Chapter 46

Almara

As I walked into the gallery, I could tell something was off. Nobody came to greet me like they usually did. I was even a few minutes late. Usually when that happened, Molly made sure to scream at me.

I could practically sense Kaylee’s unease as she stood in front of me. Her shoulders were tight, her stance completely rigid.

“Stay behind me,” Kaylee ordered before we started moving forward, our footsteps echoing off the marble flooring. She checked every room, being careful not to miss a single one. But we didn’t find anyone. It seemed like the entire gallery was empty.

“I don’t like this,” Kaylee muttered and I couldn’t agree more. I pulled out my phone and called Molly.

It rang several times before she picked up. “Hello?”

“Hey, Molly. It’s Almara. Where is everyone?”

“Oh no! Did I forget to tell you? I closed the gallery today to deal with a personal matter. I’m so sorry you wasted a trip,” Molly said and her voice was dripping with sugary sweetness. I gritted my teeth.

Like hell she forgot. She did this on purpose, Lily growled and flexed her paws, her claws scraping against my insides.

“That’s okay. It’s no big deal. I hope it’s nothing serious,” I replied tightly. If she wanted to play childish pranks like this, that was on her. But the next time I saw her, I was going to rip out her throat.

Ooh! Look who’s hormones are kicking in. I like this version of you, Lily said and she gave me a toothy grin.

I hung up the phone, not bothering to continue the conversation. It’s not like we wanted to talk to each other anyway. Why prolong it?

“Everything’s okay. Molly closed the gallery for today and didn’t tell me. That’s why no one is here,” I told Kaylee and I watched her body relax. She was still alert, just not as prepared to get into an immediate fight.

We started walking back to the entrance. If Molly closed the gallery, then I wasn’t going to stay. I may have loved doing the work, but I was pregnant and tired. It could wait until tomorrow.

Kaylee suddenly stopped and I ran into her. She turned around to steady me and I saw what made her stop. Arthur’s father stood in the entryway.

“Hello, Almara! I was worried I’d missed you. I came to see how my future daughter-in-law is adjusting to life in the pack. It’s been a few months after all,” Roman said, giving us a smile worthy of Hollywood.

I noticed that he didn’t even glance at Kaylee. Even though I knew how most packs worked, it still bothered me. She was still a person. She deserved to be treated as such.

“Oh, well, the gallery is closed today. We could go to a cafe and get some coffee. I’m sure we’d be able to have a nice chat there,” I told him, hoping that he would say no. All I wanted was to go home and take a nap. Growing a baby wasn’t easy.

“This won’t take long. But I wouldn’t mind a coffee. Go get us one,” he directed at Kaylee and I bristled at his tone of voice. First, he didn’t even acknowledge her. Second, he was ordering her around without even a ‘please.’

I couldn’t understand how Arthur was his son. Even when I thought he was the worst, he still treated his staff and the rest of his pack with respect. It was part of the reason that I had started to fall in love with him.

“Alpha Arthur told me never to leave her side,” Kaylee said and I thought she was rather brave. Not many wolves would talk back to an ex-alpha like that.

Roman raised an eyebrow. “I think she’ll be safe with me. Now your old alpha is ordering you to go get coffee. I don’t think I need to remind you what happens when I get angry.”

Kaylee pressed her lips together, but made no further comment. She reluctantly left, shooting me an apologetic look before leaving the gallery. I wish I could go with her.

Roman watched her leave, a calculating look in his eyes. I didn’t know what it meant, but it couldn’t be good. Even our pack had heard how ruthless Roman Covington was when he was the alpha of the Hurricane Pack. There had even been rumors that he was partial to torture.

“Finally. She’s far enough away that she won’t hear,” Roman said and I gave him a questioning look.

“Hear what?”

Roman’s lips curled up into a sinister smile. “Your screams, of course.”

RUN! Lily screamed, but I couldn’t move. Every single muscle was locked, frozen in terror. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even scream the way he wanted me to.

I watched as Roman started to shift and the sight seemed to snap me out of my terror. If I could make it to the back door, I might be able to get away. I was still far enough away that I had a little bit of a head start.

I turned and sprinted down the hallway. Roman was going to be faster in his wolf form, but I could push myself. I had to protect my baby.

I ignored the growls coming from behind me, even though they were steadily getting closer. I pushed myself harder. There was no way that I was dying today.

Except in my panic, I went down the wrong hallway. I stared at the wall in front of me, no door in sight. It was a dead end.

I whipped around, intending to get out of there, but the gray wolf at the start blocked my way. I put my back against the wall. I had nowhere to go.

“Please. Don’t do this,” I whispered and the wolf made a throaty sound that was similar to laughter. He was laughing at me. He was laughing at me before he was going to kill me.

The wolf stalked toward me, drool dripping from its mouth onto the floor. I had a crazy thought that Molly wouldn’t be happy about that. Maniacal laughter erupted from lips.

It’s been nice being your wolf, Lily said and I could feel her brush up against me. She knew there was no point in shifting. I could never be a former alpha. I’d never even been in a proper fight.

In a move so fast that I couldn’t track it with my eyes, Roman lunged. I fell to the floor, my arms up in a weak attempt to protect myself.

Roman landed on top of me, fangs bared, ready to sink his teeth into me. But he paused. Was he toying with me?

Roman pulled in a deep breath through his nose and then unceremoniously shoved it into my stomach to get an even closer smell. I didn’t dare to breathe.

Roman whined before shifting back, pulling me into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Almara. Please forgive me. I didn’t know.”

I was too scared to push him away. I just sat there in his arms as he promised to do everything he could to protect me and the baby. He must have been able to smell past the scent dampener. Being an ex-alpha gave him extra power.

“I think it’s best we don’t tell Arthur about this,” Roman said as he helped me up. I just nodded, not able to speak yet. Even if Roman hadn’t said anything, I had no intention of telling Arthur. His overprotectiveness had only gotten worse since I had gotten pregnant. There was no telling what he would do to his father.