Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
“I’ll clear my schedule,” I promised her.
A tentative smile crossed her face.
“I wanted to talk to you about what you’re doing to protect us against the threat of Noah and his Rogues, you know, since Grayson is here and all,” she said.
“I have a plan.”
“Does it have to do with marrying the Alpha King’s daughter? To gain part of the king’s Royal Guard?” Ella said. “Last my father heard, your arranged marriage was at a stalemate.”
“No, my plan has nothing to do with the Alpha King,” I answered honestly.
Guilt stabbed at me. Sure, technically, my sentence was true, but I wasn’t being completely honest. I didn’t want to upset Ella by telling her my father’s plans.
I’ll never allow that marriage to happen. It will only cause Ella pain if she were to know.
I knew that I was just using these as excuses, but I didn’t want to ruin things between Ella and me, just when she was starting to give me a chance again.
“Wait, does Noah know about your plans?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “What if that makes it easier for him to set up a counterattack against you?”
“No, he doesn’t,” I assured her. “When I first got the idea was around the time I started distrusting Noah. I thought that he might be a mole in our pack, spying for the Rogues.”
“Good.” She sat back in my chair and blew out a relieved breath. “Will you tell me about your plan? I might be able to help. I have a degree in military studies.”
There was a note of pride in her voice that almost unraveled me.
“Of course I’ll tell you about my plan.” I paused and considered what she just revealed to me. “You managed to get a college degree while raising Grayson?” I asked with awe in my tone.
My respect for my Mate – which had already been high – significantly increased.
She shrugged.
“I took all my classes online. There were some late nights, but I was determined to get that degree…even if I never used it,” she said.
“Oh, you’ll definitely be able to use it helping me.”
“What do you need my help with?” Ella asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
“Battle strategies.”
Ella POV
“Would you like cheese on your burger, Grayson?” Liam asked as he flipped a patty on the grill.
Grayson glanced up at me.
“Do I like cheese on my burger, Mom?”
“Yes, you do,” I said.
Liam and I shared a smirk.
A jolt of pleasure shot down my stomach, causing heat to pool below my belly button.
Get a hold of yourself, Ella.
But it was hard to focus on anything other than Liam. His back was to me, and he only had on black swim trunks that hung low on his hips. His defined shoulder and back muscles made me think of when I scratched my nails down his back when his finger was…
Stop!
It was the day after I told Grayson that Liam was his father. We were spending the day by the pool. Even though it was the start of fall, the temperature was perfect for swimming. My aunt and mom were at the hospital to give us some privacy. My mom had texted me half an hour ago that there was still no change in my father’s condition.
When the burgers were ready, I helped Liam put them on a plate and carried them to the long, shaded table that was already loaded with freshly cut watermelon, grilled corn on the cob, and Grayson’s favorite potato salad that I had whipped up in Liam’s fancy kitchen.
Automatically, I began to make a plate for Grayson, but Liam lightly touched my hand.
“I was hoping I could do that,” he muttered quietly. “If that’s all right.”
My heart flipped as I handed him the plate, and our hands brushed.
“Of course,” I replied and sat down, handing a package of burger buns to Liam.
He was patient as Grayson rattled off his specific instructions of exactly how much ketchup he wanted on his burger, how he only wanted three pickles, and none of his food should be touching under any circumstances.
“Should I, uh, cut up his burger?” Liam asked. “Just so there’s no chance of him choking.”
A lump developed in my throat.
Which was ridiculous. Liam had just asked a simple question.
Yeah, but the fact that he’s trying so hard makes me feel things that I’m not ready to fully examine.
“No, he’ll be fine,” I assured him.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?