Page 15 of The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate
Silence.
I watch Lucas struggle with what to say. He opens his mouth, closes it, his hands now clenching both the armrests of his chair.
He’s not going to tell Darius about the mate bond. I can see it in every tense line of his body.
The question is, will I?
Part of me wants to. I want to lay it all out and force Lucas to acknowledge what he’s been running from.
But another part of me—the part that’s furious and hurt and still trying to maintain some dignity—refuses to be the one to expose this. If Lucas won’t claim me as his mate, I’m sure as hell not going to go around announcing it.
“There’s no issue,” Lucas says, his voice flat. “I’ll work with her.”
The words sound like they cost him dearly. But he said them. Relief washes through me, though I’m careful not to let it show.
Darius studies him for a moment before looking at me. “Sienna?”
I give a terse nod. “No issue here.”
Darius clearly doesn’t believe either of us, but he also seems to realize he’s not going to get more than that.
“Okay,” he says finally. “In that case, I’d like to formally confirm that Sienna will be leading the Moonvale assessment team going to Silvercrest. Sienna, you’ll have a few days to finalize your team selection. Lucas, I assume you’ll need time to prepare accommodations?”
“We have guest quarters in the main estate house,” Lucas says, still not looking at me. “They’ll be ready.”
“Perfect.” Darius stands, effectively ending the meeting. “I think we’re done here. Thank you, Sienna.”
I gather my things quickly, not looking at Lucas. I can feel him doing the same, both of us pointedly avoiding acknowledging the other’s presence.
I reach the door first and step through it, breathing easier once I’m in the hallway.
Behind me, I hear Darius say quietly, “Lucas, whatever’s going on, it isn’t going to affect the merger, is it?”
I don’t wait to hear Lucas’s response. I’m already walking away, my hands shaking slightly as I head for the elevator. Adrenaline from the confrontation, from having to be in a room with my fated mate while pretending he’s just another alpha I’m working with.
The elevator doors close, and I lean back against one wall, closing my eyes.
I need to talk to Violet and Anne.
I pull out my phone and text the group chat: Lunch today? My office? Need to debrief. Bring food.
Violet’s response comes immediately: On it. Crisis level?
High, I type back.
Say no more, Anne replies. But can we make it later? Say, 4:30?
Perfect.
I slip my phone back into my pocket as the elevator reaches my floor. I have two hours to get through before then. Two hours to look like I’m working when really I’m just trying not to think about the way Lucas’s hands clenched on the chair, the way his voice went rough when he said, “no issue,” the way he still won’t look at me. Two hours until I can fall apart with my best friends.
I can manage that.
At four-thirty exactly, Violet and Anne appear in my doorway carrying bags from the Italian place three blocks away.
“We brought sustenance,” Violet announces, setting down containers of pasta and bread.
Anne holds up a bottle. “And wine.”
