Chapter 152


    | sidestepped into his path, blocking him.


    His eyes narrowed marginally for a moment, before his overly–friendly expression returned.


    “Forgive her, sir,” I said. “It will take her some time toe around to a stranger.”


    “This is what I am attempting to rectify,” Terry countered. “I don’t wish to be a stranger any longer.”


    His gaze dropped down to my breasts, even though I was wearing a sweater, not anything revealing.


    He


    kept his eyes there, like he could see through my shirt, I crossed my arms over my chest.


    “I wish to be a good friend to you both.” He licked his lips.


    Mark moved then, entering the narrowing space between Terry and me, firmly blocking his movement.


    Terry’s smile fell. He lifted a brow in Mark’s direction, questioning. Mark held his ground.


    “Perhaps I could assist you with whatever you need, sir,” Mark said, voice so much sterner than I’d ever


    heard it. This was his soldier voice, I realized, and not the one he used for Elva and I.


    “You are being very bold for a Beta,” Terry said. “Especially when I was only being friend. I wasn’t doing


    anything wrong.” z


    “I’m loyal to my prince and his orders.”


    Terry tilted his head. “And your prince’s orders involve keeping me away from Piper?”


    “I am to protect her and her child from anyone, sir.” Mark’s words sounded like a threat.


    Terry must have heard it too, because he straightened. “It’s awfully presumptuous to assume she would


    need protection from me.”


    “1 am to keep anyone from getting to close.”


    Terry tilted his head back, like he was sizing Mark up. Mark was taller, with more muscle. Unless Terry


    had a deceptively strong wolf, I’d wager Mark could take him in a fight if it came to that.


    “My nephew gives strange orders regarding his ex–girlfriend,” Terry said.


    I swallowed hard. I didn’t like the way he emphasized ex, though I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. It felt


    like he was mocking me somehow, or Nichs. Neither of which I liked.


    “But I will see myself out, if it would give you peace,” Terry continued.


    “Please.” Mark didn’t move, even as Terry did. He shifted only to continue to stand between me and


    Terry, as Terry moved to the door. Once he disappeared outside of it, Mark sighed so hard, his


    shoulders


    slouched


    “I’m so sorry, Mark,” I said at once. I remembered how Mark had told me that Terry was good to the


    staff. “I hope I didn’t put you in an awkward position.”


    Turning to me, Mark shook his head. “I don’t care if it did. And Prince Nichs would back me up.”


    “But you said…”


    “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” Mark said.


    “Me either,” Susie added, stepping away from the window. She crossed the room to stand beside us.


    Elva switched from hiding behind my skirt to hers.


    “I don’t like him, Mommy,” Elva said.


    “We have to be nice,” I told her gently. Truthfully, I didn’t like him either, but he held a lot of power here.


    We were all in trouble, I gathered, from standing up to him.


    “I’ll alert Prince Nichs of this at once,” Mark said. “He will likely want to add more guards to your


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    door, especially overnight.”


    “Overnight?” I had never had visitors overnight, unless it was the doctor when Elva was sick.


    Mark gave me a sad soft of look, like he was holding something back.


    “The way he was looking at you, Piper,” Susie said instead. “It was like he… owned you.”


    The word made my stomach flip. A hint of bile rose up my throat


    That wasn’t unlike what Julian had warned me of too. For more than one person to have noticed it was


    rming.


    I looked to Mark for confirmation.


    He nodded. “It was possessive. Please be careful, Piper.”