Chapter 264

#Chapter 264 – Supreme When Victor comes home at seven o’clock that night, I throw myself into his arms.

“Where have you been,” I breathe against his chest, angry and relieved at once.

“Whoa,” he says, laughing a little, settling his weight on his back foot to balance the weight of me against him. “Evelyn, are you all right?”

“I was worried about you,” I say, frowning up at him. “You didn’t call or text – not once –“

“Oh,” he says, as if not realizing that he hadn’t even been checking his phone. “I’m so sorry – I didn’t even think – I had Beta Stephen managing my calls –“

Stephen, coming in the door after Victor with a collection of other Betas, gives me a little grimace. “I’m sorry, Luna,” he says, abashed. “I didn’t read your messages – they’re marked as private on his phone –“

“It’s okay, Stephen,” I say, resting my head against Victor’s chest and giving the Beta a little smile. “It’s not your fault.”

“Sorry, my dear,” Victor murmurs, bending his head to give me a kiss on my hair. “I…it was a crazy day.

I didn’t think.”

“Crazy?” I ask, looking up at him, curious. Then I take a step back form him to inspect, scenting the air between us, trying to catch any hint of anything amiss –

“I’m all right,” he says, closing the distance between us, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Just…

busy, is all. Come on, is there food? I’m starving.”

I allow my mate to pull me into the kitchen, sticking close by his side, not wanting to be parted for another moment this day. I watch him smile as he hears the pattering of our boys’ feet in the hallway upstairs and then watches them clatter down the steps.

“Dad!” Ian shouts, thrilled, as he comes into sight. Alvin follows close at his brother’s heels as the boys cross the kitchen and hug their father, wrapping themselves tight around his hips. Victor laughs, patting each of them on the shoulder, smiling down at him.

“And did you two have a good day too? Keep Miss Georgia busy?”

Ian just narrows his eyes and scowls, looking away, but Alvin answers for both of them.

“It was amazing! The best day!” he says, a broad smile lighting his face. I laugh and untangle myself from the three, tickled to see that nothing at all has changed regarding the boys’ attitudes towards school.

I move away to the stove, checking on the chicken baking inside, and then lean against the counter to watch my mate with his sons. He’s clearly tired from his long day, and I know that it has something to do with Amelia, but what on earth was he up to?

It takes forever for me to find out, because – predictably – Victor doesn’t want to say anything in front of the kids. So we spend our dinner hearing all about what they’ve learned today – archaeology, paleontology, and astronomy apparently took precedence in the schoolroom today – and then what they want to do tomorrow.

“Run away,” Ian mumbles, chagrined. “Tomorrow I want to run away. I hate house school.”

“Liar,” Alvin says, laughing at him. “I know you liked the archaeology stuff – because Miss Georgia says you will get to dig –“

“Fine,” Ian snaps, giving his brother a nasty little look. “I’ll do that, but only if we get to dig.”

“Dig away,” I say, tucking into my food, surprised at how hungry I am. “But if you could start in the back garden, that would be great. I think I saw some dinosaur bones back there.”

Victor smirks at me and eats as well, unusually quiet.

Once we get the boys tucked into their bed, I start to head into our room, intent on learning more about Victor’s day, but he grabs my hand before I can go inside.

“Do you want to sit outside for a bit?” he asks, curious. “Maybe have a drink?”

I hesitate for a second, but then nod, giving him a big smile. He quirks his head at me, curious – I’m not usually one to turn down an after-dinner drink, not once since he’s known me but…he lets it go as I follow him down the stairs.

The house is finally quiet, most of the Betas gone and Burton packed away home. Bridgette left hours ago, and I still haven’t seen Rafe. I lean against the counter, mulling this over, as Victor pours me a glass of red wine and prepares a tumbler of whiskey for himself.

Then, he pulls me close for a quick kiss before leading me out to the front porch, where we settle ourselves on the loveseat. I smile as I lean against him, glancing at my ring, remembering that rainy night when we slept out here.

It feels like a million years ago, suddenly, that night of the failed engagement. And I get a little thrill of joy when I consider just how much the world has turned since then, and just how things have fallen into place. It wasn’t easy but…it’s good.

“So,” I say, looking up at Victor as I settle against his chest. “What on earth did you do all day? Dig a big pit and throw Amelia into it?”

He laughs, playing with the ends of my hair a little. “Is that what you wanted? I thought you were on team mercy.”

“Well,” I say, raising my glass of wine to my mouth and taking the tiniest sip before resting it on the rail of the porch. “That’s not what I’d have advised, but it’s the only thing that could have taken that long.”

He gives me a little laugh. “I saw Annabeth Prath as well. She had some interesting…ideas.”

“Oh,” I say, surprised. “About the school?”

“About…all sorts of things,” he says cryptically, taking a sip of his drink.

“Am I allowed to know?” I ask. “Or is it Alpha secrets?”

“You’re allowed to know everything,” he says, a knee-jerk answer that makes me happy to hear. “But it will take a while to tell.”

“Well then,” I say, cuddling up and getting comfortable. “You’d better get started. The kids will wake up around dawn.”

Laughing, Victor begins, starting by telling me more about meeting Edgar that day at the fire station and then moving on to give me the details of the false lunch. I smile, knowing precisely the restaurant that Edgar used to set up Amelia, but deciding to keep that little detail to myself. Victor doesn’t need to know that it was the site of two of Edgar’s great victories, not just one.

Then, he tells me about the white van, and the trip to the airport, and the private jet waiting there –

“Wait,” I say, turning to him, a little aghast. “Amelia gets a private jet to Italy? And I’m here, having wine on the front porch?”

Victor laughs at this. “I mean, the jet will come back,” he says. “We can go whenever you like –“

“Damn straight when can go whenever I like,” I grumble. “I didn’t know when I begged for mercy that she was getting a one-way ticket to the most beautiful place on earth with a hot Beta – I didn’t want that much mercy for her-“

Victor throws his head back this time, laughing harder. “A hot Beta?” he asks when he catches his breath again.

“Well you could have sent someone uglier with her,” I fuss, “if you were truly intent on punishment.”

“Oh come on,” he scoffs, “you don’t think anything will actually happen between them, do you?”

I shrug, considering it. “I don’t know. He’s hot, she’s hot. And I always thought there was a vibe…”

“No way,” Victor says, sure in his doubt. But I just shrug, smirking a little. I open my mouth to say something else, but then I feel Victor go tense behind me. I respond instantly, sitting up and looking around for any threat.

And then, at the base of the steps, I see the silhouette of a man. Standing there. Watching us.

A growl rips from Victor’s throat.