Antiope

I enter Magnus's office and I am hit by his scent. I take a deep breath and calm Max down that is bugging me to run after him. Imagine what she would do if Magnus was our true mate. I take my place at the desk and I look at the stack of papers. I sigh. This is going to be tough.

I don't even know how much time has passed when I hear a soft knock on the door. Thane is standing guard outside and he is the one that comes in when I give the leave.

"Astrid wants to see you."

I frown. I have no idea who Astrid is but the playful smile on Thane's lips gives me an idea. If she is who I suspect she is... I bite my jaw down and I nod to Thane. I go back to my paperwork when I hear the shuffling of a dress in the office. Yep, I know that smell.

"Luna,"

"Whore," Maximo has made up her mind on her.

I lift my eyes and I regard her coldly. She is beautiful, with that long blonde hair and that lithe body. Her eyes are blue and her lips are full. Magnus sure has bizarre tastes. I look nothing like that woman standing in her flowing dress in his office.

"I do not think I can help you with whatever business you had with Magnus," my voice is harsh.

"He told me to address to you should I need anything."

Seriously? Is this some kind of joke? Is Magnus rubbing it in my face to make me jealous or provoke a reaction out of me? Cause he might find his favorite plaything ripped to pieces before he gets back.

"Did he? He hasn't said anything about you," I go back to pretending I am reading a report.

"If I may trouble you for a while, Helena's son has been having some trouble at school."

I frown and look up to her. What the hell is this?

"You might want to walk me through all of it," I haven't allowed her to sit.

"Helena's son, Elias, has been acting up in high school after... His father was killed at the last rogue attack and he hasn't gotten over it yet. Alpha Magnus tries to be there for him but all that anger..."

"What can I do?"

"Talk to him and get in touch with his headmaster at school and explain the situation. Frankly, I think you can manage better than Alpha Magnus. He... Well, he tends to threaten people than actually talk when he is in one of his tempers."

Tell me about it.

"OK," I cough perplexed. "I will talk to Elias and if you give me the phone to the school, I will contact them."

"Of course, Luna. Now, if I may, a trivial matter."

"I am listening."

"It's my Sonja's birthday the day after tomorrow, my daughter," she smiles. "I would like to organize a party for her in the packhouse. Do I have your permission?"

What the hell is going on?

"You do."

"Would you attend? For a while," she hastens to add. "She seems to admire you a lot and I haven't seen her this happy ever since my mate was lost to us."

"Your mate?"

"He was a warrior of the pack. Killed along with Helena's mate in the same attack. If it hadn't been for Alpha Magnus's magnanimity to shelter all the widows in the packhouse and provide for them, I don't know where I'd be."

I widen my eyes and my jaw drops. All these women, holding their babies are widows to his warriors? That is why they look at him with such admiration and love. He is their Alpha and he is taking care of them like an Alpha should.

"Not a single day goes by that I am not thinking about my mate," her face melts into a heartbroken expression. "But I have my pup to think and Alpha Magnus is taking such good care of us."

I don't know what to reply to that so I simply nod. This is not how I pictured her relationship with Magnus to be. But all that sweet smiles going his way was because he was taking care of his warrior's widows. And all that dark look Magnus had, was guilt. I recognize that now. Those women are grateful to him but he feels responsible for their losses. The burdens of a leader.

"Luna, if I may," Astrid says timidly. "I am grateful for your presence here. Alpha Magnus is... mellower and we all wish to see him happy."

What is the correct answer to that? I can tell that Magnus is not the demonic fiend that his rumor has pictured him to be. All it needs is for someone to watch him flip crepes in a sunny kitchen to know that there's more than meets the eye.

But is it because of me? How could that be.? We are practically enemies, him trying to dominate over me using my sister, me trying to get her out alive. And then an image flashes before my eyes. It's not that kiss. That was the animal in him, I could tell by the commanding way he took my lips. It's the hug. The hug he begged me for.

"Thank you, Astrid," I dismiss her and my thoughts. "If you need anything, let me know."

Astrid nods and walks out right when Thane came in and makes himself comfortable in the armchair across me.

"You must be feeling really stupid right now," he chuckles.

"You pledged your life to me."

"That I did. Nowhere in my oath does it say "do not make fun of your Luna when she is irrationally jealous", does it?"

"I am not jealous."

"Riiight," he raises a brow at me. "I was alert to grab you from getting at the poor woman's throat. You thought that her and the Alpha..."

"I don't care what Magnus does in his spare time!" I protest.

"OK, OK, OK," he raises his hands in surrender.

"Is it true though?"

"What? That Alpha Magnus has never laid a hand on any of his warriors' widows?" Thane asks and I can tell he finds the mere idea offensive.

I shake my head and dive back to work. And I pretend I do just that and not think about Magnus till the time comes for the rest of the Council to pour in. Only then, I get up and take the seat Magnus has appointed me. Everyone is taking this seriously. I was expecting a half-ass briefing just to keep me and their Alpha happy but I guessed wrong. They wanted me to make actual decisions on real matters and never questioned my authority.

After that, I still had some work to do and if it wasn't for Thane bringing me lunch, I would have skipped it altogether. I am neck-deep in reports and logistics when the phone rings. I absent-mindedly pick it up.

"Yes?"

"It would be better to answer that going "Alpha Ulfisson's office" or better yet "Luna Ulfisson speaking"," I hear Magnus's voice on the other side of the line.

"I think I can find something better than those two ridiculous things," I lean back to the chair.

"How was it today?"

"Everything is under control. Did you reach Gunnar's pack?"

"And received an enthusiastic welcome," Magnus scoffs.

"Keep your eyes open and your senses sharp."

"Is that worry I hear for me, little girl?"

I bite my lip. It was worry. Pure worry that something might happen to him. Why would I worry about that? Why I am suddenly thinking of Astrid's sad face when she mentioned her lost mate?

"Of course, I worry," I retort. "The paperwork is amassing and Egil wouldn't think twice throwing it on me."

A burst of laughter pours through the line and I can't help but picture Magnus's perfect face while he lets out that part of himself. And involuntarily, a smile creeps onto my lips.

"I miss you already," he blurts out.

Silence.

I freeze on the spot at this genuine admission and for a fleeting second, with no Max near the surface, I catch myself missing him too. This is not happening!

"Uhm," I cough. "The budget for the dam in the eastern borders is in. It didn't include an environmental research so I ordered one."

Silence again. This time an awkward one.

Whether he wanted to tell me he missed me or not, my refusal to acknowledge the same sentiment is making this a bad situation to be in.

"Very well. Did you check the revenue from the Seaside Inc.?"

We talk like that for a while, me filling him in the briefing, him giving some advice. We would have made a formidable leading team if we weren't in this situation. I hope all this effort I am putting will be appreciated when the time comes to demand to see Celia.

The more involved I am, the more he will depend on me and so will his pack. I may even find some leverage, some secret, something to hold over his head. This is not because I care for him or his pack. This is a Machiavellian plan. Sure! Great, I got my own subconscious to defy me now.

"Is it OK if I call tomorrow?" Magnus asks at the end of our conversation.

"Sure. It's your office after all."

"I mean to call you," his voice drops a few octaves and the hair on my body rise in attention.

"Uh..."

Me at loss for words. Lived to see the day!

"I want to hear your voice and know you are well," he presses.

"I... I am well."

"Good," I hear his smile over the phone. "Have a good night, Antiope."

"Sure... Uhm... You too."

"I doubt it while I am away from you."

STOP! I yell in my head. Stop being so nice, so level-headed, so sweet, so freaking sexy!

"Good," I panic and hang up.