Chapter 95

William and I went into the living room, and I closed the door behind us. We sat on the couch, and I waited for him to speak.

He nervously rubbed the palms of his hands on his slacks as he gathered his thoughts.

Then he looked up at me with a smile that reached his sky-blue eyes. “It is good to be back. I did a lot of thinking while I was gone, about us and about you.”

“That’s what I thought. It made me feel guilty that you left town over me,” I said. “I hope you’re doing better.”

“Don’t feel guilty. I’m fine,” he said, but he still looked a little sad. “My wolf gets restless and craves Diana, but he understands the situation better now. We both do.”

We were both silent for a moment.

“Daisy, when you rejected me, you said you had to remain engaged to Victor because you have a deal with him.”

“Yes, that’s true,” I said. “And I still can’t go back on my word.” I hope that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about because I didn’t want to disappoint him again.

“I know you would never go back on your word,” William said. “And that’s why I had to go away and think. I was overwhelmed by my wolf’s restlessness and emotions. It made me unsure of my own feelings.”

“I can understand why you would be confused,” I said. “So was I. It was a bizarre situation.”

“Are you still confused?” he asked.

“Maybe a little,” I admitted. “Diana feels a strong pull toward both your Mark and Victor’s Adam. It’s upsetting to be in the middle and to be the reason for pain and confusion in either of you.”

“I get that. But there may be a simple answer to this situation.” He turned and looked into my eyes. “Daisy, I need to know something. Are you in love with Victor?”

“I …um …I don’t think so,” I stammered. “I like Victor much more than I thought I ever would. He’s a terrific friend and has taught me a great deal. I’ve discovered he’s patient and kind. I care about him, but I don’t think I’m in love with him.”

“And is it still true that your engagement is not real?”

I couldn’t hold still anymore and stood to pace the room.

“Yes, but please don’t tell anyone. Some people would be hurt if they found out. When the time comes, Victor and I will tell them we changed our minds.”

“I won’t say anything. I would never do anything to hurt you or cause you problems,” William assured me. “We will always be friends, no matter what happens. I care about you a great deal.”

“And I care about you,” I said. I believed him that he wouldn’t tell anyone my secret. William had too much honor to do something like that.

“Daisy, I was in my kayak out on the lake last night when I realized something. When you rejected me, you never showed any signs that you wanted to marry him.”

“No, I didn’t” I bit my lip. I had a feeling I knew what William would say next, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

“Your fake engagement can’t last forever,” he said. “There is going to come a time when you need to move on with your life, and I want to be there for that day.”

I froze. It sounded like William sincerely wanted a relationship with me.

He was picturing us having a future together after Victor got the leadership position. It was what I had wanted out of my agreement with Victor.

William got up from the couch and stood in front of me.

“Can you and I spend time together and get to know each other better?” he asked. “Can we try to find out if things could work out between us someday?”

I stood there, speechless, looking into his eyes.

William took my hands in his. “I don’t care about the leadership position. You know that doesn’t mean anything to me.”

I nodded.

“You’re going to want a real mate one day, and being in a fake engagement will keep you from finding one.”

William was right. But he didn’t know that what I wanted out of my agreement with Victor was William.

I couldn’t believe it was happening. Victor’s plan was working.

Victor would get the leadership position and be able to go after all the power and wealth he needed. While I went on to find my “true love” and had the chance to discover if he was William.

Wasn’t this exactly what I wanted?

But I realized that I probably needed more time to process these things.

“Give him a chance,” Diana whispered in my mind through our private link. “I feel the bond to William’s wolf as strongly as I do Victor’s. If both Victor and you want to suppress Adam and my attraction to each other, you should say yes to William.”

“I don’t know, Diana …”

“Didn’t you want to try to get closer to William in the first place?” Diana said. “And getting to know William and giving him a chance with you in the future won’t take anything from Victor.”

“Well…” I tried to find words to say. “What about my fake engagement? What if the media or… paparazzi…”

“There is no rule that says you can’t be friends with whomever you choose,” Diana said.

I could feel Diana’s restlessness and frustration about mates. And I knew she was right.

“Well, Daisy, what do you think,” William asked. “Will you give me a chance?”

“Yes,” I agreed. “As long as nobody suspects my engagement to Victor isn’t real, you and I can spend time together. I would love to get to know you better.”

“Both Mark and I appreciate this, Daisy,” he said with a smile.

William then suddenly stepped forward and hugged me.

I felt his wolf’s excitement as we embraced. It felt good to have William’s arms around me. His hard athletic body warmed my soul as we held each other.

I could feel Diana and Mark’s relief. They were enjoying the moment too.

I suddenly pulled away from him. “Nobody can find us like this right now. My engagement party is happening down the hall. I need to return to it.”

“I understand,” William said. His eyes swept over me again. “You look gorgeous, Daisy. I can’t believe how much you are changing.”

I felt self-conscious for a moment. “Are the changes for the good?” I asked.

“The changes are wonderful,” he said. A warm light glowed in his eyes as he looked at me.

“Let’s return to the dining room together,” I said. “But I must behave like I am Victor’s enthusiastic bride-to-be. I don’t want to give the gossips anything to chew on.”

“We aren’t doing anything wrong, Daisy,” William insisted. “I don’t expect you to do anything to sully your honor or reputation.”

“I know that, but thank you for saying it.” I smiled. “Come on. There’s more dessert waiting for us.”

We went to the dining room to have more dessert with everyone. Victor watched us return to our seats.

His face was a blank mask that hid his emotions, but I could tell by his eyes that he wasn’t happy.

I put a hand on his arm and smiled. “I’m sorry for being gone so long.”

“What were you doing?” Victor asked and returned my smile.

“Just talking,” I replied. I could feel Adam practically pacing his mind. It was difficult to handle our own emotions when our wolves were upset and restless.

But I knew Adam could feel Diana’s pull toward William’s wolf. It was something neither Diana nor I could control.

I needed to talk to Victor later. He would understand, but right now, I needed to help him calm Adam.

“Will you get Benson’s attention for me, Victor?” I asked. “ I would like more dessert with vanilla ice cream, please.”

Victor gave me a genuine smile. “I’d be delighted, sweetheart.”