedroom.”

I nodded, nipping his earlobe one last time before we parted. As we smoothed down our slightly disheveled appearances before returning to the party, Nathan kept glancing at me.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

I swallowed. “I’m just… missing home,” I said softly. “I won’t lie; I feel like I don’t fit in here.”

Nathan chuckled slightly. “I’m glad you said it, because I’ve been feeling the same way,” he said softly, his finger running across my chin. “But networking is networking. We’ll go home soon, though.”

“How soon?”

“An hour, maybe,” he said gently. “I promise.”

His promise made me let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, and we nodded. With his arm wrapped securely around my waist, we returned to the party, the sound of the music growing louder as we approached the enormous banquet hall again.

However, as we returned to the party, thoughts of the tense dinner floated back through my mind. I couldn’t ignore it any longer. “Did you notice any strange tension between Dan and Clarissa earlier?” I found myself asking. “When she complimented the auction?”

Nathan’s brow pinched together, and he shook his head. “I must have missed it. The Alpha sitting beside me was incredibly chatty, so I was probably busy talking to him. Why, did something seem off?”

I bit my lip, thinking back to that strange moment between Dan, Clarissa, and me. When she had complimented me, he had seemed to stiffen. And when he had grabbed her wrist, it seemed to frighten her.

But then again, I hardly knew them. Maybe I had just seen things that weren’t there.

“Nevermind,” I said. “It’s nothing.”

Nathan shot me a quizzical look, but said nothing. We returned to the party together, finding Dan standing by the fireplace amidst a growing crowd. He was gesticulating wildly, eliciting laughter as he told an animated story about a big game hunting trip he had gone on.

But as he spoke, my eyes were on Clarissa. She was sitting in a nearby armchair, looking into the fire with a faraway look in her eyes. It was clear that she had heard this story a hundred times, maybe even more.

Looking at her, though… something was strange about her. I swore I knew her somehow, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It felt fuzzy, almost.

“You okay?” Nathan asked, suddenly pulling me out of my reverie.

I jumped a bit as I was yanked back to reality. Smiling a bit, I shrugged, leaning closer to him so I could whisper in his ear.

“Does Clarissa look familiar at all to you?”

Nathan paused, his eyes flitting over to the older woman sitting in the chair. Then, furrowing his brow, his gaze flickered over to me. This went on for a few moments, before he let out a low chuckle and leaned in closer.

“She looks a bit like you, doesn’t she?”