Chapter 277

I’m a deer in freaking headlights here, shocked and unsure. Mrs. Hayes was more calculating, but Alpha King Hayes is no less deadly, no less threatening. The fact that he looks at me like I am some kind of treat he intends to enjoy only makes me feel more frightened and disgusted.

I don’t want to let this man have control of my emotions like this, and I try to rein them in. Even if I am shaking in my socks, I don’t want this man to know it.

The Alpha King’s introduction to me hangs in the air for an increasingly long moment, made more and more awkward when I don’t say anything in response. I just stare at him.

Isaac clears his throat. “We, uh, are so happy that you came to visit us today, Alpha King.” He looks between Mr. Hayes and me as if trying to discern some unknown connection.

There isn’t one. Alpha King Hayes only knows who I am because he is an evil villain who seeks to undermine his sons and use me against them.

Isaac looks at me closer. There is a desperation in my eyes, a pleading almost, to answer the Alpha King’s greeting. I can understand his point of you. To him, I am being rude to the most powerful man in the kingdom, possibly the world, for no good reason.

Except, to me, there is a good reason. The reason is this guy was the world’s biggest dickbag.

I can’t tell that to Isaac right now, of course. To say something like that in front of the dickbag’s face would likely get me in trouble. Might even get my head lopped off for treason.

But, I also realize that my lingering silence is making the situation even more precarious. We are walking some kind of tight-rope here. The Alpha King has wormed his way into this home and now I have to walk on eggshells to make sure we all get out of this alive.

“Yes…” I say after far too long. “Uh… I also… see you now.”

Mom blinks at me. Isaac tilts his head somewhat. Neil lets out a lengthy, silent exhale that fortunately the dickbag doesn’t see.

The Alpha King just smiles bigger. He seems outright pleased by my uncomfortableness.

“Alpha King,” Isaac says, hastily stepping forward. “I’m so sorry for –”

The Alpha King raises his hand, silencing Isaac. “There is no need for that. I am quite accustomed to women losing their wits in my presences. I’ve been told I am very captivating.”

Oh, gross. Don’t make me gag.

“Yes,” Mom says at once. “I’m sure that is what her problem is.” Mom shot me a sharp look that said, Don’t you dare say anything!

My fear of my mom is greater than any fear I might hold for the Alpha King so I keep my mouth firmly shut this time.

“Alpha King,” Mom says, returning the attention to the theoretical most important man in the room. “Are you and your… servants planning on staying for dinner?”

“We’d hate to impose,” the Alpha King says, but made no motion to leave the room.

“It’s no imposition!” Isaac says at once.

“I’ll see to dinner. Chloe? Will you join me?” Mom asks.

I nod, then quickly follow her out of the room and into the kitchen. As soon as the door swings closed behind us, she turns on me.

“Are you out of your mind?” she whisper-yell. “What in the world would possess you to be rude to the Alpha King’s face?”

“Mom, you have no idea the bullshit that this guy has been up to,” I reply in an equally hushed tones.

I then try to fill her in as much as I can. I don’t want to waste time, so the most I get through is his utterly repulsive treatment of Neil, including the embedding of silver into his own son.

“So the brothers have turned against him,” I explain in haste. “They’re openly supporting his opposition in the election. And because of this, it’s basically become war. The Alpha King means to harm us all, me included. And by extension… you.”

“Me?”

“The reason we’re here, Mom. The real reason. It’s to keep you and Isaac safe.”

Mom listens to all my story, she hears all of my words. Yet no matter what I say, I can’t seem to wipe the skeptical look off of her face.

“This isn’t the time for your silly imaginings, Chloe,” Mom says. She gives me a small smile and gentle shake of her head, just as she did when I said something silly as a child. “The Alpha King is here in my living room. He’s visiting. He’s not out to get us.”

“But Mom –”

“Whatever disagreements he is having with his sons have nothing to do with us,” Mom says.

Dinner is already in the oven. We don’t have much to do there but watch it.

“We’ll need more sauce,” Mom says. She opens a can and pours it into a saucer on the stove. She hands me a spoon. “Keep stirring this until the oven dings. I’m going to go try to smooth everything over with the Alpha King.”

“Mom, if you would just listen –”

“I did listen, sweetheart,” she says, not unkindly but firm. “Now you listen to me. You stay here and stir. I’ll handle this.”

She doesn’t understand and her mind is so made up now that she’s not going to listen to anything else I have to say. It’s frustrating. But if I haven’t convinced her yet, I’m not sure I can. I could tell her about my apartment being ransacked, but I can’t prove it was Mr. Hayes.

Truthfully, I don’t have much proof of anything. Just a lot of verbal threats, including from Mrs. Hayes. But if Mom won’t take my word for it, she won’t believe any of this happened.

So Mom leaves, and I’m left alone to stir the pot.

I feel like an absolute failure for a good two full minutes before Beau comes sauntering through the door, like his evil father isn’t sitting in the living room right now. Beau seems calm and collected. It isn’t until he comes closer to me that I see the stress tightening his smile.

“Beau,” I begin. He does know that his father is here right? He must. Surely.

“I know,” he says. Okay, that answers that. “It’s a garbage situation but we’re going to survive it.” He shrugs. “The fact that he hasn’t just dragged us all out of the house and burned it to the ground is a good start.”

That does not make me feel better. I give him a flat look.

“Yeah, okay. That’s not in good taste.” He walks right up to my side, joining me at the stove. I haven’t stirred in a minute. Beau points at the saucepan.

With a sigh, I stir again. As I do, Beau slips his arm around my waist, and tucks me into his side. Some of the tension immediately leaves my body, especially as he turns and presses a kiss into my hair.

“My brothers and I won’t let anything happen to your family, Chloe,” he says. “I promise.”