Chapter 216

Agnes

My stomach dropped the moment those words left the photographer’s mouth.

“Alpha Elijah! Is this beautiful woman your next romantic conquest?”

The flash of the camera was blinding, but not as blinding as the sudden rush of emotions that flooded through me. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

“Get in the car,” Elijah growled, placing himself between Lena and the photographer. “Now.”

Lena slipped into the back seat, her face now red from embarrassment and shock. Elijah firmly shut the door behind her, and I heard him growl a warning to the photographer. The cold authority in his voice made even me stiffen, and the photographers backed off just enough to allow him to get into the driver’s seat and pull away.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Elijah said, more to Lena than to me as he drove. “The press has been foaming at the mouth for the next scoop after what happened with Olivia.”

“It’s fine,” Lena murmured. I could tell she was uncomfortable, though.

I stared out the window, my heart still pounding uncomfortably in my chest. The photographer’s words echoed in my mind: next romantic conquest. As if Elijah collected women like trophies. As if it was only a matter of time before a new woman came into the picture and I turned into the next Olivia.

When we finally arrived home, I took Thea upstairs to get ready for bed. I helped her settle in with her new stuffed animal, then tucked her in just the way she liked.

“Did you have fun today?” I asked, smoothing her hair away from her forehead.

“Yeah,” she said, but her expression was thoughtful. “Mommy?”

“Hmm?”

She hesitated, picking at a loose thread on her comforter. “Is Daddy going to fall in love with Lena?”

My heart nearly stopped. “What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

Thea shrugged. “That’s what that man with the camera said. And Daddy likes her. She makes him laugh.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “Thea, your dad and I love each other very much. We’re mates—that means we’re meant to be together forever.”

“But everyone thought he was supposed to be with Olivia before,” she pointed out. “And that was a lie.”

Goddess, she was too smart for her own good sometimes. I chose my next words carefully.

“What happened with Olivia was... complicated. She tricked your dad into thinking they were mates. But he and I are the real thing. We’re never going to be separated, and he’s never going to fall in love with someone else.”

Thea just looked confused. “But you and Daddy aren’t even…” Her eyes flicked to my neck, where a mate mark should be. Where there was nothing but smooth, unblemished skin.

I felt like I was going to be sick, but I kept my face neutral as I said, “You don’t need to worry about that at all, okay? Lena is here to take care of you when we can’t be here. That’s all.”

To my surprise, Thea nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good. Because I like her, but I don’t want another mom. I just found you.”

My eyes stung with sudden tears. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And I just found you. You’re stuck with me now, kid.”

She giggled and hugged me tightly before releasing me and snuggling down under her covers with her stingray.

“Love you, Mommy.”

“Love you too, sweetheart. Sleep tight.”

I turned off her lamp and slipped out of her room, nearly colliding with Lena in the hallway. She was standing just outside her bedroom door, dressed in silk pajamas with a book in her hand.

“Oh!” I stepped back. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I was just heading to the kitchen for some tea.”

We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I wondered how long she’d been standing there, how much of my conversation with Thea she might have overheard. Her expression was strange—not quite upset, but not relaxed either. Her eyes held mine a second too long before she looked away.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “After what happened at the restaurant, I mean.”

She nodded. “I’m fine. It was just... unexpected.”

“The paparazzi can be brutal,” I said. “Try not to take it personally. They’re just looking for their next story.”

“Of course,” she agreed. “Good night, Agnes.”

“Night,” I replied, watching as she slipped past me and headed down the stairs.

Something about the exchange felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. Maybe she was just rattled after her first encounter with the pack’s gossips. I’d been the same way when I first married Elijah and became the subject of everyone’s whispers and stares.

I shook off the feeling and headed to our bedroom, where I found Elijah already changed for bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress with his head in his hands.

“Thea’s asleep,” I announced, closing the door behind me.

He looked up. “That’s good.”

I crossed to the closet and began changing into my nightgown, eager to wash off the day’s makeup and fall into bed. But my movements were stiff, mechanical. I couldn’t quite push away the hurt that lingered from the paparazzi’s words.

“She asked me if you were going to fall in love with Lena,” I said, my back to Elijah as I pulled my nightgown over my head.

“What?”

“Apparently that photographer’s comment stuck with Thea. She said you like Lena because she makes you laugh.”

I heard Elijah’s heavy sigh. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. Make sure she understands that’s not going to happen.”

“I already told her it wouldn’t,” I said, turning to face him. “But maybe hearing it from you would help.”

He nodded, but then his expression turned more serious. “What about you, though? Are you alright? After what happened?”

I tried to smile. “I’m fine. It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve dealt with this sort of nonsense.”

“Agnes,” he said, in that way he had of saying my name when he knew I wasn’t being completely honest, “talk to me.”

I sank onto the bed next to him, my shoulders slumping. “It just hurt, that’s all. Hearing him talk about you like that—like you’re some kind of playboy with a string of conquests. After everything with Olivia...”

“Hey.” Elijah turned to look at me and took my face in his hands. “You know that’s not true. You’re the only woman I’ve ever truly loved. The only one I ever will love.”

“I know that,” I said quickly, blinking away another round of tears that was threatening to come. “I do. It’s just... hearing someone say it out loud, in front of Thea, after everything we’ve been through... it brought back some not-so-nice feelings.”

Goddess, I was being ridiculous. I knew Elijah loved me. I knew what we had was real. So why did one thoughtless comment from a tabloid photographer have the power to shake me like this?

“Come here,” Elijah murmured, pulling me into his arms.

I went willingly, letting him draw me against his chest. His lips found my temple, then my cheek, then the corner of my mouth.

“I love you,” he whispered against my skin. “Only you. Always you.”

I tilted my face up, seeking his mouth with mine. He kissed me deeply, his hands sliding up my back and tangling in the long strands of my hair. Each touch chased away a bit more of the doubt and hurt.

“You’ll never have to worry about me looking at another woman,” he promised between kisses, flipping us so his warm body caged me gently against the mattress. “Not Lena, not anyone. You’re it for me, Agnes. My mate. My wife. My everything.”

At that, I couldn’t help but smile. His hands drifted lower, pushing my nightgown up around my hips. I shivered as his fingers traced patterns on my bare skin, and my legs fell to the sides, allowing his body access to mine.

And soon, the rest of the world fell away.