Chapter 25: Meet One Friend, Erase One Enemy

Roman

Sienna looked up and smiled, beckoning us in and indicating we sit.

We needed no second invitation – we sat down and dug in like the voracious wolves we were.

And for a few blissful minutes, the world narrowed down to just this—her across from me, sunlight catching in her hair, the quiet hum of contentment settling deep in my chest.

Reaper was sending me visions…dangerous, provocative ones…

Sienna in my packhouse kitchen…barefoot, belly round with our pups, dogs at her feet, humming over the stove, making us breakfast….us laying her down on the kitchen table after, lifting her dress over her creamy thighs…

I burnt my tongue on a too hot sip of coffee…swearing under my breath.

Nathan, that fucker just laughed as if he could also see the filthy reel Reaper was playing in my mind.

Then, halfway through, she looked up. “I was thinking of going out today… to meet Mei,” she said softly.

“And tomorrow—I’ve been invited to lunch. Would it be okay if a friend fetches me from here?”

Everything in me stilled. New city. Unknown people. She could react badly to all that noise and stimuli and we would not be close

Every protective instinct and a very bristly wolf screamed No. Not happening.

I needed to think quickly, find a way to spin this.

I kept my tone even. “Why don’t you invite Mei over for the BBQ? Nathan can pick her up when he goes out for some supplies for this evening and we will organise a driver to take her back.”

She looked up, attention caught. “That way you can spend some quality time with her and she can see where you are staying.” I offered as a compromise.

Her face lit up instantly. “Really?”

That smile—Goddess…she was beautiful. “Of course,” I said. She was already picking up her phone.

But Reaper wasn’t having it. Who is she seeing tomorrow? I thought Mei was her only friend?

“Who are you lunching with tomorrow?” I asked casually.

She looked up from texting…I assume to Mei. “Nikolai, my friend from Harvard, you might remember meeting him. His dad invited us to a late graduation lunch” She said offhand as if not dropping a bombshell.

My jaw tightened in irritation. Nathan scoffed and buried it under a cough. Reaper off course lost it. “That pesky Vampire has the cheek to step onto our territory and steal away our mate?” he snarled.

Nathan, of course, made it worse. “Looks like she’ll meet the other guy’s dad before your family,” he said casually in the mindlink, far too amused.

I shot him a glare that promised violence. But he was not wrong. “We have to tell her and soon, before that Vampire gets his fangs into our girl.” Reaper grated.

I agreed…but right here, right now…something else was stirring me up even worse…

Something else was happening. Something… distracting. Her scent.

It was stronger today. Richer. Sweeter. Still honeysuckle and vanilla but now overlaid with the musk of ripe peaches.

It wrapped around me, sank into my lungs, settled under my skin until it felt like I couldn’t breathe without it.

Reaper felt it too…he was restless, agitated. Mate smells… different, he growled.

I dragged in another breath—and immediately regretted it. My cock was getting hard..like rock fucking hard. I shifted in my seat. Thank the Goddess for the table hiding the evidence of my clear arousal.

Hell. I was in hell.

Nathan shifted beside me. “Is it just me, or—” He inhaled deeply. “Fuck…she smells amazeballs..”

I growled at him via mindlink. Reaper bared his teeth.

“You smell it too?” I muttered.

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “It’s… intense. Is she—” he hesitated, lowering his voice, “—ovulating?”

I nearly choked on my coffee. Because that would explain why every instinct in me was screaming to pull her closer. To bury my face in her neck. To bury myself in her sweet hot—

Focus. Control. I forced myself to stay still. To act normal. Which was getting increasingly difficult.

And then—Sienna smiled. Soft. Sweet. Completely unaware of the chaos she was causing. “Maybe… we could prep the salads together later?” she suggested.

Nathan’s eyes crossed and then he said immediately. “Oh, I have to get your friend and have suddenly remembered I have a lot of errands to catch up on.”

Traitor. But I didn’t even care. Because all I heard was—Alone time. With her. Finally.

I leaned back slightly, watching her, my wolf settling into a low, possessive hum. Yeah. I’d take that win.

Even if, in the back of my mind, I was already planning – two things that had to be navigated:

Exactly how I was going to deal with the vampire who thought he could get anywhere near my mate.

And more immediately, how I was supposed to not lose my mind trapped in close proximity with her and that intoxicating scent this afternoon?