Chapter b186 /b

    E

    The kiss caught mepletely boff /bguard, but bmy /bbody responded before bmy /bbrain bcould /bcatch up. bBefore /bbI /bknew it, my mouth was moving against hisb, /bsavoring the taste of his lips and tongue. For all I knewb, /bthis

    brief moment of unexpected passion might be ourst.

    b“/bCongrattionsb, /bAlpha King.”

    Alexander’s grip on me tightened at the use of the mindlink, and for a moment I felt like I was drowning

    in the connection between us. The mate bond hummed to life, warm and electric, and I almost–almost-

    let the words slip out.

    Those three little words.

    But before I could do something I might regret, Alexander’s phone started buzzing in his pocket. He broke

    away from me, straightening me on my feet, then slipped out his phone. Gabriel jogged after him as he

    hurried out of the room.

    “Duty calls, I suppose,” Liam said, appearing at my side.

    I deliberately cooled the heat in my low belly. Whatever that kiss was–it was just happenstance. Another

    brief moment that the excitement and the mate bond took over, not to mention an excellent opportunity for a good photograph of the “family man” kissing his pregnant wife after hearing the good news.

    Nothing more.

    For the brest /bof the night, I barely saw Alexander. The living room filled and emptied as pack members and friends came to congratte the new Alpha King, but Alexander was either on the phone or huddled

    with Gabriel discussing transition procedures and immediate policy decisions. Every time I tried to approach him, someone else needed his attention.

    The chocte cake sat untouched in the kitchen while I yed the perfect hostess, epting

    congrattions and fielding questions about what this meant for the pack.

    By the time thest guest left around midnight, I was exhausted and more than a little disappointed. This

    was supposed to be Alexander’s celebration, but it felt more like a preview of what our life was going to look like from now on.

    I found bmyself /bstanding alone in the kitchen at one in the morning, staring at the cake that was supposed to be ba /bsurprise. Through the walls, bI /bcould hear Alexander’s muffled voiceing from his officeb, /bstill on another fucking phone call.

    With a sigh, I bcut a /bgenerous slice and arranged it on one bof /bthe good tes, then padded down the hallway btoward /bthe glow of light spilling out from under his office bdoor/b.

    I knocked softly before pushing it open. “Alexanderb?/bb” /b

    He looked

    up from where he was hunched over his desk, phone pressed to his ear, papers scattered everywhere. His tie was goneb, /bshirt wrinkledb, /bred hair sticking up at odd angles where he’d been running his hands through it. He lookedpletely frazzled.

    “I’ll call you back in the morningb,/b” he said into the phone, then hung up and rubbed his eyes. “Goddess, E, what time is it?”

    “Late. Toote for you to still be working.” I stepped into the office and held up the te. “I brought byou /bcake.”

    Alexander’s expression softened when he saw it. “You made this?b” /b

    “Lilith and I did. This afternoon.” I walked over to his desk. “I was going to surprise byou /bearlier, but byou’ve /bbeen a little busyb.” /b

    “I’m sorry. I know tonight didn’t go the way we nned, but there’s so much to figure out. The transition team wants to meet first thing tomorrow, and there are about fifty different policy briefs I need to review before then, band-/b”

    “Alexander.” I cut him off gently. “It’s important to celebrate too. You just won the election. You’re going to be Alpha King.”

    He stared at me for a moment, then leaned back in his chair with something that might have been the ghost of a smile. “Alpha King. Fuck, that’s going to take some getting used to.”

    “Come hereb./bb” /bI walked around to his side of the desk. “You need to eat something.”

    Alexander swiveled his chair to face me, and I perched on the edge of his desk, holding out the fork with a bite of cake. He looked like he was going to protest, so I gave him my best stern look.

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