Changes
BRUCE
"What?" asks my mother as she stares at me wide-eyed. "You can't possibly be serious! You're not supposed to be parading that woman around! Are you forgetting what's at play here?"
"Of course, not."
"Then why on earth would you accept such an invitation?" she asks desperately. "This will only make you look worse when the truth comes to light!"
I rub my eyes. Don't get me wrong—deep down, I know my mother is right. She's always been more sensible than all of us combined and her advice is solid.
I shouldn't be getting more involved than I already am.
It's important that I stick to the plan because right now, it's the only thing that's keeping us from a war that could tear the city apart.
So, why am I doing this?
"Bruce," she says more softly this time around. "I know you have your heart in the right place and you haven't been a leader for long. That's influencing all your decisions. But now isn't the time for trips and distractions. Your father could die at any moment. We can be attacked."
I come up with the excuse that I've been working on since I accepted Alpha Chester's invitation. "If I declined the invitation, maybe he would've become suspicious. It's necessary to make people think everything is alright. What if I'm being tested?"
My mother looks to the side, deep in thought. "Alright. That does make sense. But taking her too?"
"It would be stranger if I didn't."
I can see her anger rising and to be honest, I don't know why she's so furious. "What you don't understand is that hussy—"
I cut her off right away. "Don't call her that, Mom. She doesn't deserve that. She's done nothing to warrant your disrespect. Please. Besides, she's the whole reason behind the invitation."
Her face is a mask of disappointment, and shortly afterward, she leaves my office with only a few words. When she reaches the door, I see the unspoken warning in her eyes before she closes the door and disappears.
The worst part?
I know I'm treading on dangerous waters, and it's only a matter of time before all of this blows up right in my face. But what can I do? Keep Opal a prisoner until the time comes when I'll have to use her?
No. I know deep down that I can't regardless of everyone's warnings.
Tomorrow, we leave.
I leave the office for dinner and find everyone seated at the table, including Opal. She doesn't look up as I approach her. Then again, she never does.
The one person who won't stop looking at me is Quinton. He's been glaring at me nonstop since I saw him speaking to Opal in the garden. I know what his intentions are and I don't like them one bit because he's intervening in something that doesn't concern him.
We have dinner quietly. Nobody says a word. Ever since I married Opal, things between my family and me just aren't the same and I don't know why. We all agreed to this plan. Some are still in agreement and others aren't. I don't know what they want from me and I'm getting tired of chasing the truth.
I'm doing this for the good of our country.
It's the only thing that might save us.
Opal is the first to leave the table, and I have to stop myself from turning my head and watching her go. Whenever she's near, I can't take my eyes off her. As a matter of fact, I can't seem to forget last night.
Every time I tell myself that I should stay away from her, I do the opposite. It's safe to say that I don't really know what I'm doing anymore.
My mother's right. Everyone's right. And the worst part? They don't even know what happened between me and her. It's a secret I intend to take with me to the grave. That was the first mistake I made, but when my eyes landed on her, I didn't see anyone but her.
And it's the same thing with this trip. I could've said no to Alpha Chester or made up some excuse, but I wanted an opportunity to be alone with her.
I have to find out what she feels about all this. I didn't force myself upon her—Opal gave her body to me freely. I was there. I felt her passion. Her desire. Her abandon. No, she doesn't hate me, not the way she makes it seem. Or maybe she suffers from the same affliction I do.
She should keep her distance, but for some reason, she can't.
I'm starting to suspect that she might be my fated mate.
Yes, I would've noticed it if she were. A mate is not exactly the kind of thing one wouldn't pay attention to. The connection is supposed to be instant, and you look at the person and know everything about them without the two of you ever exchanging a word.
I didn't experience that with her, but that doesn't mean it can't still happen. The mate bond could spring up at any point in time.
And if that ends up happening, I'll damn this entire plan to hell.
Before I realize it, everyone has already gotten up from the table and it's just me and Quint. He's drinking his wine and watching me with slanted eyes.
A small defeated sound escapes my lips, and I fix him a look. "What is it now, Quint? What do you have to say to me? Just go ahead and say it. I'm sick and tired of not knowing what everyone around me thinks."
"You're such a hypocrite," he spits. "You know exactly how I feel! I've told you time and time again that what we're doing is wrong and dishonorable!"
"What else can I do, Quint?" I ask, my anger rising. "Dammit, you agreed to this plan! We were without options and you said yes the same way I did!"
He falls silent because he knows this is true. I rub my eyes and take a deep breath. "Maybe things won't get out of hand the way we expect them to. There could be a way out."
My brother says nothing in response. Silence falls upon us once more, and he says, "If there's a way out, I'll find it, Bruce."
"So will I."
Our eyes lock and I have the feeling that he wants to say something, but then he changes his mind. I guess at what he could say to me, but at this point, it's painfully clear.
But she's mine and can never be his.
That I know for a fact.
Quinton stands up and leaves the table. I watch him walk away, wondering just what our lives have become.