Chapter 33
The second half of the show passed in a blur. The crowd rose in applause, the performers bowed, and the audience began to fle out into the night.
I followed, arm lightly looped through Logan’s, as if I was a well–placed accessory in the Alpha’s public tableau.
Inside, I felt like a wilting flower. I maintained my composure, aldibugh what I really wanted was for this date to end.
It might have been different if Logan had warned me. At least then he would have been honest with his intentions, and I wouldn’t be left on the sidelines.
When we reached the car, 1 hesitated at the door.
“Was that the whole evening?” I asked, a little too sharply.
Logan opened my door and raised a brow. “Not quite. There’s a place I want to take you. Somewhere quieter.”
I slid into the seat, my smile brittle. “More press?”
“No,” he said, closing the door behind me.
I wasn’t sure I believed him anymore.
The restaurant was nestled into the hillside outside of downtown, past the noisy nightlife and away from the heart of the city. It had no flashing sign, only a carved wood plaque with elegant cursive: The Amber Room.
Thad heard of it, of course. It was the kind of place where council members dined on alliance anniversaries. It was where arranged mates were introduced to each other for the first time. A table could only be booked through legacy connections or Alphas
Of course Logan had a standing reservation.
Inside, the restaurant was candlelit, quiet, and velvet–lined. A live iolinist played in the corner, and soft laughter drifted between tables.
But no cameras. No flashing lights.
My shoulders relaxed an inch..
Still, the unease lingered. It was hard to trust that Logan didn’t have another plan in mind.
We were seated in a private booth with a curved leather back, partially hidden behind a silk curtain. Logan ordered a red blend and left the menu choices up to the chef.
“Sa,” he said, once we were alone again. “Did you like the show?”
I gave a neutral smile. “It was lovely.”
“You didn’t say much after.”
“I had nothing to say,” I replied, the words slipping out before I could soften them
Logan blinked. “What?”
Jlooked down at the silverware. “The cameras, the crowd. Us. That was the point, wasn’t it? To be seen as a real couple.”
He didn’t answer right away.
I took his silence as confirmation.
“Iget it,” I continued, my voice raising slightly. “It’s good for the pack to see us together. I know that. Logan didn’t interrupt, his steely eyes focused on me. “I thought.” I shook my head and tried to smile again. “Never mind. I’m being silly.”
Chapter 35
“I don’t understand what the big deal is.”
→+25 BONUS
His attitude only annoyed me more. I know I didn’t explain it very well, but it hurt even more that he didn’t seem to care about how I felt. He accepted the presence of the press as if it were noth, like he expected it
It only made me angry.
“This was supposed to be a date. You should have told me it was asetup,” I said through grit teeth. I was trying to rein in my feelings because people shouldn’t overhear us talking about this was getting more difficult though.
Logan’s expression darkened. I couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking though.
The food arrived, and our conversation was cut short as the waller ut our plates in front of us. They were small dishes arranged more like art than food. The server described each one in a soft voe before disappearing. Logan picked up his fork, but he didn’t start eating.
“Emily=”
“Let’s not,” I said gently. “We should enjoy the food.”
He didn’t press again. We ate in tense silence. I could have cut through the air with my steak knife. The warmth from earlier, the laughter, the teasing ease, was gone now, replaced by a quiet space between us that I didn’t know how to cross.
I told myself not to care. Being angry wasn’t going to solve anythic. It seemed like the more I tried to calm down, the angrier I
became.
I can’t even explain why. Why did it matter so much?
As I looked across the candlelit table at the man who was one day to be my Alpha, my partner, the ache in my chest told me it
was because I cared.
The violinist struck a final note as dessert was cleared. Logan reached across the table, his voice low.
“I didn’t invite the press, Emily.”
My eyes narrowed. “Then who did?”
He leaned back, eyes unreadable.
“That’s what I want to find out.”
