Greg locked his phone after replying to her message, sighing to himself, wondering why she was suddenly shutting him out. He thought they were getting along well. Better than well, even. Why the sudden change of behavior? Where was the playful sass, the ease that was there whenever they were together? How did something like that get flush out overnight?
And honestly, why did he care?
In his defense, it would’ve been easier not to care if she didn’t draw him in like a fucking magnet with everything she did: the way she talked, walked, ate, drank, puzzled over a task at hand. Goddess, especially the way she puzzled over a task at hand: the way her brows arched, the manner her body stilled, the way her eyes got lost into the page or on the screen. It was mind-consuming.
In the kingdom the next day, Enora held a yellow sheet as she leaped into her uncle’s ready arms that hoisted her up. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck and squeezed tight as his other niece and nephew gave him hello hugs at his legs. Gently patting Reida on her head and ruffling Ken’s hair, he then turned his attention to his favorite. “What do you have here, sweetheart?”He reached for the sheet blocking his peripheral view, his thumb smoothened the crumpled side where Enora’s fist was, holding the flier further from his face to make out the big, black words.Enora’s grip loosened when she asked with doe eyes, “Will you come, Uncle Gweg?”It was about the archery competition she signed up for. Leaving a quick kiss on her t
Greg walked into the headquarters the following week mentally rehearsing the way he was going to phrase the question of asking Sush whether his presence was impeding her peace of mind. The question then arose as to when he should ask it. Sooner would be more appropriate, more gentlemanly, more respectful.But he knew himself.His track record did not display a good line of appropriate or gentlemanly behavior. Respect was another matter, unless someone pissed him off. He decided that - unless Sush flinched, jerked, or outright said that he was making her uncomfortable - he wouldn’t raise the matter.It was a dirty way to buy time, he knew. But he only had three month
Greg had been paying more attention to her facial transmutation after hearing from the queen - through Tristan - that Sush didn’t smile a lot around anyone. He was surprised to learn that it was true. For someone who claimed to be able to extract humor from anything, she didn’t smile a lot. That entire morning, as she checked on each department and handed out orders, her lips either remained flat or were pulled to a frown. Yet he himself had witnessed her smile - even laugh - several times in the previous week.“They’re still running through them. Nothing out of the ordinary yet,” she said, slipping her tablet back in.Thoughts of touching her took the backseat as his protective instincts kicked in. The suspect pool - in other words, the people who knew she was headed for the ministry - was enormous. As
The mention of Enora got Greg on high alert. His pupils dilated, his claws underneath the innocuous nails ready, and his shoulders stiffened. It was common knowledge that the king and queen had pups, but it wasn’t common knowledge that Greg shared a bond with their youngest. “How do you know about my sweetheart?” his voice dropped to a deep baritone as his eyes darkened.Trying to sound bored, Sush looked out the windshield and uttered, “You took a call last week after work and rushed out after that, like you’ve been caught cheating on her.”There was one word in that sentence that smothered his defensiveness and splattered perplexity on him instead. For a brief second, he wondered if they were referring to the same person. Then, the waters of amused comprehension washed over him. So that explained
It wasn’t the mate bond, Greg knew that much. The sparks from one would be stronger, clearer, more will-bending. This wasn’t it. But the flicker warmed his skin, dilated his pupils, and made his heart beat like a pack of rogues running toward their prey.Reluctantly releasing her hands, he uttered, “Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.”Both doors lifted and Sush was forced to get out of the car when the person she wanted to scream at had already gotten out. The temptation to yell was as strong as the need to hide away for a few hours until she’d decided how best to present herself again after that debacle.She was jealous, even though they weren’t anything.
“Your Grace. This is a surprise.” Ferdinand finally yielded.“I can tell, seeing that your shock impeded your visual and auditory perception,” Greg replied monotonously, still disregarding the man’s title and position. The gears in his head continued to turn. They’d never met. He’d seen the man’s photo, but that wasn’t where Greg recognized… parts of him. This person - his energy and scent were as new as they were foreign, but segments of his features reminded Greg of someone. He just couldn’t figure out who.Ferdinand’s frown forced itself into a superficial smile as he straightened himself in his seat. Dropping the ball next to a paperweight, he stated, “I can see and hear you, Your Grace.”
“WHAT?” Sush’s voice blared in Greg’s car and his lycan was pushed back by the volume before he got back up and demanded his human to ask what was going on.Sush put Hazel on speaker as the deputy reported at a frantic pace, “...autopsy said she’d been dead for ten hours before the body was found. They took a full hour to identify her before notifying us about…” Greg double-parked as Hazel’s voice continued ringing through. “...the cause of death - multiple stab wounds to her chest, abdomen and face. No belongings were taken. Cash, credit cards, a five-figure watch remained intact and present on the property. They weren’t after money. Valor is sending four archers to retrieve her body and the defense ministry has been notified. Did Ferdinand say anything?”&ldqu
Sush and Greg were the only two at the cafeteria. Two mugs of black coffee sat between them, along with cream puffs, bagels and a chicken sandwich - all untouched, even after Greg had spread the cream cheese for her.“One thing, Sush,” Greg urged, leaning in. “Just eat one thing.”She blinked, coming back to the room. Eyes assessed her options, and she picked up half a bagel - the half with a more generous amount of cream cheese, biting into it without really tasting the flavors and texture.Greg popped a cream puff into his mouth as he continued watching her, praying Jade got the archives and correspondences fast so her mind would be kept away from the whys and focused on the hows.This