Chapter 7

SCARLETT

Waking up entwined in Christopher’s arms was the most comforting and secure sensation I’d ever experienced. It felt like I was living in a fairy tale, despite knowing the challenges that lay ahead. I snuggled closer to him, causing Christopher to groan, stretch, and pull me tighter into his embrace.

Even with our accelerated healing abilities, I was still a bit tender from our passionate night.

“I hated arguing with you, but I can’t deny that making up has been enjoyable,” Christopher murmured, his lips brushing against my neck.

“We don’t need to argue to be intimate,” I replied, shifting to straddle him, my arms resting on his chest.

“I wish we could spend the entire day in bed together,” he confessed, lifting his head to plant a soft kiss on the tip of my nose.

“But ~we~ have a pack to lead,” I reminded him, rolling back onto his side.

“The sound of ~we~ brings me so much joy,” Christopher admitted, covering my body with his. His fingers gently pushed my hair aside, revealing the mark nestled between my shoulder and neck—the mark he’d made yesterday and had revisited several times since. He traced it lightly with his fingers, causing my body to shiver and ignite.

I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation, a smile playing on my lips.

Christopher then tenderly kissed my mark, eliciting a soft sigh and moan from me. The touch of his lips on the mark he’d made sent waves of pleasure coursing through me.

But when he bit it gently with his human teeth, it nearly pushed me over the edge. I moaned loudly but managed to find my voice.

“Don’t start a fire you can’t put out now,” I warned, my words choked out between waves of pleasure.

He looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“You… ~We~,” I corrected myself. “We have two meetings this morning. And I still need to go to the hospital to adjust my schedule for breaks, at least for now, until I can get organized.”

He smiled at me, his gaze lingering for a few seconds.

“You’re right. Let’s get going,” Christopher agreed, kissing the tip of my nose before rolling over and settling next to me.

But I rolled on top of him, pressing my body against his and lightly kissing the mark on his neck, which I’d also revisited several times in the past few hours.

“But rest assured, you’ll be putting out tonight,” Christopher chuckled, kissing me on the lips and holding me close as he stood up.

We got dressed, had breakfast, and then headed to our first meeting.

The meeting room was already bustling with activity. Everyone from administration and legal was present, and Carl’s expression told me that the news wasn’t good. However, the meeting always started with announcements and casual conversations before getting to the main point.

“Alpha, there’s a sensitive issue we need to discuss,” Carl began, and I found it strange to feel what Christopher felt. It wasn’t like I could read his mind, but I could feel his emotions, his heart, all the time.

I felt him tense up when Carl mentioned the sensitive subject. I looked at him, his serious expression deepening into a frown as he listened.

“The union requests from the initial paperwork were evaluated, and everything is going well, but Law four hundred fifty-six prevents the union from happening now. For the packs to unite and become one, the territory would be too large without a beta. Currently, we still fit into the medium-size category, but when we unite the territories, we’ll become large, and that requires a full team—an alpha, a luna, and a pair of betas,” Carl explained.

I could feel each word stirring Christopher’s thoughts and churning his stomach.

“So, the council doesn’t want to accept the union?” Christopher asked sharply, sending a chill down my spine.

“The council is insisting that you find a beta,” Carl clarified.

Christopher scoffed, slamming his fist on the table.

“As if it were that simple. I’ve been searching for a beta for years,” he muttered, though I wasn’t sure if he intended for everyone to hear.

Suddenly, the door to the room swung open and Marquardt walked in. He was supposed to participate in the next meeting, which made me glance at the clock and realize that it was already time for the next one. His entrance was a welcome distraction from the tense atmosphere.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

“Alpha, we need to schedule visits to the south. The guards report that they’re very resistant to contact, which is making their job difficult. Perhaps an administrative visit will help,” Marquardt suggested, bringing more problems to the table, as expected.

In the past three months, we hadn’t been able to visit the south as alphas—a territory gained in a challenge that complicated the union. Christopher, with all his meetings and paperwork, and me, juggling my responsibilities at the hospital and the pack house, made it even more challenging. But we knew it was necessary.

“I think we’ve put off the visit to the south for too long. We need to do it soon,” I admitted, voicing my thoughts.

Christopher looked at me and nodded, running his hands over his face.

“Yes, schedule a trip for tomorrow afternoon. The two of us and the guard will go,” Christopher ordered.

But I felt a wave of apprehension. As if all the stress we were already under wasn’t enough, there were still layers and layers of worry.

I was accustomed to pressure and anxiety, but not to this extent. My pressure was usually focused on the life of a single patient, and I had almost complete control over the outcome. But now, thousands of lives were in our hands, and each decision we made impacted everyone. And more and more lives would be added to this burden.

After the meeting ended, the knot in my stomach made it hard to feel hungry. I was anxious, and I knew Christopher felt the same. We usually headed to the dining room after meetings, but this time Christopher led me to a different part of the house.

“Have lunch prepared; we’ll eat soon,” he told the kitchen manager, his hand on my waist guiding me to the living room—the room where I’d fallen asleep waiting for him when we were attacked. It was a cozy room filled with sofas and bookshelves, a blend of a living room and a library.

“I think you need a break. I don’t want you to worry,” Christopher began.

“I’m not worried, it’s just…” I started to defend myself, but Christopher raised an eyebrow at me. I knew what that meant—he could feel my worry.

I sighed as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s a lot of responsibility. Our decisions affect so many people.”

He smiled, the most comforting expression he could have offered, and he smiled.

“Scarlett, that’s a good thing,” he said, his voice soothing. “It means you’re a leader who genuinely cares about her team. But remember, there’s a bigger picture here.” He paused, his gaze steady on mine.

“Your concern should guide you, make you cautious and empathetic in your decisions. But it should never paralyze you. Worrying doesn’t help anyone—it just robs you of sleep.” His words were gentle, but firm.

“Use this concern sparingly when making decisions. The rest of the time, let your mind focus on other things. And let me shoulder the main worries, okay?”

His words hung in the air between us, and I realized he was no longer burdened by the stress and worry. He had left those feelings behind in the meeting room.

“But how do you do it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“How do you just switch off like that?”

He reached up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“Years of practice,” he replied, a laugh in his voice. But I knew he was telling the truth. I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“I’ll try,” I promised, my gaze locked with his.

His eyes were a clear, bright blue, but something over his shoulder caught my eye.

It was a photograph, tinged with a hint of red. It was tucked into the cover of a book.

I reached out, my fingers stretching toward it.

Christopher’s gaze followed my hand, watching as I picked up the photo.

As I brought the photo closer, I could see it more clearly. But it took a few moments for my brain to fully comprehend what I was looking at.