Chapter 530

Nathan

When I finally stepped into the parlor of Dan’s mansion, I was immediately met with a glass of whiskey being shoved into my hand. I managed a wry smile, taking the glass from Dan even though I knew I wasn’t going to drink it.

“Youngling,” Dan said, gesturing to the two plush armchairs by the crackling fireplace. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”

I nodded, albeit reluctantly, and followed Dan to the sitting area. We settled into the armchairs and sat in silence for a few moments. Outside, the sky had long since gone dark; it was well after dinnertime, and I had only just arrived back at Dan’s mansion for the evening.

“Working late tonight, eh?” Dan asked.

“Yes,” I said, which actually wasn’t a lie. Despite everything else going on my pack still needed me for daily matters; not everything was about fake divorces and sex trafficking rings.

“I commend you for that.” Dan raised his glass, and I did the same; but when he sipped and I didn’t, he caught on immediately. “I’m not poisoning you, you know.”

I swallowed lightly as I looked down at the glass of dark amber liquid in my hands. “Of course,” I replied casually. “I’m just not in much of a mood for drinking tonight, that’s all. I’ve got an early day tomorrow and—”

“Your little performance today was bothersome.”

Dan’s sudden proclamation left me speechless, unsure of what to say. Of course I knew that this could come up tonight and that I would have to explain myself, but the way he brought it up was so sudden.

Although, I was beginning to get used to Dan’s somewhat unpredictable nature.

“Pardon?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“Oh, don’t play stupid,” Dan said, waving his hand dismissively. “Standing up for Olivia?” He chuckled. “You’re not still secretly together, are you?”

For a moment, I felt frozen; there was no way Dan had figured it out, right?

But then, rather quickly, I managed a wry smile and shook my head. “With her?” I scoffed. “Of course not. We’re through.”

Dan regarded me over his glass, and finally I took a sip. The whiskey burned going down, but it bolstered me a bit.

“I hope you’re telling the truth, youngling,” Dan said slowly, sitting forward and leveling me with a stern glare. “I won’t have liars living under my roof.”

Liars. That word was rich coming from him, considering the horrors he was a part of. He was lying to everyone—to his pack, his peers, his wife. Here he was creating this image of a strong and collected Alpha, when in actuality, he was supporting the largest sex trafficking ring I had ever heard of in this region.

“Well, lucky for you,” I said, raising my glass in mock faith, “you haven’t got a liar in me. I could care less about her.”

Dan scoffed. “Why the act, then?” he asked. “It was just the three of us; there was no need to defend her.”

I thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. My heart ached over speaking badly of my mate, but I had to keep up the act for just a little while longer.

“Olivia is a tricky woman,” I finally said, gritting my teeth. “There’s no knowing exactly what she’ll do or what she’ll use against me. So until the divorce is finalized, I have to make her feel safe—comfortable.”

“Ah.” Dan nodded and leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression taking over his gaze. “A tale as old as time; conniving women trying to squeeze every last drop of money out of a man.”

I nodded, even though his words filled me with fury and made my wolf bristle angrily. “Exactly,” I said. “I can’t have her taking everything I own, because she’ll certainly try. That’s what we were discussing when you arrived, actually.”

“Oh?” Dan asked.

Another nod. Another lie. Another grit of my teeth.

“She’s trying to take the house,” I said. “But I won’t let her.”

Dan looked at me, and for a moment I thought he might not believe me. But then, thankfully, he smirked and nodded.

“Good. I thought things seemed tense—I hope you know, Nathan, that I will help you ensure that she gets nothing out of this divorce. If you’d just give me the contact information of your lawyer, I can—”

“No!”

The word came out too sharp, too intense, and I winced immediately and cursed myself in my head. Dan blinked at me, clearly shocked by my sudden outburst.

“Why not?” he asked. “I have connections. I can help you.”

I swallowed, shaking my head. “No, I… I think it’s better if I handle this on my own,” I managed. “For publicity.”

He blinked again, and once more, I thought that he was onto me. But thankfully he wasn’t. He simply nodded, rose, and walked over to the bar to refill his glass.

“Very well,” he said. “Once again, I commend your confidence in these matters; such an honorable trait for such a young Alpha.”

I curled my upper lip back in a sneer when his back was turned. What did he know about honor?

“This is off topic, but I’ve been meaning to ask,” he said, still facing the bar, “that girl you’ve been seeing—what’s her name? Melissa?”

Mira, I thought to myself. But in order to maintain my facade of nonchalance, I simply shrugged. “I don’t remember her name. What about her?”

Dan shrugged. “Her handler told me that she went missing on the night of the dinner party—never returned. I don’t suppose you know anything about that, do you?” he said, slowly turning to face me.

I felt my blood run cold. No—I couldn’t let Dan know that Mila was working with me, or that I had helped her to escape. I had to maintain the facade if I wanted this all to be over soon.

“No,” I said, feigning ignorance. “I didn’t even know she was missing.”

“Ah, well.” Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly after all, Dan seemed to buy it. He crossed back over to me and sat back in his chair, crossing his legs widely. “She was one of his best, supposedly—fetched a high price.”

“Shame,” I replied coolly. “Maybe she ran off; maybe she’ll realize how good she had it and she’ll return.”

Dan chuckled. “Or she’ll be dragged back by her hair,” he said. “It’s happened before with these girls. They’re all spoiled, I say. All of them.” Dan looked up then toward the doorway. As I followed his gaze, I saw a flash of golden hair with a streak of gray pass by.

Clarissa.

Swallowing, I drew the attention back to our conversation. “What year is this whiskey?” I asked, taking a sip. “It’s delicious.”

“Hell if I know.” Dan waved his hand dismissively and took a big swig, momentarily betraying his own facade of composure and shedding light on the monster that I always knew lurked beneath: gluttonous, careless, and cruel.

But it was momentary. He swallowed his whiskey and set his glass down on the coffee table, leaning back in his chair and tenting his fingers in front of himself as he regarded me—once more the composed and strong Alpha.

“We’ll be visiting the southern territories in a couple of weeks,” he said. “Are you prepared, youngling?”

I nodded. “I am.”

“Good.” He met my gaze with a grin. “If all goes well, then perhaps I will consider prematurely removing your probation on the council—you will become a fully fledged member of the association.”

Slowly, I felt a wry sneer take over my lips at the thought. Not at the thought of becoming a true member of the council, no, but at the thought of knowing that, once this was all said and done, Dan—and many other members of the esteemed Alpha association—would wind up in prison.

“Well?” Dan asked. “What do you think, youngling?”

I smiled. “It would be an honor.”