Chapter 204 A Little Praise

Arabella Westwood:

We stayed in each other’s arms for a few more moments before I finally stepped back. For some reason, I suddenly felt shy and couldn’t quite bring myself to look him in the eye.

Lucien noticed, of course. He chuckled and gave a loose strand of my hair a playful tug. “Easy there, Princess. It was just a hug. If this is how you react to something so innocent, what are you going to do when I decide to be a little naughty? Faint in my arms?”

“Shut up!” Placing my palms on his chest, I pushed him away, laughing despite myself.

He pinched my nose before changing the subject. “Anyway, I’ll have Bradley book you a nice hotel. You can stay there while you sort things out here.”

I shook my head. “Why would I need a hotel when I can stay at the Alpha’s residence? Or the Beta’s, for that matter?”

That wiped the smile right off his face. “Are you out of your mind, Arabella? You want to stay with the very people you’re planning to go after?” He shook his head before I could answer. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not putting your life at risk.”

“Lucien, my life isn’t in danger.” I rested a hand on his arm. “Astraea is with me now, remember? And I’ve got you. Besides, I have my phone right here. If I need anything, I’ll call you. It’s not like you’re going to ignore me, are you?”

“That’s not the point, sweetheart. Those men—”

“I know what they’re capable of,” I interrupted. “Believe me, I know better than anyone. But things aren’t the same anymore. I’m not that helpless little girl they used to push around.”

Lucien didn’t answer. He just stood there, looking at me as though he was waiting for me to come to my senses.

“Come on, Lucien. Trust me on this.” I gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “I know you can take care of everything for me, but I don’t want that. Not this time.”

I thought of my mother and everything she’d endured while those two men went about their lives as if they’d done nothing wrong.

“I’ve spent enough years being afraid of them. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life hiding from them too.” I looked him straight in the eye. “This is my war, Lucien. Let me fight it myself. Please.”

***

The omega who answered the door led me inside, but we had barely reached the main hall when Vikki appeared.

The moment she noticed me, all the color drained from her face. She hurried over, glancing nervously toward the hallway before lowering her voice. “Arabella? What on earth are you doing here?” she whispered. “I thought you were going back after I told you everything. Why would you come here now?”

“Relax, Vikki. I’m not here to expose you.” I kept my voice low. “Your secret is safe with me. Rick won’t find out that you told me everything, so stop worrying.”

She looked at me in disbelief, as though she hadn’t expected me to keep my word. “And one more thing,” I added, leaning a little closer. “Don’t suddenly start being nice to me. You still need to act like you can’t stand me, especially when Rick’s around. The last thing we want is for him to start wondering why you’ve had a change of heart.”

Vikki nodded, although she still looked far from comfortable.

“As for why I’m here, it’s royal business. King’s orders,” I explained. “I’ll be gone as soon as my work is done. That’s all you need to know.”

Before she could ask anything else, a familiar voice came from behind us. “What’s going on here?”

I turned and found Rick approaching from the hallway. Asshole!

For a moment, all I could think about was my mother and the years she’d spent suffering because of this man. And here he was, walking around his beautiful home as though he’d never done anything wrong.

All I wanted to do was march over and slap him so hard that he’d remember it for the rest of his miserable life. But not yet.

Rick stopped a few feet away, clearly displeased to see me. “What are you doing here, Arabella? Haven’t I made myself clear? You’re not my daughter, and I want nothing to do with you. Why can’t you just leave us alone?”

I almost laughed. After everything he’d done, he still had the nerve to act like I was the one causing trouble.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Beta Rick.” I gave him my sweetest smile. “Believe me, I wouldn’t have come here if I had a choice. But King Lucien needs something taken care of, and I’ve been sent here on his orders.”

At the mention of the King’s name, Rick’s expression changed. At least I had his attention now. From what I’d heard, Victor was away on his honeymoon with his mate, while Dante had his hands full looking after his pregnant mate. So, for the time being, their fathers were back to handling most of the pack’s affairs themselves.

Well, that worked out rather nicely for me.

“His Majesty wants Blackthorn’s financial records, including the pack’s income, expenses, and the allocation of royal funds over the past five years,” I explained. “Apparently, the Royal Council is reviewing how funds are being used across the kingdom, and Blackthorn is among the packs selected for inspection.”

Rick frowned. “Then you should be speaking to Alpha Chris. Those records fall under his authority.”

“Oh, I already went to him.” I gave a small shrug. “But he sent me here. He said you’re the one who handles most of the pack’s financial matters and would be better suited to help me.”

Rick seemed to relax a little at that. “Well, Chris isn’t wrong. I do oversee most of the financial records. But compiling five years’ worth of accounts isn’t something that can be done overnight.”

“I know. His Majesty has given us five days… hopefully that should be enough.” I paused before adding casually, “Alpha Chris seemed pretty confident you could manage it better. He said nobody knows Blackthorn’s accounts better than you do.”

“Five days should be manageable,” Rick replied, straightening his shoulders and adjusting his cuffs. “Chris is right about that. I’ve been handling these accounts for years. Nobody knows them better than I do.”

I pressed my lips together to hide my smile. A moment ago, he couldn’t wait to get rid of me. Now he was practically singing his own praises.

“Wonderful! I suppose I’ll be seeing quite a lot of you over the next few days, then.” I smiled. “Oh, and I’ll need somewhere to stay while we work on this. His Majesty wants me personally involved in preparing the report.”

Rick’s smile disappeared.

I quickly pulled out my phone. “If it’s too much trouble, I can always let His Majesty know. I’m sure he can make other arrangements.”

Rick looked at my phone, and then sighed. “Fine,” he muttered. “Five days. Not a day more.”

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and smiled. He clearly wasn’t happy about having me under his roof.

Well, that was easier than I’d expected. All it took was a little praise.