Chapter 38

Elroy’s POV

Sam was a wonderful pack Beta. Smart, hardworking, level-headed, had a memory like a steel trap—all things I needed in a right-hand man. I liked to think we even got along.

I never thought that would bite me in the ass.

It was biting me in the ass because the very same attributes that made him a great Beta also made him very adept at reading situations, and his familiarity with me meant he felt he could voice them. Normally this was a benefit, but right now…

Well, right now I wasn’t really in the mood.

“You’ve been on edge lately,” Sam noted mildly. I stiffened in my chair.

“What makes you say that?” I asked woodenly. A poor cover-up. I couldn’t believe I’d been so obvious that one of my subordinates had to bring it up.

I ran a hand through my hair, debating how much to reveal. "I’m merely concerned about my Mate,” I admitted. “The investigation is taking a great deal of her time and energy and I’m not sure she’s resting properly.”

Plus I needed to talk to her, answer her questions about my family even if talking about it made me sick. It was my duty to her as her Mate. But Sam didn’t need to know that.

Perhaps I should have told him though, because a knowing smirk started to form on his lips. My gut swooped unpleasantly—that look always meant trouble for me. "Sounds like someone's missing his Mate."

"That's not it," I snapped, even as my wolf howled in protest within me.

Sam's eyebrow arched skeptically. “No? So you haven’t been staying up late hoping to catch her before bed?”

I could feel my face reddening. It was true, but the way he said it made it sound…well, it gave it a different implication. I was worried about Olivia and the pup, as any good Alpha would be, and that was all.

Olivia and I were business partners. That was the center of our relationship, and I couldn’t go forgetting that.

“We don’t have to be attached at the hip just because we’re newlyweds,” I reasoned. The word ‘newlyweds’ felt funny in my mouth. “By the way, how is the investigation progressing?"

Based on the glint in Sam’s eyes, he knew I was hoping he’d distract him from his line of questioning. He let me do it though, and for that I was relieved.

“I’ve heard nothing definitive,” he said. “I know Luna Olivia is making rounds to families of the victims but that’s about all.”

“Alone?” I asked sharply.

“No, sir,” Sam said quickly but calmly, “Mr. Astor accompanies her. Would you like me to bring you further information?”

I waffled with myself, not wanting to seem desperate for news of her—even though I kind of, sort of was.

“Yes,” I said simply. “Thank you, Sam.” Sam’s lips twitched into that knowing smile again, and then he was bowing and walking out of my office.

I sighed, wanting to drop my head onto my desk. If I knew anything about Sam, it was that he never let things go—I knew I’d hear about this again, and probably soon.

You’re being an idiot, my wolf growled, unusually irate with me. Stop denying what we both know is true.

I gritted my teeth, pushing back against his insistence. "It's not that simple," I muttered aloud.

It is, my wolf countered. We both feel it. This pull towards Olivia isn't just about the pup she carries.

I swallowed thickly, feeling cornered.

"I know," I whispered, running a hand through my hair. "But I can't... I can't afford to acknowledge it. It would only make her uncomfortable."

She's our Mate, my wolf insisted, his frustration palpable. How could our desire make her uncomfortable?

That was the thing about our wolves; they were the instinctual side of us, they saw the world in black and white—the strongest care for the weakest, what’s right is praised and what’s wrong is punished. For all of their strength and glory, modern political nuance was not their wheelhouse.

"She’s not our Mate by choice,” I told him, pacing the length of my office.

She did choose us!

“Because we were the lesser of two evils!” I said, exasperated. The words hurt me to say, somewhere inside my ribcage, but I wasn’t stupid enough to lie to myself about this. “Maybe she would have chosen us anyway, in a different world, but right here and now she’s only here to protect our pup.”

My wolf's disbelief and anger roiled through me, but before he could argue further, a knock at the door announced Sam's return.

"Come in," I called, grateful for the interruption. It was rare for my wolf and I to disagree. It left me feeling unmoored.

Sam entered, a manila folder in his hands. "I've got an update on the investigation," he said, approaching my desk. "And some photos you might want to see."

I leafed through the candid shots, a surge of pride warming my chest. Olivia looked focused, determined, every inch the leader I knew she could be. "She's taking this seriously," I murmured, unable to keep the admiration from my voice.

"She is," Sam agreed. "The council members are impressed."

As I flipped to the last photo, however, my breath caught. There was Olivia, beautiful and commanding as ever, but it was the man beside her that made my blood boil. Astor, my half-brother, was gazing at her with undisguised adoration.

"What the hell is this?" I growled, my fingers tightening on the photo's edge.

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "That's, uh, from yesterday's meeting. Is something wrong?"

I ground my teeth together, putting the photo down with careful slowness. I didn't want to rip a picture of Olivia, no matter who else was unfortunately caught in the frame. For all that we'd disagreed lately, though, my wolf and I were on the same page about this: Astor had no right to look at my Mate like that.

Because I knew my half-brother. I’d spent some of my teen years and all my adult ones dealing with him, of course I knew what that look in his eyes was, and I knew he was falling in love with her. With my wife.

And, because I knew him so well, I knew he wasn’t going to stay quiet about it forever.

"Elroy?" Sam's voice cut through the haze of my anger. "What's going on?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. "Nothing," I lied, my voice tight. "Just... noticing some interesting dynamics."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "This is about Astor, isn't it?"

I couldn't hide my surprise. "You've noticed it too?"

He nodded slowly. "It's hard to miss. The way he looks at her... it's not exactly subtle."

My wolf snarled, and I had to grip the edge of my desk to keep from shifting right there. "It's unacceptable," I growled. "He knows she's my Mate."

"What are you going to do?" Sam asked, his tone cautious.

I stood up, my decision made. "I'm going to have a little chat with my dear half-brother. It’s time to remind him of his place.”