The Contract (My Perfect Mate Continued)

The Big Meeting

I headed straight for the elevator and took it up to the fourth floor. The closer I got to the office, I could hear yelling coming from Andy's office. They didn't seem happy at all. I took a deep breath as I reached for the door knob. I didn't even need to say anything.

"Come in, Thea!" I could recognize Andy's voice. I stepped into the office cautiously and was met with four sets of eyes surrounding me. Andy, Alpha Gavin, Bryce and Cade were lined up around Andy's desk. There was a large map unfolded on the surface of it.

"What's all this?" I asked through fear, afraid to learn the answer.

I was met with silence at first, and they all exchanged glances before their eyes settled on me.

"Our scouts spotted several of your father's men trying to breach our borders. They haven't gotten close enough for us to capture them. But they are taunting us, waiting for our men to slip up and make a mistake."

All the color drained from my face, was my father stupid enough to try and attack Silver Moon? They didn't have the numbers, but they had the guts to do something stupid.

"We are starting to think that it is an extraction mission."

That couldn't be right, my father had already disowned me. Although, it did make me wonder. He wasn't doing this because he actually cared for my well-being, he was doing this because he didn't get the last word.

"I want to keep you close, in case he tries anything foolish. I would like you to join in on today's meeting, if that's alright with you?"

I was still trying to digest this newest information, but I nodded my head in agreement.

"I will go get ready then."

Andy nodded at me with a tight smile. I knew that he was anxious about today's events and I knew that his heart was in the right place. I headed for the apartment, but it was hard to catch my breath. It wasn't until I got into the Luna suite that I collapsed on the floor behind the door. I brought my knees up to my chest and buried my face between them. I wasn't upset for any particular reason, but I had so much emotion and confusion bubbling to the surface.

I let myself cry for at least 10 minutes before I reluctantly pulled myself off the floor. I wasn't going to get anywhere if I continued to dwell. I went to the bathroom first to pull myself together. My face and under-eyes were puffy from crying. I slapped my cheeks and splashed some cold water on my face. Every time I started another step in my skin care, I would have to fight off tears. I feel like every time I started to let my guard down, another wave of emotion would sneak up behind me.

I finally composed myself enough to get my foundation on. I did light makeup with a thin layer of blush and brushed a light sheen of highlighter on top of my cheek bones and the corner of my eyes. I braided down my hair and wrapped it up into a low, center bun. I put on my diamond studs and a light gloss on my lips. I wandered over to my closet and realized I hadn't even thought of what I was going to wear for tonight's meeting. I wanted to look professional but not stuffy. I wanted to present myself as the true Luna of the pack.

I traipsed up and down the line of clothes. I noticed that there were several new additions to my closet. Andy must have had a secret shoppers while I was out yesterday. Everything I saw still had tags on it. I shook my head at the thought of Andy having my closet stocked while I wasn't here.

I found a pair of black crepe trousers with a tie belt. I selected a crisp white chiffon dress shirt with a v neckline. I tucked the shirt into the trousers before pulling it up slightly, so it had a slight billow at my stomach. I clapsed a simple, teardrop necklace around my neck and secured my MK watch around my wrist. It was a little more bling-y than I would normally go for, but I loved the way the white sapphires caught the light. I grabbed a pair of plain, black mules from my shelves and slipped them on. They had a small platform on the heel so they clacked a little as I walked. There was something about that sound that I loved.

I walked out into the living room and noticed that Andy's door was still open, but I didn't feel his presence yet. I turned to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. I swiped my phone from the island and started mindlessly scrolling through my news feed. Suddenly, Briana's name appeared on my screen and I smiled as I swiped across the screen.

"Hello?"

She sounded more frantic than usual, "Hey, is everything okay?"

I nodded my head as if she could see me, "Yeah, I'm fine, it was just a precaution." I knew that I shouldn't tell her exactly what was going on, for her own safety, not only that, but I'm sure Bryce would tell her eventually.

"Are you sure? Everyone is a buzz down here on the ground floor. I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"I promise, I'm fine. I'll see you in a bit for dinner. Apparently, there's going to be a large reception for the high ranking."

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

Right when I was about to hang up, she popped back in my ear,

"Hey Thea? What are you wearing tonight?"

I didn't want to disrupt Andy, it had been another 20 minutes, and he still wasn't back yet. I wanted to know if I was supposed to head down to dinner without him. Everest whimpered,

Apollo wouldn't like that very much. It's better that we stay here. It's safe here.

I knew that Everest was right, but I wasn't one to sit back and wait. I seriously debated on venturing downstairs by myself but decided to listen to Everest's warning. I sighed and sat back on one of the stools at the island. After another 15 minutes or so, I decided to link Andy. Maybe he went downstairs without me, maybe he didn't realize that I was waiting for him.

Andy, I'm sorry to bother you. But I was wondering if you wanted me to head down without you, or if you wanted me to wait here for you?

There were a couple of minutes of silence before he answered.

I'm sorry Thea, we're almost done. I'll come back to the apartment soon. I have to fix myself up before we head down.

That was good enough for me. I opened up t****k and had no choice but to wait for him to come back. Sure as s**t, Andy came strolling back into the apartment with an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm so sorry. That took longer than I thought it would. We just wanted to make sure all of our bases were covered."

I gave him a gentle smile and waved him off. "It's okay, I just didn't want to miss a memo of some kind." I said with a giggle, I didn't want him to think that I was upset, I really wasn't. I just thought that his protectiveness was a little over the top. He reached down for my hands and took a step back to admire my frock.

"You look incredible."

I mirrored his gaze down at my outfit.

"You don't think it's too much? I don't want to look too big for my breaches."

He chuckled at me, "No, I think that you look perfect."

I couldn't help the color that sprang to my cheeks. I was now sure of my choice. He closed the gap between us and leaned in for a peck on the cheek. It was the little things like that that assured me that he truly cared for me. I knew in my heart that we could be happy, I just couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was missing.

"I just have to change, I'll be back in two minutes." He called as he jogged to his bedroom and returned with seconds to spare.

"Shall we go? I'm sure you have some last-minute preparations to take care of."

He went serious for a moment and nodded his head in agreement. The conference room was down on the main floor. Andy's office was on the fourth floor inside the penthouse. No one was allowed in his office unless you were asked personally. Unless you were one of the chosen few, all other meetings are held in the conference room. Andy held out his elbow, like he did the night before, and we took the elevator downstairs.