Chapter Fifty-nine

Claire had breakfast with Rosie, a little relieved that she hadn’t bumped into Lukas in the dining room. She needed a break from the werewolf before he did irreparable damage to her.
Rosie noticed that she was a little distracted so she was quick to give her some space, the auburn-haired assistant retiring to her cubicle to get some work done.
Claire lowered herself on her seat with a sigh, getting right to work. She didn’t have the energy to dress up for the day, sending off her maids that had been eager to pick out an outfit for her.
She didn’t have anything on her schedule except online college work so she was allowed to take it easy for a day.
She left her face bare and did her hair up in a messy bun, dressed in a simple cropped top and low hanging jeans, she felt unfettered. Like she was back in her college dorm and all her worries were limited to what she would eat for lunch and her next project deadline.
Claire quickly got busy, hoping to distract herself. She sat cross-legged on her swivelling chair for comfort, typing away at her laptop.
Less than two hours later, Rosie came hurrying from her cubicle looking particularly pale.
Claire looked up for the first time, her confusion changing to concern when she saw how ashen Rosie’s complexion was. “Is something wrong?”
“Well… um, I know how you wanted me to clear your schedule for today but Mr. Killian Reid requested to have an audience with you.” She nervously explained.
Claire felt her heart sink, she really didn’t want to see Killian. “Could you have him reschedule it to a later date?” She calmly asked, having a feeling that that wasn’t going to happen.
“I’m afraid not, I already tried rescheduling but he’s adamant about seeing you, if anything he might be at the gates already.” Rosie said in a panicked rush.
Claire could see why Rosie would be stressed about this, she rose to her feet. “It’s fine, I’ll go out to see him and let him know that today can’t work.”
Rosie still looked skeptical at this, she didn’t try to hide the fact that she didn’t trust Killian. It was quite touching that Rosie would be worried about her in that manner although she was human.
“Could I come with you?”
“You don’t have to, I can handle this myself, you can get back to work now.” She dismissed her worrying assistant.
Rosie still didn’t seem reassured but she obeyed nonetheless, retreating to her cubicle.
Claire sighed wearily, picking up her phone. She had been avoiding Killian who thankfully stopped trying to call her but she didn’t expect that the Emissary would come in person. *Just what did he hope to get from her?*
But she supposed that she couldn’t avoid him forever, it was her duty afterall to make sure that the relationship between the Emissary and the werewolf royalty of America flourished.
She swept out of her office, it was already too late to change into something else, of all days, it had to be the one she dressed as shabbily as possible.
Rosie wouldn’t mention that he was already at the gates if he wasn’t, so she quickly made her way to the first floor and then down to stairs, and across the marbled foyer.
Claire stepped out of the front doors just as Killian was getting out of his car, the guards around looked the most tense she had ever since them but they seemed to get more tense when she showed up.
She crossed the space between them, too eager to get the matter over with to notice that Killian didn’t move a step after catching sight of her.
“I wanted to personally reschedule this meeting with you for tomorrow,” She said carefully, he hadn’t even confirmed with her before showing up. “You really didn’t have to come all the way here…” She sighed, trailing off when she noticed that all that Killian had been doing was staring straight at her.
“K-Killian? Is something the matter?” Claire tried to get his attention, fighting the urge to wave her hand in his face.
Killian’s eyes refocused and then he frowned. “We don’t have to reschedule, I need to talk to you.”
Claire was starting to get exasperated, he was clearly not listening to her.
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about, if you need Lukas, I could get him for…”
“I don’t want to talk to Lukas,” Killian cut her off, stepping forward. “Look at what he did to you,” He said earnestly, placing both his hands on her shoulders. “He’s a savage.”
Claire gasped, realizing that he was talking about the marks on her neck. “I can’t believe you.” She said sharply, stepping backward. “Please leave.”
“I can’t do that.” Killian crossed his arms, clearly unwilling to budge.
“Why do you even care about this? It has nothing to do with you.” Claire blurted out, frustrated.
Killian fell quiet at this, like he was considering the implications of her words for the first time. He would admit, at first he had just been suspicious of why Lukas would choose to marry a human when he clearly didn’t like them.
Then after meeting Claire in person, he could see why the werewolf would have gone for her but their interaction at lunch had brought up new worries. Such as the possibility that Claire had been forced into this and was possibly being held captive.
Now that he had seen her without the shield of her title as the human Luna Queen, he thought she looked very fragile and it made him want to protect her. It didn’t help that her bastard of a fiance had literally chewed on her neck. He was truly living up to what he was. A rabid werewolf.
“Because I care about you.” He said with a serious expression, taking another step forward. “You can trust me, Claire.”
Claire was relieved that Rosie hadn’t come along with her, the conversation they were currently having would be a little difficult to explain.
“So you say but there’s no reason for me to do that, I don’t know what you think is going on here but I’m certain you’re wrong…”
Killian closed the space between them to take Claire’s hands, “Did he brainwash you? Is that what happened?”
The guards around them had their hands on their weapons, it was no secret that they weren’t pleased about Killian’s presence because they didn’t try to hide it but Killian was testing the limits of their self-control by putting his hands all over their Alpha King’s mate.
They didn’t have to do anything though because Lukas swept out of the mansion in a storm, dark fury on his face. He immediately put himself in between them, glaring down at Killian. “Don’t touch what’s mine.”