Lucas rested his hand on my lower back, and I could feel the tension spark when I spoke. He was definitely worried about me saying the wrong thing. I couldn’t blame him. There was no filter between my mouth and my brain, and one wrong word to Amelia could inadvertently start a war.
I scanned the crowd as Lucas relieved me of conversational duties. Holden had moved to the bar and was chatting with a pretty Asian girl in a bright red dress. She thought he was hilarious, because she kept giggling and tossing her shiny black hair back, exposing her throat. I knew Holden, he wasn’t that funny.
Near the makeshift stage, Dominick was talking to another familiar-looking werewolf whose name I couldn’t recall off-hand, which meant he was from an outlying pack. Dom saw me looking and jerked his chin up in greeting. I smiled. The smile died shortly thereafter when my wandering gaze met a steely glare across the foyer. Morgan, wearing a green floor-length dress slit almost all the way up to her crotch, was scowling at me.
“Do you agree, Miss McQueen?” Amelia’s Southern accent cut through my staring contest with the petty little bitch across the room.
I had no idea what was being discussed. Turning to Lucas, he smiled at me and offered the slightest nod.
“Oh, absolutely,” I replied, pretending I wasn’t lost.
“Yes. As a pack we are stronger than ever since I found Secret.”
Like I was a lost sock. Amelia’s smile mirrored mine: forced and humorless. “Callum will be delighted to know it. Certainly, though, you might want to spread the word of your pack’s strength and unity to the pack itself.” She cocked her head to the side, practically daring Lucas to react to her words. “I mean, if your pack was really so strong, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?”
To his credit, Lucas forced a smile. I would have slapped her. Lucas’s smile didn’t falter as he said, “Perhaps, Ms. Laurent, it would be advisable to let me run my kingdom as I see fit. I’m sure Callum didn’t send you here to make suggestions on his behalf.”
Amelia didn’t have a response, but Ben’s faint smirk told me he was enjoying seeing her put in her place. I bet she was a real peach to travel with.
“If you’ll excuse me, ladies.” He nodded to Ben. “And gentleman. It’s time for me to make a short speech. But I think you’ll all enjoy it.” Lucas kissed my hair and squeezed my arm. “Don’t run away.”
What he was really saying was, “Don’t say anything stupid while I’m gone.”
As soon as Lucas left, Dominick came to stand between me and the new arrivals, buffering me from their chilly demeanor.
“Hey, kid,” he said, elbowing my ribs.
“Hey yourself.” He earned my first unguarded smile of the night.
Lucas took the stage, standing behind a glass podium. In his black Brooks Brothers suit and a blue silk tie that made his eyes impossibly bright, he looked so handsome it stole my breath. He also looked like he was about to announce his candidacy for president. He smoothed out his suit, straightened his tie, then smiled.
That one smile was all it took for a hush to fan out across the room. All eyes were focused on the wolf king.
“Good evening, everyone. I want to thank you all for coming tonight. As many of you know, Columbia was both mine and my father’s alma mater. This school is special to the entire Rain family.” A smattering of applause. “When Dean Portsmouth came to me with the idea of a new business school, some of my financial advisors warned against it. They said I was a fool to make a no-return investment.” He paused dramatically, smiling at the rapt crowd. “So I fired them.”
Hoots and cheers and much more enthusiastic clapping were the response. He had them hooked now. “An investment in education will always reap returns. My father believed the greatest gift someone could give themselves was the gift of an open mind.” I saw pain flicker in Lucas’s eyes, but his smile remained fixed. “Anyone lucky enough to have known my
father, and there are many of you here, know this school would have meant the world to him. It was a labor of love, designed by a family-owned firm, and built by one of our contracting companies. This school is Rain through and through. And I hope new generations of businessmen and women will come into the workplace from these halls. I just hope none of them are after my job.”
More laughter.
“On a personal note, I wanted to express to you all how much it means to me to have you here with me tonight, and not only because we’re opening this new school.” He sucked in a breath and took a half step away from the podium. I could feel a sudden spike of anxiety from him that made my own heart rate pick up.
Resting my hand on Dominick’s arm, I whispered, “Something’s wrong.”
“Shh,” he said, then rubbed my back in small circles.
The whole room, myself included, held our collective breaths.
“Since losing my father, it’s been a difficult transition for me. Moving from a carefree youth to suddenly being responsible for billions of dollars and thousands of jobs is enough to test the strongest man. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without a strong network of support.” His hand hovered over his heart. “In particular, there is someone here who has changed the entire course of my life. Before I met her I was a ship without sails. Since she came into my life, I know what it means to be complete.”
There was a soft aww and several dreamy sighs from the audience. I still hadn’t remembered to catch my breath. Lucas stood behind the podium, hand over his heart, and he was staring right at me. I thought I might throw up from the swell of anxious energy building in my chest.
“Secret McQueen,” he said, in case I’d forgotten my name, which I had. “Before you, I had a life without meaning. I was a man without drive. You’ve given me something worth fighting for.”
I swayed, but Dominick held me steady. The whole room had turned to look at me.
“I don’t want to risk letting you get away,” Lucas whispered, but the microphone amplified it through the atrium. He reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a robin’s egg blue box tied with a blue ribbon. Tiffany blue. He set the box on the podium, and a few women nearby squealed.