Chapter 9: Strike A Deal

Adolph watched her silently. Laurel appreciated the lack of pressure, but his tone and the confidence he wore so boldly grated her nerves. It was like looking at Basil's arrogant face without his smugness. She almost hated him, but it fizzled out as their bond pulsed warm and soothing.

“Think on it,” he said after a moment, inclining his head and withdrawing his hand.

Alice howled in protest and Laurel barely managed to hold herself in place when Adolph turned to leave. She didn’t watch him, but she listened to every step he took further and further away from her.

When she could no longer pick out his footsteps, she went inside and collapsed into a chair, exhausted and anxious. She had planned to live with Jack after the war and enjoy her new life thinking one day she might meet her mate. With his death and meeting Adolph, she didn’t know what to do.

Going back to the Imperial City meant going back to dealing with the nobles, Basil, and Delia…

But it also meant she may have a cha