Julian’s POV

    There was no way in hell I was letting Chase have this seat next to Amber, but with the way he was ring back at me, I suspected he was thinking the same thing.

    This was a battle of wills, then, but I was determined to win. No one had more will than the pack Alpha.

    “I think you should find a different seat,” I said, politely insisting Chase get lost.

    Chase narrowed his eyes. “I think you’d be morefortable in the other chair, Alpha.”

    “I had my eye on this one,” I said.

    “This one isn’t as nice as the other one,” Chase replied. “An Alpha deserves the best.”

    “I will generously allow you to take the better chair,” I said, saying some of the words through my grit

    teeth. “But this seat is mine.”

    We seemed at an impasse, but I wasn’t going to back down.

    “Chase,” Amber said.

    My pride puffed up like a peacock, certain Amber was about to dismiss him and have me stay at the

    empty seat.

    “Sit down here next to me,” she said.

    My pride shriveling up, I looked at her in confusion. She returned my nce coolly.

    b“/bJulian, you can sit over there,” she said, and gestured to the empty seat across the table. Her eyes

    flittered away then and she didn’t look back at me.

    I had been well and truly dismissed.

    I wanted to argue, to push my point, or to demand it as Alpha. But everyone was looking. Chase and I

    were the only ones still standing.

    Also, to push like that was beneath me. Though I wanted what I wanted, I was still Alpha, and I couldn’t

    throw a tantrum like a toddler.

    “Very well,” I said, giving up the seat. Chase grinned as he immediately pulled out the chair and sat down, moving quickly like he couldn’t sit down fast enough. Like I might change my mind.

    I wanted to, certainly,

    Instead, I forced myself to back off and circle the table. The only other open seat was across from Amber

    but next to Olivia.

    Olivia grinned at me, seeming very pleased with herself and the situation, as I sat down. I did my best to ignore her, which wasn’t terribly difficult thanks to Ca, who sat on Olivia’s other side. Ca was something of a chatterbox and liked new people. Olivia, it seemed, had be the center of her interest

    tonight.

    Another positive, I supposed, was that from here, I could keep an eye on Chase, and on Amber. Being across the table gave me a good perspective, better than if I had been sitting beside Amber. From here, I could make sure Chase didn’t try to start anything.

    Though, alternatively, being this far away made it more difficult to intervene if something were to

    happen.

    This entire situation left me deeply unhappy and terribly grumpy. I still hadn’t been able to talk to Amber

    about the other night.

    Was that why she made sure I didn’t sit next to her? She was still angry at me, and embarrassed about what had happened?

    I had to find a way to make this right. Even from over here, this distant, I wasn’t going to just sit idly by while the entire rtionship I had been working on rebuilding with Amber fell apart right before my eyes.

    Amber’s POV

    Sitting Julian farther from me was a blessing. He couldn’t bring upst night now without telling the whole table about it, which I was certain he wouldn’t do, no matter how desperately he seemed to want to

    talk about things.

    From beside me, Chase grinned at me. The waiter had brought us menus and he was pointing at things. Have you tried this before? What about this? What’s the best thing on the menu at this restaurant?”

    I answered his questions as best as I could, while trying not to notice how hard Julian was ring at the

    two of us.

    asionally, Olivia would try to speak with him, but he’d entirely ignore her, too busy watching Chase and me. Olivia’s false smile was rapidly diminishing, even when she returned to talking to Ca.

    i” /i

    The waiter returned and went one by one around the table, getting our orders. I pretended not to notice as

    Chase casually checked his own menu, lightly running his fingers over the prices. He wore a growing frown, though when he spotted me watching, he covered it with a smile.

    “Chase, do you…?” I wanted to ask him if he had enough to cover this meal. While I knew he was a

    member of high society, the way he was grimacing almost made it seem like he was worried about

    money,

    At my words, he lowered his menu and smiled at me. “Not to worry, Amber. I was just curious.”

    I mirrored his smile, but I wasn’t sure that I believed him.

    I had a sneaking suspicion there was more going on with Chase than I knew.

    How much did I really know about him?

    This,bined with the way that Olivia was casting res at me from across the table, and the way Julian was staring, made me feel tense and unnerved.

    When Olivia broke from another conversation with Chase, she turned to me, and then to Alice.

    “Alice, dear,” Olivia said. Alice, who had been hugging her new plush animal and speaking to Anna, jumped a little as Olivia called for her.

    “Yeah?b” /b

    “Do you like makeup?”

    Alice nced at me before she answered, “I don’t know…”

    “Surely your mother lets you wear makeup?” Olivia asked.

    Alice had never really showed any interest in wanting to wear makeup. Besides which, she was six.

    Alice looked at me again, this time seemingly like she needed a rescue.

    “Alice is too young for all that,” I said.

    “Nonsense,” Olivia replied. “Girl’s should be able to feel pretty. Wouldn’t you like that, Alice? Don’t byou /bwant to feel pretty? Maybe I can show you how to put makeup on, if your mother refuses.

    “Olivia,” Julian said, a scolding tone in his voice.

    But Olivia just smiled at me daughter like she couldn’t hear him.

    “That wouldn’t be appropriate,” I said,ing to Alice’s defense. Not only did I not want Olivia spending any meaningful time with my child, Alice was far too young to be worried about makeup and being pretty. She was already pretty, and she was just a kid.

    Maybe, if Alice had shown any interest or curiosity about makeup, I would show her some and we could y dress up. But she hadn’t. And I wasn’t about to push her towards something more adult like makeup before she was ready. She was already growing up too fast.

    Olivia, however, seemed personally wounded by my rejection. cing her hand over her heart, she shook

    her head at me.

    “You should be more epting, Amber,” Olivia said. “After all, I’m only trying to connect with Julian’s

    child since we’ll be in each other’s lives so much from now on.”

    What the hells did she mean by that?

    Before I could discem, a strange sort of strangled sound came from beside me. Turning, I saw Chase

    nearly choke on his drink.

    Looking at me, his eyes wide, he asked, “Is Alice really Julian’s child?”