Chapter Fifty-five

Killian stared at Claire’s retreating back with a thoughtful expression, his gaze absently drifting to Lukas who glared at him from where he stood with icy cold fury in his eyes. Killian prided himself on being able to handle himself but he couldn’t help the cold sensation that slithered down his back.
He was genuinely worried about Claire, werewolves were savages. He had no idea how an insufferable bastard like Lukas had managed to get her but he suspected that it was through dubious means.
He had seen it in the split moment that Claire hesitated, he had worked for the military for most of his life before he became an Emissary, these things were easy for him to pick up on.
It was his job to keep the balance so he would have to do more findings to make sure that Lukas didn’t have some ulterior motive for choosing a human lady as his… *‘what was the word they used? Mate? Yeah… right.’*
Across from where Killian stood, Claire had gotten to Lukas’ side. He rose to his feet to meet up with her, placing a possessive arm around her waist to lead her out.
Claire was far too lost in thought to notice the storm brewing in Lukas’ midnight eyes, she found herself genuinely thinking about the answer to Killian’s question.
*‘Was she truly happy to be engaged to a werewolf?’*
It wasn’t a yes or no answer, it was far too complex for that. She found that she had stopped trying to leave, and she knew that the very last thing Lukas would do would be to let her go.
If she ran away, he would just go after her, and she had a feeling that he would catch her every time, so it was a waste of time to even try.
Besides, other than her complicated relationship with Lukas, she was more than content with every other aspect of her life. She was still dutifully completing her education, and being the Queen of a new country was more fulfilling than she could have ever imagined.
Sure, it wasn’t the life she dreamed for herself but she didn’t entirely hate it either. But if Lukas were to let her go, she would leave.
She probably sounded crazy to anyone listening in on her thoughts but she had been forced to adapt to an unfamiliar situation and that was the best she could come up with.
Beside her, Lukas looked troubled. He had been listening in on Claire’s conversation with Killian and had felt his heart slow down at the question she was asked.
He hadn’t been surprised when he hesitated to speak, he had been an asshole to her ever since they met, what surprised him was her response.
She probably guessed that he was listening in on their conversation but that didn’t matter, Lukas couldn’t stop her from saying the truth to Killian. And knowing Killian who had been looking for a reason to put him down, he would get locked up in solitary confinement for the rest of his life.
But Claire had sounded genuinely upset by the question, it made guilt eat at Lukas. They would have probably been a perfect match but they met on different sides of the lines.
He helped Claire get into the car before going around to the other side of the door to join her. He had barely gotten in when Claire’s phone rang.
She frowned at the unsaved number on her screen wondering who could have gotten her number when she didn’t remember giving it out. She cautiously picked up and placed her phone up to her ear.
“Hell-”
“Claire,” A familiar voice filtered in through her phone’s speaker. “I wanted to-”
Claire promptly hung up, she was afraid that if Killian pushed too hard, the dam holding her back would crack and she would say something that she feared she would come to regret.
She dropped her phone into her clutch purse, hoping that Killian would take the hint and given her some space for the meantime.
The journey back to the mansion was just as quiet but for vastly different reasons.
Claire wasn’t sure she could even deal with college work after this, she was right to tell Rosie to cancel all her appointments after lunch. She had predicted that it would go south, and what do you know? It did.
She was exhausted, she hadn’t eaten much at lunch but she wasn’t hungry, she just wanted her bed.
As soon as the car stopped on the driveway, Claire opened up her door and got down from the car without waiting for Lukas’ help. She was tempted to take her heels off but she couldn’t walk barefoot to her room so she beared with it, stomping up the stairs that let to the front door.
She was too absorbed in trying to make her way to her bedroom in one piece to notice someone trailing her. It was none other than Lukas.
Lukas felt like he needed to say something to Claire, the guilt wouldn’t let him walk away but he was tongue-tied. *‘What could he say?’* Claire would probably laugh in his face if he tried to apologize, he doubted she would believe him.
Gradually, he had noticed that the urge to make her miserable was fading, kicked out by his ever growing obsession with her. It was why he needed to keep his distance.
It was a little ludicrous that the one he claimed to hate was quickly becoming his only weakness. Just like when they were back at the lunch table and Claire had placed a hand on him to calm him down, it had worked far too quickly for comfort.
He hadn’t pulled away because he was angry but that he feared that he would pull Claire over his legs right in front of Killian to kiss her senseless. He doubted that the stuck up Emissary would let that slide.
Soon enough, their shared bedroom was just up ahead and Lukas realized that he had silently followed Claire all the way here, unable to get his words out even after all that time. Perhaps, he should just keep going, he should just head straight to his office and work himself till he dropped from exhaustion.
The only decent sleep he had gotten in weeks was on the night of his engagement when he fell asleep with Claire in his arms, how ironic.
If anything, he was his own problem because if he could just get over himself and treat Claire how she deserved to be treated, there wouldn’t be this chasm in between them.
Just as Lukas made a move to walk past her when she stopped in front of the bedroom door, her phone rang again. He didn’t even care to wait to see if it was truly Killian calling again or if it was someone else, his possessive wolf wasn’t having it.
One moment, Claire was hesitating while she contemplated if to pick up her ringing phone or not and in the next moment, she was getting pushed up against the bedroom door.