CHAPTER SIXTY TOUR


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    CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR


    Talia’s POV


    “No, thanks,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I’ll cover it, Alpha Nn.”


    Nn didn’t acknowledge the refusal. He gave the attendant a small nod to continue, as if my words were background noise.


    “Did you not hear me?” I asked sternly, pushing Nn’s hand out of the way.


    “It is a gift,” Nn said, finally acknowledging me. “For De’s uing birthday. And a courtesy to Beta Logan for his hospitality.”


    His words annoyed me. He should be thanking my father for his hospitality, since he was the reason Nn was even allowed to be in Silverfang. Everyone else was against it.


    “I don’t want your gift,” I replied.


    “Shouldn’t the birthday girl be making that decision?” Nn sneered.


    “Thank you, Alpha Nn,” De cut in quickly. “That is very kind of you!”


    “De,” I warned under my breath.


    She shot me a look that said not here. The attendant finished packing everything as if she wanted us out of the shop as quickly as possible.


    I gathered the bags before De could reach for them. “We are heading home,” I said to De. “Let’s go.”


    We turned away from the counter. Nn stepped aside to allow us to leave, which somehow irritated me more. Why was he being nice all of a sudden?


    “Thank you again,” De said over her shoulder. “Alpha Nn! You shoulde to my party next week.”


    I whipped my head around and hissed through our mindlink, ‘What the hell are you doing? Don’t invite him!’


    “I wille,” Nn said without hesitation. “Please inform Beta Logan of my attendance.”


    “Uh, sure,” De stammered, surprised at his willingness. “I will let him know.”


    I continued walking, practically stomping out of the store. De hurried to match my pace. The store’s music faded as we stepped back into the mall.


    “Talia, slow down!” De called after me when I was five stores away.


    “What was that?” I asked as soon as she caught up.


    “Uh, it was just a gift,” De said with a shrug.


    “I refused it,” I said with a frown.


    “Well, technically it was for me,” she answered with augh. “You heard him.”


    “He overstepped. I don’t need… We don’t need him buying anything for us,” I argued.


    De hugged one of the dress boxes closer to her chest. “It wasn’t worth a scene at the counter. He paid. He didn’t ask for anything in return.”


    CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR


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    “You don’t know that yet,” I retorted.


    We took the esctor down, then cut through the crowd toward the exit. The evening sky showed through the ss doors. I kept walking until we were outside.


    Our driver pulled the car from the parking space and rolled to a stop in front of us. He stepped out and took our bags from us. I opened the rear door and slid in. De climbed in after me.


    As the car eased into traffic, De nced at me. “You are really upset,” she said.


    “Of course, I am. I’m the Princess. He doesn’t get to override me,” I exined. I didn’t understand why she didn’t understand why I was upset. I opted to not say anything else to keep from getting into an argument with her.


    The driver merged and took the main road. Lights slid across the windows. We passed a cluster of street vendors, then a row of storefronts with closed signs already flipped.


    “Do not invite him like that again,” I said after a while. “Not without clearing it with me or your father first.”


    “Sorry, I know,” De apologized. “I decided in the moment.”


    “Do not decide like that again,” I said. “He is dangerous. Remember you told me that.”


    “I remember what I said, but I also know what I have seen since he moved to Silverfang,” De replied.


    “What have you seen?” I asked.


    “He keeps a low profile,” she replied. “He trains. He reads. He doesn’t undermine our warriors. He doesn’t throw his weight around.”


    “Keeping a low profile doesn’t make him safe,” I said.


    “It makes him easier to handle because he’s predictable,” De said.


    My wolf huffed. ‘Until he isn’t.’


    “So, what’s the n with him being at the party?” I asked.


    “I’ll treat him like any other guest. If he acts up, he’ll be kicked out. Remember your father told him to be on his best behavior,” De answered.


    “Why do I feel like you invited him for another reason?” I asked. “For instance using him against Jason.”


    “If Jason tries to show up and he will try, I would rather have Nn standing in the room ensuring Jason is on his best behavior instead of being stuck policing Jason alone,” De rationalized.


    “That is not your job,” I said. “You can just say they both can’t go.”


    De exhaled. “Look, I don’t know why you’re against this. He saved you from Jason.”


    “And he also said he wanted me to be his maid,” I countered.


    “He probably only said that to make Jason back down,” De exined. “You know better than anyone else that Jason is persistent. Nn isn’t like that.”


    I hated to admit that she was right. Nn, majority of the time, was indifferent. It was only recently that he started engaging more.


    “Compared to Jason, he is less trouble to have nearby. He doesn’t hound you. He doesn’t pretend you still belong to him. He doesn’t shove you against benches in public gardens and im it’s love.”


    CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR


    My jaw tightened. The memory of the situation still bothered me. “Right,” I muttered.


    We fell quiet for a block.


    “You still should have asked your father before inviting him,” I said.


    “I will tell him tonight that I invited Nn and that Nn epted. If he says no, I will rescind it.”


    “Do not argue if he says no,” I said.


    “I won’t,” she said. “I will be unhappy in the kitchen and cut cake with too much force, but I won’t argue.”


    I couldn’t help butugh.


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