Jace’s POV
I stood in one of the living rooms, listening to Ian speak to Edith with utmost respect and admiration.
I was astonished because the Ian I had met today and the one I had heard about in stories was brutal and very unfriendly in a serious way. But now, the Ian I was witnessing was nothing like that.
He sat opposite her on a couch while his mate stood behind him.
I stood opposite them with Harvey and Lillian, a little further away.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Salfori, you run mines of rare gems, right? Not only that, you know all the secrets of the coven that can sell at a higher price. You are an immortal trillionaire who is secretive and tries to make sure only a few know about it. Am I right?” he asked as I raised a brow and looked at her in disbelief.
What!
Edith lived in a small cottage! At least that’s what Harvey told me. How could she be that rich? Richer than me, Glen, or even Ian himself!
I, too, was very wealthy, but I never passed on the opportunity to acquire rare items and equipment for the pack, as long as they were delivered by the one I made a deal with.
“Did You have to put it like that when I haven’t told my mate about them?” she asked seriously, and for a second, I saw displeasure on Ian’s face that made me think he would turn disrespectful.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, surprising me.
“It’s okay,” she answered and then looked at Harvey.
“So, I do owe a very few mines, but that’s not a big deal, right, honey?” she asked as Harvey smiled widely.
He was so proud that she was showing him off to Ian.
“Of course,” he answered, as Ian looked at him with disinterest.
“Anyway, I asked you to talk in private because I want you to meet someone,” he said, and she frowned.
“Okay,” she answered in a low tone.
When the twin Deltas walked in with their mate, I understood that it was her he was talking about.
“The lady is Lexi, and she….”
“Is like me,” Edith answered, cutting him off while standing up and extending her hand to Lexi with a welcoming smile.
“She is part of my family and someone we adore. Over the years, she has been guided and trained by Lee, a warlock, but when she met you today, she couldn’t stop looking at you in awe, and I figured having you two meet would make her happy,” he said once Lexi had greeted Edith in excitement.
“I see, so you are a powerful enchantress ( name for a beautiful younger ancient witch)” Edith whispered.
“And you are an ancient witch,” Lexi said, then giggled cutely.
“Well, kind of. So, have you tried opening multiple portals at once that lead to different countries?” Edith asked, making her gasp.
“What! No way! Is that possible?” she asked.
“Look at you being all happy about something that simple when we can do more than that. How about we exchange phone numbers and talk on the phone from time to time?” Edith asked as she quickly nodded.
“I would love that a lot,” she answered in nearly a scream, and for the first time, I saw Ian and his mate smile happily.
He was looking at Lexi like a father would at his daughter, and the fact that he went out of his way to introduce her to Edith showed how much he cared for those he loved.
“Great, Harvey, can you come here for a second?” Edith called.
“Sure,” he answered and went to where she was.
Ian stood up and approached me with his mate.
He was strong, alright, but I could still stand my ground if he were to attack. Actually, Ridge was quiet all this time because he was waiting for him to make one wrong move so he could strike. The one who was a huge threat was his mate. No werewolf could stand against her.
I gave a low bow as Lillian did the same to show her respect.
“You don’t have to do that,” the Alpha Queen said after we looked up.
“Alpha Queen, we appreciate your kind words,” I answered.
“Please call me Amelia,” she said and then looked at Ian.
“I know you had every right to stop Salfori from talking to me as her Alpha, yet you allowed her, and for that, I’m grateful,” he said, extending his hand.
“Hopefully, in the near future, when we meet, we will grab a drink together,” he said as I smiled and then shook his hand.
That was his way of asking me if I was okay with us being friends.
“Of course, that would be great,” I answered, pulling back my hand.
Refusing friendship from him was like refusing a huge deal that would benefit not only me but also my pack.
“If you will excuse us, we will go back and join the others,” Amelia said, shocking us all by bowing low to show us respect.
For an Alpha queen to do that was unheard of. She was like a freaking angel, while her mate was like a demon. How could they be together and look so happy? I was curious to know, but I knew it would only lead to a misunderstanding.
We bowed back and then looked at Ian, who smiled when we stood upright.
I smiled back and then nodded.
I watched as he walked out with his mate, the twins, and Lexi.
“She’s kind,” Lillian whispered softly.
“I know, right? I was a little scared when she bowed to you guys,” Harvey answered.
“They are mostly grateful to you, Edith,” I said, then walked to where she was and patted Harvey’s shoulder.
“Look at you! Who would have guessed that your mate would be the richest of us all?” I teased as he looked at her and then grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms.
“She may be richer than all of us, but that doesn’t change a thing. She is still my woman who stayed in a cottage and never shows off,” he answered.
“She did show you off, though,” Lillian pointed out, making us all laugh.
“Come on, we need to go back and join the others. Now that Ian has gone back, I’m sure Glen will start to panic. When that waitress made a mess, he was freaking out despite acting calm,” I said, and then extended my hand to Lillian, who quickly moved and took it.
“Do you think she was his lover or mate?” she asked through our mind-link as we began to walk out of the room.
“I am ninety point nine percent sure that she is his mate because, in all his life, this is the first time he publicly apologized on behalf of someone. He even looked like he was ready to kneel just to have Ian forgive her,” I answered.
“If Edith hadn’t stepped in, war could have broken out,” she said as I nodded.
As strong as Ian was, he couldn’t have stood against that waitress; she would have taken him down easily, and then everyone could have stood against her for what she was, and it would have been war. I was happy that everything was settled down calmly.