Chapter Twenty-One
The rays of early morning sun streaming through the windows hit Jade’s face, waking her up from her dreamless sleep. She blinked, let out a groan and rolled over, carefully peeling Sebastian’s heavy arm off her waist. Looking over at Sebastian, she saw he was fast asleep. He looked calm and peaceful, and she was glad. In the past week, he’d had two nightmares. Both times, Sebastian got out of bed, took a hot shower, and then paced around the loft until morning. She didn’t say anything but left him in peace instead. During those times, there was an unease from deep within her, an uncomfortable feeling that wouldn’t leave her alone and wouldn’t let her sleep. She waited in the dark until he came back, and she welcomed him eagerly.
Reaching for her phone, she checked her email and her messages. She went through them in order, reading the oldest first and marking which ones she planned to reply to later and trashing those that didn’t need her attention. The last message in her inbox was from Nick Vrost.
Meeting at 9 am at Fenrir with myself, Grant Anderson and Sebastian Creed. Your attendance is required. We will be discussing important matters.
Jade’s heart pounded in her chest. Did the Alpha suspect something was going on between her and Sebastian? Fudge. She thought they were being discreet. Since they got back from Tennessee, Sebastian assigned his other employees as her security detail because he didn’t need an excuse to see her anymore. She’d been staying at his place since then, going back to her apartment only to get fresh clothes. Did someone see them and report them to Grant?
As her Alpha, Jade had no choice but to follow his orders, if they were for the good of the clan. Human and Lycan relationships were tricky. Finding a Lycan mate was much easier, of course, but, realistically, it wasn’t possible for everyone. There were protocols in place, and it was often up to the Lycan to decide when they would tell their human partner the truth. It wasn’t a requirement to tell someone, as long as you could keep it a secret. Her stepfather, for example, had no idea that Fiona was a Lycan and they’d been married for a decade.
If a Lycan did want to tell his or her human partner, they would have to petition their Alpha and the Lycan High Council. They conducted extensive background checks and investigations, and then the Council and Alpha would make the final decision. It was a complicated matter, but for the most part, it was a mere formality. In the entire history of Lycan and human relations, there were only a handful of times when a human partner posed a risk of exposing their secret. Usually, they were met with a dose of confusion potion, which made memories unreliable. But, most were happy to sign an NDA and kept quiet. After all, no human wanted to feel the wrath of shifters who could snap them in two, so they kept their mouths shut.
Would she have to reveal her secret to Sebastian? No, it was too early. Besides, she wasn’t even sure what she and Sebastian were doing. Well, she knew what they were doing, (namely, each other) but other than that…She shook her head. Going down that path made something in her chest ache, and an unfamiliar sensation was stirring in her middle.
Ignoring the feeling, she walked over to the closet, grabbing her clothes for the day. After a long, hot shower, she made a decision. Denial would be the game. Or at least, ignorance. She was sure Sebastian would agree with her. If anyone from Fenrir was following them, he would have known, too. But, all this time, they’d been careful. They never saw each other at the office nor spent any time in public together. She usually went straight from the office to his loft and back again to the office the next day. They didn’t even eat out, preferring to have takeout or delivery at his place. No, she was paranoid. But just in case, she was going to have to be smart.
Sebastian was still fast asleep, and she didn’t have the heart to wake him. She scribbled a note, explaining she was going to head home first and that they should arrive at Fenrir separately, so as not to arouse suspicion. Discretion was the key. She placed it over his phone, kissed his cheek, and headed out the door.
***
The private elevator stopped at the executive floor, and Jade stepped out, feeling one hundred percent confident.
“Jade!” exclaimed a familiar voice.
“Lara?” Jade ran into her best friend’s arms, pulling the witch in for a hug. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“Me too! Sorry, we just couldn’t get away,” Lara explained.
“Hey, Jade.” Liam embraced her in greeting.
“Hmph.” She pouted as she pulled away from Liam. “I’m not sure you should stay married to him, Lara. Not if you’re going to be moving to San Francisco and leaving me behind.”
“Aww, Jade,” Lara laughed. “We’ll be coming here as often as possible, at least until the baby comes. And you know we can always video conference.”
“Fine,” Jade relented. “You better be taking good care of her,” she said, giving the San Francisco Alpha a warning glare.
“You haven’t given me the shovel talk yet, so I suppose I was due,” Liam joked.
“How is everything, by the way?” Lara asked as they walked towards the main waiting room of the executive floors. “And what are you doing up here?”
“Everything’s…great,” she said with a slight smile. “I have a meeting with the Alpha and Beta this morning.”
Lara’s eyes narrowed at her. “Hmm…there’s something different about you today. New lipstick?”
Jade groaned inwardly. “I’ll tell you when we’re alone, all right?” She glanced around her and saw Nick, Cady, Alynna, and Alex leaving Grant’s office. Behind them, a bell dinged, signaling the arrival of the elevator.
The witch’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you—”
“What the hell is this, woman?” Sebastian’s voice boomed across the room. He strode angrily towards her, waving a piece of paper in the air.
Jade blinked. “It’s a note,” she said. “A private note,” she whispered and shot him a glare.
“I know what it is,” he growled. “But what the hell is it about?”
Jade gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t you know what discreet means? I wrote that in the note. I even underlined it.”
“Like I said. What the fuck is this shit?”
Jade felt a headache coming on, and she massaged her temple with her palm. Did he hit his head this morning? Looking around her, she saw everyone was staring at them. “Can we please talk about this later?”
“No, we’re gonna talk about this now.” He balled up the paper and threw it over his shoulder. “You creep out of my bed without telling me and all you leave is this goddamn note?”
“Sebastian!” Jade warned. She prayed that the earth would swallow her up right then and there. “Please, stop talking.”
“You think I’m keeping you a secret? That I’m hiding the fact you’ve spent every single night in my bed for the past few days? And we’re going to slink in here separately like we’re ashamed of each other?” He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to him.
She gasped, her eyes blinking at him in confusion.
“Sweet Jade, you’re no secret. And I’m plenty proud.”
Jade let out a yelp of surprise as Sebastian kissed her hard, right in front of everyone. She sighed and then leaned into him, opening her mouth so he could dip his tongue into her
Someone in the room cleared his throat to catch their attention. Jade tried to pull back, but Sebastian held on to her for about five more seconds, then turned his glare to everyone in the room.
“Anyone have a fucking problem with this?” Silence. “Good.” He let Jade go, and then patted her ass. “Grant,” he nodded to the other man, who was standing by the door of his office, his face in complete shock, “ready for that meeting?”
Grant composed himself. “Sure, let’s get started.”
“Did you know about this?” Alex said to Alynna in a stage whisper.
“No,” the brunette shook her head.
“Damn.” Lara sighed in disappointment. “I’d have made a killing in the betting pools.”