Chapter 52

Rhys pushed me gently, backing me up until my butt hit the desk. In one fluid motion, he lifted me so I was sitting on it, without ever even breaking the kiss. I felt a flash of heat flood through me as I reached for his shirt.

An abrupt, forceful knocking startled us both, and Rhys jumped back, pulling his shirt back into place. He glared at the door, but the knocking didn’t stop. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he gave me an apologetic look and walked to the door.

“What do you want?” He growled when he opened the door.

“Sorry to interrupt whatever work was clearly being done here,” Sawyer said breathlessly with a slight smirk before turning serious again. “But there’s someone here to see you.”

“Tell them to go away.” Rhys snapped at him.

“I don’t think that’s going to work, Rhys,” Sawyer retorted, and I wondered what exactly was going on. “It’s Allison.”

“Allison?” I couldn’t see Rhys’ face, but I could hear the bewilderment and anger in his tone. “What is she doing here?”

“I don’t know, but she won’t leave till she sees you. She’s downstairs in the meeting room. At least that’s where I left her.” Sawyer answered.

“I don’t understand,” I interrupted, jumping off the desk. “Who is Allison?”

I watched Rhys take a deep breath, and I could feel the amount of effort it was taking for him to keep his voice calm to talk to me.

“She is one of my ex-fiancés.” He answered, not meeting my eyes, and I found myself upset with that. “I have to go deal with this, I’ll see you in a bit, okay?”

I felt my face fall, but I tried to hide it. “Oh, uh yea sure,” I responded, but he didn’t wait for my reply, he was already gone.

“Are you okay, Grace?” Sawyer asked when I didn’t move after a few moments.

I nodded, but didn’t say anything or move. I felt frozen inside. My brand-new mate was going off to see some other girl who was more than just a girl, she was an ex. An ex he apparently cared about.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs, and eat lunch in our suite?” He suggested, looking uncomfortable and awkward.

I nodded, and followed him out, but it felt like I was moving in slow motion. When we entered the suite, I sat down on one of the bar stools as Sawyer stared at what we had in the fridge.

“Grilled Cheese?” He asked, and I didn’t miss the pity in his eyes.

I nodded again. I didn’t really feel like talking much. The betrayal I felt at the moment was a little too great. We had literally been in the middle of something, and he chose to go to her instead.

Before I knew it there was a plate in front of me with a grilled cheese sandwich, grapes, and sour cream and onion chips, but I really wasn’t that hungry.

“Do you have any questions?” Sawyer asked, giving me the opportunity to talk about what was on my mind.

“Tell me about her,” I said after several beats of silence.

“As you heard downstairs, she is one of Rhys’ ex-fiancés, and her name is Allison. She was accepted into our pack a few years ago. She fell in love with him almost immediately and began doing crazy things for him. She betrayed her family and killed her own mate to prove her love. Not that it mattered though, Rhys never fell for her, never marked her or anything like that. He just let her live, which personally I think was a mistake that is coming back to bite him in the butt.”

I smiled slightly at Sawyer’s last comment, but then a thought crossed my mind, and I needed to know if I was being crazy or if I had a reason to think the things that were running through my head.

“Why is she back?” I asked, my voice far more vulnerable than I would have liked to show.

Sawyer sighed, turning serious again. “I’m not sure.” He answered uneasily. “But my guess is that she heard about you.”

Great. I wasn’t being crazy.

“So, she’s trying to win back the Alpha King?” I asked, trying to sound casual, but Alpha King didn’t sound right anymore. However, I needed distance between us. If he was going to leave me, then I needed to start preparing myself. I knew who marked me this time, and this time, I wasn’t sure I’d make it out alive if he decided he didn’t want me in more ways than one.

“That would be my guess.” Sawyer answered with a frown as he stared at me. “But that’s not what she said when she showed up. But don’t worry, Rhys will handle it.”

We finished lunch in silence, and I was about to return to my room when Sawyer said, “Come on, let’s go for a walk, it will do you good.”

I didn’t think it would change anything, but I agreed because my only other choice was to sit alone with my thoughts, which sounded less appealing. I hated how much I was spiraling over someone who I had only just learned was my mate.

Sawyer was right though. The more I moved, the better I felt. The fresh air calmed my senses and allowed me to think clearer. I fell in love with gardens. I hadn’t realized they existed, but they did, and they were stunning.

“Sawyer! Grace!”

I turned at the sound of our names to see Beta Leon walking toward us.

“What’s wrong?” Sawyer questioned him immediately.

“I heard some rumors.” Leon started when he was close enough. “Do not let Allison anywhere near Grace. Rhys has marked her, making the situation even more precarious than it was before.”

At first, I didn’t realize what the mark had to do with anything, but as the Beta and Sawyer continued to talk, I realized what it meant. Since I was marked, she would have to kill me to get to Rhys. And she killed her own mate, so she would kill me without any hesitation. And I couldn’t even shift...