Chapter 68

Kayla

The room smelled like him.

That was one of the first things I noticed when I opened my eyes to the soft glow of the early morning light filtering through the sheer curtains. I stayed there for a moment, still buried under the thick blankets, trying and failing to shake off the lingering haze of sleep.

But the scent wrapped around me before I could even wake up fully—warm, musky, and unmistakably Nicholas.

I frowned, glancing over at the empty side of the bed, where the sheets were still neatly unmade and the pillow was left untouched.

He hadn’t been here last night. I knew that. Nicholas didn’t sleep in this room when I was in it. Hell, I doubted he had even walked past it since the country club incident two days ago, and he was even more unlikely to enter after yesterday.

But the smell was so strong that it almost felt like he had just left, like if I rolled over I might catch the faintest trace of warmth where his body had been.

Had he come in for some reason?

Shaking my head, I pushed back the blankets and sat up. I was being ridiculous. His scent lingered in the house, that was all, or maybe he just came in to grab something while I was sleeping.

Whatever it was, the bond had probably enhanced it, making me notice things I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Or maybe I was just finally losing my mind once and for all.

Either way, I needed to get out of bed and stop overthinking it. Dwelling wouldn’t solve anything.

After yawning and stretching for a moment, I reached for my phone on the nightstand and squinted against the bright screen. One unread text stared back at me, which had been sent early this morning. It was from Nicholas.

“We have a wedding meeting today at 2 PM. I’ll drive. Don’t be late.”

I groaned softly, dropping my head back against the pillows.

A wedding planning meeting with Nicholas. Great.

Part of me wanted to ignore the text and stay in bed all day, but another part of me felt a strange little spark of excitement. Not that I cared about planning some elaborate wedding when I knew it was just for show, but... I’d always dreamed of planning my dream wedding. Nicholas knew that.

And besides, it was something to do. Something to occupy my mind that didn’t involve thinking about Noah or the mate bond or why Nicholas’s scent was practically ingrained into the walls of this place.

I texted back a quick “Fine” and tossed the phone aside, slipping out of bed and heading to the bathroom. A hot shower would certainly soothe my tightly coiled muscles.

By the time one o’clock rolled around, I headed downstairs. Nicholas was already there, leaning against the front door with his arms crossed and a somewhat impatient expression on his face.

His gaze flicked over me briefly when I approached, and I could see the momentary look of appreciation when he saw the tight-fitting sweater dress I’d picked out and the way I’d swept my hair up into a tastefully messy bun. But he quickly masked it and pushed off the wall, shaking his head.

“Nice of you to finally show up,” he said, abrasive as ever.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him as I shrugged on my jacket. “Are you ready?”

“Ready as ever. Let’s go.”

With that, we left. The car ride was utterly silent, the air thick with tension. I stared out the window the entire time, twiddling my thumbs in my lap and ruminating on everything.

How did we manage to go from hateful banter to silent tension in such a short time? This didn’t feel like me. It didn’t feel like him either.

Once we arrived a little while later, we headed into the large building. The venue was beautiful, spacious with high ceilings and sprawling windows that overlooked the snowy landscape.

The wedding planner was already waiting for us, clipboard in hand, and as soon as I saw her, my stomach dropped.

It was the woman from the picture.

The one I had seen through Nicholas’s memories.

“Nicholas—so nice to see you again. I placed an order for those desserts you liked, by the way,” she said, approaching us with a grin and extending her hand to me. “And you must be Kayla. I’m your wedding planner. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

As I shook her hand, it finally hit me. So, this really was real. The memories he had sent me through the bond hadn’t been lies or tricks. He really had been with the wedding planner that night.

I didn’t know why that left me feeling strangely relieved, but it did. And it softened me toward him, even if only a little.

After introductions, we toured the venue while the planner chattered about various decorations. It really was a beautiful space, almost like all of the inspiration pictures I’d saved in my wedding inspiration boards. But I was surprised when she pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to us before hurrying away to handle a phone call.

“You already chose the invitations?” I stared at the glossy sample card in my hand, the elegant silver script practically glaring up at me.

Nicholas shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I went with her recommendation. I thought it would save time.”

“We haven’t even finalized a guest list.”

“They’re placeholders. Relax,” he said with a wave of his hand.

I frowned, turning the card over in my hand. I had barely thought about the wedding beyond what was necessary to keep up the ruse, and I didn’t know that Nicholas had gone so far as to print invitations.

But Nicholas... he had been planning all this time. Printing invitations. Moving forward without telling me much of anything. And it all felt so… rushed. So… obvious. And a little dangerous.

“We shouldn’t be rushing like this,” I said quietly, glancing up at him. “People will start asking questions if we plan too quickly. You should be careful.”

Nicholas met my gaze, and something that looked like annoyance flashed in his eyes. I half expected him to argue, given our track record. But to my surprise, he nodded and said, “I’ll slow it down.”

After the meeting, we stopped at a small cafe nearby. I was nursing a cup of coffee by the window while Nicholas was using the restroom when someone—a tall, thin man who I immediately recognized as a member of Bluemoon—approached our table.

“There you are. You know, I can’t believe Bluemoon is still standing,” the man sneered, his eyes narrowing dangerously on me. “Everyone knows it’s only a matter of time before it collapses. You’re nothing but a lame duck leader.”

I stiffened, but before I could respond, Nicholas suddenly appeared. He stopped by my seat, draping an arm casually around my shoulders.

“I am the acting Alpha of Bluemoon, actually,” Nicholas said, his voice dangerously smooth. “And if you’re so unhappy with my leadership, why haven’t you challenged me to a duel yet?”

The man paled. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Nicholas smiled, leaning in just enough for his voice to drop. “Didn’t think so. Off with you.”

The man turned and left without another word.

I stared after him, caught between surprise and something else I couldn’t quite place. When I glanced at Nicholas, he was sliding back into his seat with a perfectly unfazed look on his face.

“Thanks for that,” I said softly, my heart throbbing a little in my chest.

He just stirred his coffee and shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”

And for the first time in days, I felt the tension between us begin to ease, like the smallest thread of peace was settling in the air. Whatever that meant.

Until the flash of a camera broke the moment. The paparazzi had spotted us, and now we were on full display.

“Pose for the camera! Show us the happy couple!”