Adea
Before I could cuss him out or possibly swing at him, Shane had turned from me and headed to his desk. I watched as he shuffled papers, closed books, and threw things into the trash. When he was done, he looked up, his eyes finding me for a second before he straightened his back and checked the table once more.
The sun was barely peeking up over the horizon and no longer lit up the room. The moon had started to rise and was almost in place. The lights in the corner of the room were dimly lit.
Shane walked around the table and came to where he’d left me standing by the window. He didn’t stop a safe distance away, he stopped barely a foot away from me as he intruded into my space.
His arm wrapped around my waist and I was pulled into his embrace. Shane didn’t say anything as he turned for the door. My eyes caught on the red leather love seat I first noticed when I first walked into his office.
“Why don’t you have any seating for guests?” I asked.
Shane stopped and his gaze slid over to the red leather love seat. He stared at it for a second before his gaze returned to me. I could tell he was contemplating whether he should say what he had in mind.
“The only person allowed at my side is you. The only person who has the right to relax in my presence is you. I don’t have seating because everyone who comes to see me, should never be relaxed. I am above them, and they should be uncomfortable when facing me.”
“So does that mean?” I asked.
“Yes, that seat is yours.”
I was quiet as I stared at the love seat. I had thought it was pretty when I walked in. In Shane’s own way, this was how he showed affection. He may not know it but what he’d done was sweet. I wasn’t going to tell him that though and I was relieved when he continued forward, taking me with him.
Someone opens the door for us. I don’t recognize him. He must be a part of the new recruits Shane brought in. I nod to him but he keeps his eyes on the floor as I walk past. The door closes behind us and Shane has a few words with him.
Shane nods for me to follow as he moves from the door. I’m led down the hallway, the same one I spent hours wiping and scrubbing for Alpha Joshua. My footsteps echoed as I followed him.
I remember spending full days on my weekends dedicated to these floors. I would be on my knees scrubbing. Even when I wore jeans, they would be rubbed raw by the end of the day. I recognized some of the staff as we passed them. They shot me surprised glances but I kept my eyes forward on Shane’s back.
I wasn’t sure where we were going. All I knew was that he was leading me somewhere and I was following more dutifully than I should have been. It was all too easy to listen to him, walk with him, and talk with him.
Ethan was probably back home, nervously waiting to hear from me and here I was, walking effortlessly with our enemy. The same one that sent rogues to our borders, sneaked over the line and kidnapped our Gamma.
My mind started to dip into the argument that I had with Ethan the night before I left. To the parts where I spoke about Shane. I had meant every word, hadn’t I? The mask I told myself I had to wear and the role I was playing had been all too easy to take on. Being by his side, came easier. tome than it should have.
We made it to the living room, it was the first room you walked into when entering the packhouse. My eyes drifted from the room to him as he started up the stairs. I couldn’t help but hesitate.
It was an automatic response when it came to following men up a flight of stairs. The thoughts that flit across my mind had words of protest on the tip of my tongue. The last thing I should be doing is following Shane upstairs. I knew what was up there. There were only bedrooms and slave corridors. What could he possibly want to show me up there?
Where are we going? Why are we going up there? Is he going to take me now or is there something up there that he wants to show me? You know, something other than his bed? I shook my head.
I already knew that wasn’t going to happen. He said he wanted to take me out and go for a walk, didn’t’ he? He’s not going to take me upstairs, throw me on the bed, and strip me. Not right now, he isn’t, and maybe not tonight.
Holding my head high, I squared my shoulders and banished those thoughts as I stared up the stairs after him. I put one foot after the other and my hand twitched as it automatically found its place on the rail.
It still had the eighteenth-century feel to it. The way Alpha Joshua designed it was as beautiful as ever. I moved out of reflex and from memory. Everything was so familiar and it all felt the same. Outside of Shane’s office, nothing had changed.
I had run up and down these stairs too many times to count. I’d bumped into Shane while running up. He had always been handsome and practically every girl in the pack wanted his attention. The thought of bagging him and the title of Luna lured them in.
In the beginning, I remember having a crush on him. Of course, this was before. Before he showed an interest in me, before he touched me, before my opinion of him changed.