Chapter 176
Claire’s POV
Confusion and hurt slashed through me in equal measures. My mind struggled to understand what I was seeing, but my heart knew before my mind did.
Another woman was in Gideon’s room, dressed in lingerie. That could only mean one thing, a secret tryst, and it made my heart crack into several small pieces.
Gideon’s love life was none of my concern. I had made that clear. That had to be true, no matter what my heart privately onged for.
But when I had told Gideon this, he had said such sweet words to me. He had made me believe that he meant them.
He’d said I was the only woman he had been with. He had said he didn’t want anyone else.
He had to have been lying. The evidence was right here, wearing red see–through underwear.
Susanne stood in the doorway, making no effort to hide anything, like she wasn’t ashamed, like she wanted to be seen.
‘If you are looking for Alpha Gideon, I’m afraid he’s indisposed at the moment,” Susanne said. She tilted her head slightly upright so that she could stare down at me with a look of smug superiority.
She was a princess, after all, and had known herself to be one for far longer than I had. She must have felt like she was better than me. In some ways, at least those of regal life, she might have been right. I didn’t know anything about fancy dinners or ine dresses.
But I knew about pride. About quiet, inner strength.
And I knew about hurt. Hells, I was an expert. But I was also skilled in hiding it.
‘Was there something you wanted me to tell him?” Susanne asked. “Some message you want me to convey? Though, admittedly, now might not be the best time for it.”
‘No,” I said quickly. “No. I will speak to him later. It’s not important.”
I stumbled backwards, away from this scene, away from this cause of hurt.
Susanne shrugged like it didn’t matter to her and she closed the door.
I turned and rushed to my own room. With my door closed behind me, I was safely alone. But my thoughts waged war on me. Perhaps returning to Gideon’s pack was a bad idea.
Maybe I could find a new home. Or I could return to Ivan’s, after all. I had a little house there. Ivan’s pack was safe and familiar. And I didn’t think Ivan would bother me overmuch.
It would have been nice to see my children more often but…
I sighed, unsure what to do. My heart was still hurting, like it was broken. But that couldn’t be.
To admit my heartache was because of Gideon was to admit that I still cared about him.
That I still loved him.
I wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone, least of all myself.
1/3
Chapter 176
Gideon’s POV
I stayed up to read a little in the study before retiring to my room. When I opened the door, I was surprised to food i occupied. I was doubly surprised to find Susanne was the one inside,
She was reclining on my bed, her arms over her head, her body stretched out. She was barely wearing, anything, put som skinny red see–through bra and panties.
Immediately I covered my eyes and turned away. “You have the wrong room,” I said at once. 1 glanced at my luggage in the corner to be sure I wasn’t the one who had been mistaken. I wasn’t. This was my room, and Susanne was an unwelcome intruder inside of it.
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” she said.
Though my back was to her, I could hear the swish of the sheets and the squeak of the mattress as she moved to sit up and get off of it. She was coming toward me. I didn’t want her to touch me again. I had no time for this seduction.
In fact, now, I was starting to get well and truly annoyed with her. I had tried being nice, but that hadn’t worked. Perhaps a firmer hand needed to be given, for her to finally understand I just didn’t want her.
“Princess, I insist that you leave my room at once”
“I’m not nervous,” she said. “I’m not a virgin, if you are afraid of hurting me.”
“I am just not interested. I don’t know how to make that any clearer to you.”
She laughed. “You can drop the games, lover. No one is here to see them, to see you. It’s okay to give into your base desires. I want you to.” Her laughter dropped. “I want you to be yourself with me. I want to see you give into your needs. To fulfill mine.”
“Get out, Susanne.”
She hummed. “Why don’t you make me?”
Touching her in anger, even to move her physically from my room, could potentially lead to false allegations and angry tirades. I wanted neither, worried how that would fall upon Claire’s reputation. The very last thing I wanted was for the newly discovered princess to be kicked from her own house because of my inability to handle a situation.
But neither was I going to give in to whatever Susanne had planned for me here.
No. If Susanne wouldn’t leave, then I would. Simple as that.
Without another word, I went to the door and stepped out into the hallway.
“Where are you going?” Susanne asked, but her question was cut off as I closed the door behind me.
I wasn’t sure where to go. I didn’t know where ending up would cause the least amount of damage. Before long, I found myself in front of Claire’s door.
I listened for a moment, but there was no noise inside. Claire likely already went to bed. I didn’t want to bother her. Besides, the floor outside of her door was likely as good as the floor inside. And I had no intention of stealing her bed.
So I settled myself in the corner of her doorframe and closed my eyes.
I awoke in a rush as the door behind me opened and I fell onto the floor, flat on my back. I looked up into the startled expression of Claire, towering over me.
2/3
5:13 pm P M M
Chapter 176
“Gideon? What are you doing on the floor?”
21:35 vouchers
“When I returned to my room last night, it already had an occupant,” I explained. “She refused to leave, so I did. It felt safer sleeping in the hallway.”
Both of Claire’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead. “You didn’t stay with her?”
“No,” I confirmed. “I’d already told her I wasn’t interested earlier today. The princess has a hard time accepting a rejection, apparently.”
Claire’s demeanor changed then. Suddenly, she was much warmer, bending down, helping me up.
“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about anyway,” she said.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I don’t want to stay here anymore,” she said.
“No?” That seemed strange. She’d only just discovered her identity. After, I’d imagined we would stay for weeks while she became reacquainted with her father and her new life.
“But I don’t want to return to Ivan’s pack, either.” She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. That simple gesture alone sent more fire through me than anything Susanne had tried. “I was hoping I could come and live at your pack. If it’s alright…”
I was so distracted by her lips that it took me a moment to realize what she had said. “Of course it’s alright.”
“I want to leave as soon as possible,” she said.
“Whatever you want.”
My heart started to come alive. With Claire in my pack, maybe things could finally move forward. Maybe we could find a path toward a future together.
