Page 71 of Wolf’s Fated Bride

Maren’s eyes tear up. “What will I do without you?”

“We’re not going to think about that yet.”

“But I’m leaving soon.”

“We still have a few hours before the roads clear.” I close the door and cry on my way to the laundry room, where a pair of wolves fall silent the moment they see me.

“Morning.” I greet them and make quick work of putting Maren’s nesting supplies into the washing machine. I add detergent and press Start. Gone are Sven’s scent and the evidence of her naughty and forbidden deeds. Phew.

I turn toward the staff and lean against the washer to catch them staring at me. I don’t think they smelled or sensed anything. No way. I was careful with Maren’s sheets.

Maren’s friend Gerdie glances at the spinning washer that they’d already loaded. I spot my pink blanket. Also, my pink pillow with red cherries on it, along with other blankets that I recognize. They’re all spinning in the washer along with Ash’s T-shirt.

I can’t ask them how that stuff got here, but I presume Ash loaded my nesting supplies with his T-shirt on purpose. That bastard.

I tuck my hands into my pockets. “What?” I bark.

They exchange looks, then leave, and now I’m even sadder than I was before. Ash could’ve left the nest as a wolf, the way he came. Nobody goes to the tower anyway. He could’ve bathed, washing off all evidence of our coupling.

How did he get up into the tower anyway? The bridge was drawn. Did he scale the mountain and then the tower? How did he do it?

It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that the situation with Ash is getting out of control, and we’re at risk of breaking the treaty. He had a brilliant idea for us all to go about our business. Maren keeps Sven. They go with Ash. No harm. No foul. It would’ve kept everyone happy and held up the treaty. But now he’s compromising everything.

I have at least an hour until the laundry is done, and nothing better to do than yell at the most insufferable male I know. I march to his tower and barge into his bedroom without knocking. I stomped on the way here so he heard me coming.

Propped up on the pillows, shirtless, Ash relaxes on the bed with a book in his hand. One knee bent, the other leg stretched out, he’s relaxing as if he has not a care in the world.

He drops the book on the nightstand and gives me a once-over. “I have a feeling you’ll want to close the door.”

I kick it shut with my heel.

Ash smirks.

He knows what he did.

“What the hell is the matter with you?” I rest my hands on my hips.

An eyebrow goes up. “What are you referring to?”

“Everything you did this morning.”

“What did I do?”

“You know what you did!” I stomp my foot.

“Lower your voice.”

My heart beats a mile a minute, and I take a few steps toward him. This is reckless and against my instincts. Provoking the most dangerous, unhinged alpha in the world is the craziest thing I’ve ever done. But I can’t let him air our secrets.

“After you found out about Maren and Sven, you said we should proceed as planned. Maren comes with Sven to your territory. Nobody gets hurt. Treaty holds. Has that changed?”

“No.”

“Then why did you come to breakfast unwashed when you damn well know someone could smell me on you? And housekeeping saw the blankets from my nest and your T-shirt. Your scent is all over my nesting supplies.”

“That’s right.”

“Rumors will spread.”