CHAPTER 38

Beatrice’s POV

The Lines We Can’t Cross

I was warm.

Too warm.

The gentle rise and fall of deep breathing stretched across my ears, the musk and something that was so distinctly him wrapping around me like a second skin. My body was snug in warmth, utterly comfortable — except for one small issue.

Something was off.

Something was wrong.

My eyes opened wide, and the moment I did, my heart jumped and I froze.

Xander.

He was right there.

Staring at me.

I sucked in my breath, choking on it as I observed him. He was on his side, propped on one elbow, his dark eyes glued to mine as if I was the most interesting thing. Like I was something interesting.

There was a kind of charge in the air between us, like the space repels unfelt speeches, unfelt things.

Neither of us spoke for a long moment.

The only sound was the distant roar of the city outside, muffled by the heavy hotel curtains.

Finally, his deep, husky voice shattered the silence.

“Why are you on my bed?”

I swallowed hard and pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulder. Was he serious?

I blinked at him, trying to figure out if he was screwing around or if he really didn’t remember.

“Do you really not remember?” I asked carefully.

He raised his eyebrows as if straining toward his memories. Then I spotted it — the potting moment when the penny dropped.

“Oh.”

That was it.

No embarrassment. No awkwardness. No unnecessary explanations.

Just an acknowledgment, like it was no big deal.

I pulled the blanket up over me, making some much-needed distance between us. I needed to breathe.

“You had a bad dream,” I reminded him. “A bad one.”

Xander had no immediate response. Instead, he rolled onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling, his rib cage expanding and contracting in slow, rhythmic cycles.

He had an unreadable expression.

For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to say anything.”

But then—

He said, in a voice almost no louder than a whisper, “Thank you.”

I blinked.

What?

“For what?” I asked, not quite able to ignore how my gut twisted at his words.

He ran a hand across his uncombed hair, his muscles rippling with the motion.

“I don’t sleep very well,” he said, his tone low, almost apologetic. “I have nightmares. Every single night.”

I stilled, watching him.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes darting back at me. “But last night was something else.”

A strange sensation lodged in my chest.

Warm. Dangerous. Unfamiliar.

I didn’t know why his words moved me so, but they did.

Last night was different.

I swallowed, and managed a tiny, teasing smile. “Well… I guess that makes you owe me, then.”

The corners of his lips twitched, but he didn’t respond.

Instead, he sat up, throwing the blanket off himself in a single movement. My eyes darted to his back, instinctually — and my breath stopped.

There it was.

My name.

Imprinted on his skin as an indelible, inescapable reality.

I should have asked.

I should have asked for answers.

But something held me back.

Maybe I was scared.

Perhaps I wasn’t prepared to hear what he had to share.

Instead, I stood up and stretched, shaking loose the tension. “I’ll take the shower first.”

Xander raised an eyebrow, the smirk returning. “I don’t think so.”

I narrowed my eyes. “If you recall, we’re not a couple? Just a boss and a secretary.”

His smirk deepened. “Exactly. And the boss goes first.”

I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t fight back.

Because this was us.

A game we kept playing. A line we kept toeing.

And I didn’t know how much longer we could act like it didn’t mean everything.

By the time we both cleaned up — taking turns, of course — we headed to the business breakfast.

The minute we walked into the elaborate dining hall, I knew.

The whispers. The stares.

It was a thick tension of air, of whispers, of impending gossip, hanging like a storm ready to break.

I knew exactly what they were saying.

I already knew.

That night, Beatrice Emberlyn stayed in the Lycan King's suite.

My jaw clenched, though I willed my face into an unreadable mask.

I pretended the stares were with intent.

But Xander?

Xander walked in like he didn’t give two fucks.

He glided, a man of easy authority, and as he came to the head of the long table, his mere presence was enough to hush whispers as he took his seat, a king on a throne.

I fell back into my familiar place next to him, my posture erect, my face blank.

But I could feel their curiosity weighing on me. Their judgment.

Let them talk.

Let them wonder.

Well, I had other things to worry about.

Xander picked up his coffee and took a slow sip before responding.

His voice was sharp. Commanding. Unyielding.

“Let’s begin.”

The Room Suddenly Became Organised.

The air collapsed, tension seizing into snap-sharp focus as the meeting opened up. The whispers faded and all eyes were on Xander. He leaned at the head of the table, his one hand against his coffee cup, the other draped over the armrest of his chair.

It was a room full of top-ranking executives and elite pack members and they all carried a silent reverence for him. Even those whose noses were in the air appeared humbled in his presence.

“As you all know,” Xander said, his voice smooth and steady, “our expansion here has been in the planning stages for quite some time.”

I saw every other person in the room leaning in, some of them hanging on his words.

“With Alpha Lee’s reign coming to an end, we have signed key mining contracts. “This is going to be one of the largest projects we’ve ever done.”

There were murmurs of agreement across the room. A handful of executives shared satisfied looks, nodding to themselves.

This was a huge deal.

He had also dominated the business-dominated sphere of New Jersey, owning almost the entire state. But as his empire saw its fortunes collapse, Xander had flown low and taken over, clinching deals that had been out of reach just a year before.

He had destroyed an empire — and constructed his own in its stead.

“But,” said Xander with a light percussive tapping of his fingers against the table, “we’re not only here for business.”

It was significant and the room fell silent once more.

Then after a beat a slow, sage smirk crept across his lips.

“To celebrate the grand opening, we will hold a masquerade party tomorrow night.”

An energy swept through the room.

Excitement.

Surprise.

Anticipation.

People looked at each other, whispers rippled through throngs, smiles appeared on faces.

“It’s been a real event in years,” someone said, with a tone of both nostalgia and eagerness.

I could feel the change in everyone’s attitude. The stiffness of business talk melted away and was replaced by an undercurrent of thrill. These were people who had power as their daily breath and blood, yet sometimes the lure of a big, beautiful event was too strong, even for them.

Xander leaned back a bit, his eyes flicking to me.

Before he spoke, something unreadable registered in his eyes.

“Beatrice.”

I stiffened.

My fingers twisted a bit on the cool table surface.

“Yes?”

“You’re going to the party with me.”

My breath caught.

The world will dim around me for a brief fraction of a second.

And then—silence settled in the room.

Every one of their eyes turned toward me and I felt the pressure of their stares on my body like an invisible weight. Some were surprised. Others were intrigued. All were curious.

I opened my mouth to object, to remind him — and everyone else in the room — that I was merely his secretary.

But before I was able to say the words, Xander leaned in a little bit. His voice dropped to a low, commanding whisper that only I could hear.

“I wasn’t asking.”

His words gave me the willies.

I balled my hands into fists underneath the table, fighting to maintain a neutral expression.

This wasn’t a request.

It was a decision. One I had no say in.

And the worst part?

See, deep down, buried under the resistance I wanted to hold on to —

There was a part of me that wasn’t sure I wanted to say no.

The meeting adjourned a short while later, the business having turned back to logistics and financial reports. Breakfast over, they started to drift apart, off to their own responsibilities.

I, however, needed air.

I rose from my place and made my apologies, slipping from the dining hall.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, my chest opened up a little, and the weight of them fell into the background.

But I could hardly catch a breath before a voice froze me in place.

“You look conflicted.”

My heart leaped, and I pivoted around sharply.

Ryder.

Xander’s beta. His most trusted friend.

His eyes were sharp and calculating. There was a glint of recognition in them, as if he were already ten steps ahead of all of us.

I frowned, crossing my arms. “Shouldn’t you be inside?”

Ryder cocked his head a bit, an even wider smirk on his face. “I should.” He looked back to the doors, then turned his attention back to me. “But this is much more interesting watching you two.”

I stiffened.

There is no ‘you two.’

I wanted to say it, to throw the words at him.

But something stopped me.

There was something about the way he looked at me — as if he was examining me — that made me stop.

I lifted my chin. “There’s nothing to watch.”

Ryder laughed low and amused. “Right.”

I suddenly wanted to walk away.

To distance myself from what ever unspoken truth he believed he had discovered.

But as I started to move he took a step closer, lowering his voice slightly.

“You have to be careful, Beatrice.”

An odd discomfort tightened in my gut.

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

Ryder’s smirk faded.

For the first time since I’d sat with him, his expression was solemn.

“Xander’s not the kind of man who gives up easily.”

Those words hung in the air between us, dripping with an implied threat.

A shiver ran down my spine.

I never got to respond to you.

And just like that, before I could, Ryder spun and swam down the hall, leaving me standing there—

Alone.

And with too many thoughts, and far too few.

Because at that instant, Xander’s voice echoed in the hall, clip and demanding.

“Beatrice.”

I turned, choking slightly, to find him watching me from across the room.

His face was inscrutable.

But those eyes — those deep, icy-blue eyes — kept me captive.

“Come with me.”

Ryder half smiled and stepped backwards. “Told you.”

I swallowed hard.

Because for the first time, I understood something scary.

I wasn’t sure if I was falling into Xander’s world — or if he had already pulled me in.

And I didn’t know that I wanted to escape.