When We Were Mates (Demetra and Emris) novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Demetra.

“Milo. Milo. Milo.”

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Amira is dancing in her car seat, chanting that little boy’s name like it’s a song. For someone who didn’t like him on her first day of school, she’s definitely warmed up to him. I check my rear–view mirror before getting out of the school park, scanning for any sign of Emris. Nothing. I exhale and unbuckle my seatbelt.

I look down at the high–neck bodysuit I’m wearing. It’s not even cold out, but I need to cover the bites Emris left all over me.

“Mommy!” Amira’s impatient voice snaps me back.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” I open the back door and unclip her from the car seat, setting her down on the granite pathway where other parents are dropping their kids off too.

Emris didn’t appear in my dreams this morning because he appeared in real life last night. And I need to stop thinking about what I did with him. I need to stop thinking about what he said about him and Elena too. I don’t care.

“Here.” I hand her bag and lunch box to the staff member waiting by the gate.

“Amira?” A little voice calls out.

I look back and see Elena holding Milo’s hand. The first thing Milo and Amira do is run to each other and hug like they haven’t seen each other in years. Elena and I, on the other hand, have a staring contest.

“Hi, Angel!” Milo waves at me, showing off with his gap–toothed smile.

“Hi, cutie.” I grin back and Elena rolls her eyes.

“Come on, kids.” The staff member ushers them inside. I wave to Amira before heading back to my car.

As soon as I shut the door, I see Regan. Emris’s brother… the one I’ve never liked, the one whose energy has always felt off. He’s staring at me from across the drop–off zone, his eyes are doing that thing where they look hungry and dangerous at the same time. Like he’s planning something.

Elena reaches him and they start talking. I can’t hear the words, but the sly look on her face tells me everything I need to know. Revenge?

I pull away from their gazes and hit the highway as my phone connects to the car’s speaker just as my secretary’s call comes through. A year ago, I bought several acres of land in the downtown district. Instead of buying an existing building, we built from the ground up. I worked with architects to design a twelve–story high–rise for my art company. The bottom two floors are gallery space with floor–to–ceiling windows so people on the street can see inside. The third floor is for events and openings. Floors four through eight are artist studios with natural light. Floors nine through eleven are our offices and client spaces. The top floor is mine…a place to breathe and look out over the city I’m building something in.

Slade and Dad wanted me to stop hiding. So I built a tower. We’re staring out first one on one commercial projects and for that, we’ve accepted only five clients.

That’s all I agreed to for our first commercial works.

“Since you have so many fans worldwide, we’ve been getting emails from tons of lovers who want you to come paint in their houses too.” Lolly is practically begging me over the speaker as climb the highway.”

“They’re paying serious cash for this. Are you sure you only want to take five?”

“Well-”

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15:52 Mon, May 11 →

Chapter 36

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“Don’t ‘well‘ me! Think about it! Five people out of the millions who’ve asked to be on that contract? That’s a lot of money walking away.”

“It’s a lot of money, but it’s also a lot of work.” I swerve into the next lane, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Have you forgotten how in–depth the contract is? I’m supposed to take my time with each client’s house….at least twelve art pieces per location. I want to leave something that has real value. So until I’m done with the first five, we can’t take any more numbers.”

I relax back into my seat, letting the hum of the engine fill the silence.

And then, for some reason, my brain betrays me with a memory

Before the mate bond even snapped into place, Emris used to give me a monthly allowance. I remember one day he was teaching Teddy how to drive and realized I couldn’t. He tried to teach me, but I was so nervous I couldn’t get it right. He wasn’t patient to begin with, so I just became more scared of another car.

But then the bond snapped into place. He got a new sports car and made me get in first. This time, he sat me on his thigh, his lips right behind my ear, his hands over mine on the wheel. I learned to drive quickly plus he promised me there would be a reward.

I was such a sucker for his rewards.

“Are you listening?”

I blink.

“Yeah. I’m listening.”

“Uh, repeat that?”

“Your first client just asked if he can come see you today?”

I almost crash the car. “W–what? The building is not ready-”

“The building is eighty percent done. Your office is perfect… the only thing not finished is the museum room. The workers are on it right now, but we can still bring the client to take a look. The reception is perfect. The lobby, the shopping art space, the handbooks, everything is ready, Demetra.”

“Oh my goodness.” I switch lanes, heading toward Metra Arts. “Um…” I bite my lip, calculating. “When is he coming? I’m ten minutes away at this point. Please tell me you have coffee for me

“Yes. I’ll text the client and let him know you’ve arrived.”

“Got it.” The speaker goes silent.

I take the next turn past a cluster of buildings and finally pull into my private parking space in the garage. The moment 1 step into the office space, I stop dead.

Wow.

It’s really all come together. The project started a year ago, and I thought I’d never actually land my feet here. Lolly spots me while she’s talking to a staff member and wave with a questioning look on her face. I signal for a second and head up alone to see my office.

I’m wearing a red snug sweater with long sleeves and a gray slit art that runs all the way up my thigh. I love having free legs when I paint. My hair is a cascade of loose curls, and I’ve got simple red heels clicking against the floors.

“Wow.”

My office is everything I saw in the blueprint and more. The architecture is a masterpiece–clean lines, bold angles, with a

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Chapter 36

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palette of wine, white, and black moods that somehow feel both luxurious and intimate. The wine accents warm the space while the white opens it up, and the black grounds everything in sophistication. I can see the whole city from here.

My name is on the table in a glass trophy. Replicas of all the awards I’ve won line the shelves. There’s a nice sitting area with a standard table and chairs, my computer setup, and–oh–my coffee, waiting for me like it knew I was coming.

I sit on the edge of the table for a moment and take it all in.

I’ve really come far. From being pregnant with nowhere to go. I can’t believe I’m the one with millions in my bank account, family and a prestige to protect myself. Is this really me or is this a dream?

“The client is here.” Lolly pokes her head through the door and invades my thoughts.

“So soon?” I stand up straight, smoothing my skirt. “Let him in.”

I stop resting on the table and get up just as the door opens. And that mountain of an Alpha walks in.

Is this really him? Or is this a dream?

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