Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“I was going to ask if you needed help,”
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He almost sounds disappointed, and Beverly is yipping at the fact that her mate wants us to be near him. She’s been quiet since we met him, but she’s awake and present at the moment. It’s an odd sensation for her to be in a happy mood.
She’s fond of Mr. Thorne, but she’s living for this. It’s a new feeling and I find myself thrilled by it. It’s starting to feel like home, and with the old man out of the way, I feel like I might actually be able to build something here.
“Not moving. There’s a team, and I didn’t bring any of the old furniture with me. The aesthetics of my old apartment would clash with the loft chic here,” I say leaving the invitation open. I pull the gate open and step out.
The top floor is empty because I have yet to order the equipment I need to set up my workstation. I want to settle the second and third floors first. I might help Pepper set up her room on the second floor as well. Maybe we can bond a little, and I can show her that I’m not here just to be her friend.
He stops at the west wall to stare out of the windows. I stop behind him and give him a moment to take in the packhouse.
“Have you ever been?” I ask him.
“No,”
“You’ve never seen it like this before, have you?”
“I didn’t know it was that big or beautiful,” he nods.
“Is that the first time you think of those words in that order?” I ask. His mouth falls open, and blood rushes up his neck. His ears turn a pretty shade of hot pink. I laugh at his bashfulness. Who would have thought? “Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the tower. You can see my room since it’s on the way down. Just don’t read too much into it.”
“Is it pink?” he asks as we descend the stairs.
He stops looking around the open floor plan. Yes, it is fucking pink and fuzzy white, Alpha Barnes. I stand at the bottom of the stairs and watch him take in plastic-wrapped furniture and the one thing no one knows about me. I like to dabble in designing my own clothes. I take great pride in it because no one knows I make the dresses and cute outfits I put together. It’s a big mystery.
“You make clothes?” he asks, glancing back at me.
“My public appearance stuff mostly,” I nod. “Keep it between us?”
“Gladly,” he doesn’t hesitate. “Our little secret. What is all this?”
“Well, I’ve always loved art,” I say, pointing at the boxes near the corner. “That’s what this is. This is
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Chapter 22
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my drafting table. These tubes are imported fabrics. Over here are my canvases, paints, charcoal, brushes, and easels.”
“Why are you in finance?” he asks.
“Necessity,” I shrug. “For myself and eventually the pack. I don’t need the validation for this. I know I’m good at it. It’s mine and I’ve never intended to share it with anyone.”
“You’re sharing it with me,” he says when I motion to the door leading to the stairway.
“Yeah, I am,” I nod. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
“Why does it feel like I’m being tested?” he smiles. The look in his pretty green eyes almost dare me to deny it, but I had no reason to test him. At least, not right now.
“It’s not a test, Alpha Barnes. I’m sharing a piece of myself with you, the same way you are with me. You accepted an alliance without question knowing what it could potentially do to your reputation if it goes to shit. That’s who you are. What’s important to you. This is me. No test,”
“I just don’t want to be the one who takes your father from you,” he admits. There’s a long pause before I can take a deep breath and nod. “There are others.”
“There’s always been others. Myself included,” I shrug. “That’s why he’s still alive.”
“He’s not the alpha,” he concludes.
That much should be obvious by now. I doubt that he’s dealt with my father in anything that involves the pack. It should be Vincent. Have they come into contact or close proximity? They
should know.
“Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the layout,” I push open the double doors.
When we get to the home floor, I glance back at him. The way his eyes light up tells me he likes it here. The kitchen faces the bridge. The view from here is different. It is closer to the ground, surrounded by people, and the smaller parts of the city. The dining table is right next to it.
The bar I designed is in the space between the staircase and the wall at the end of the dining room table. The framework is pretty obsidian black. It matches the table setting and the black suede couches. Everything is trimmed in gold. The decor are things I’ve collected in my travels over the years. He’s taking everything in, from the trinkets to the bubble-wrapped statues. I can’t wait to finish putting everything together. This place is everything I have ever wanted. Things seem to be falling into place for me now that the old man is dead and gone.
“I knew you were a princess, but this is crazy, Violetta,” he smirks.
“Kitchen, living room, bar, piano, and the two doors are the study and the extra bedroom, my sister will be staying in.”
“What are you going to do with the top floor?”
“I probably won’t use all of it, but it’s where I’m setting up for the pack’s filing system. It’s not safe at
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Chapter 22
my dad’s with everyone gunning for him. I’m going to scan everything and store the census. booking here digitally. My brother is bringing all of that here in one of the moving trucks when they bring Pepper’s things over tomorrow.”
“You’re just letting me in on trait secrets. He’s not going to like that,” he says. Does he mean my
father or Vincent?
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“You don’t need any of this information and he could give two fucks if you know. Pack basics are my thing. Finance and social security. He’s more protection and politics. Keeps the city clean and the juveniles from getting killed by the cops,”
**
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