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“Pallas cat prides typically don’t form them,” Astor allowed, “but this particular pride is allied with some influential wolf packs.”
A thoughtful look on his face, Harlan hummed.
Quinley felt her belly tighten. He was sat there wondering what he could use to wrangle an alliance out of the Olympus Pride. But she didn’t have money or status or anything else. And she wouldn’t put it past her Alpha to offer Isaiah someone more “worthy” in an effort to get an alliance.
She narrowed her eyes. “As you yourself admitted, you didn’t do right by me when I was sixteen. I’m asking you to not fuck me over now.”
Harlan had the nerve to look confused. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re thinking of throwing another of my pride mates at him to entice his pride into agreeing to an alliance.”
Harlan’s lips tilted upward as he glanced at Astor. “Told you—she’s sharp, that one.” He exhaled heavily. “Yes, yes, I considered it. I would be a fool not to. But I would like to, as my one last act as your Alpha, see to it that you are… compensated for what you lost out on with Zaire.”
If he wanted to make himself feel better, fine—Quinley didn’t care so long as he didn’t mess this up for her.
“What did you say the name of the Olympus male is?”
She hadn’t. “Isaiah Hale.”
Harlan’s gaze sliced to Astor. “Look into him, will you?” At the Beta’s nod, Harlan returned his attention to her. “When and where does Hale want to meet?”
“The location has to be the website’s HQ—that’s a set rule,” she explained. “Isaiah said that he wanted to meet soon, preferably tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? He doesn’t hang about, does he?”
“I think it’s a good thing. Why spend days twiddling our thumbs when we could just get the meet out of the way and find out for sure if we’re compatible? It’s best to find out as soon as possible. I don’t exactly have the luxury of taking things slowly anyway for obvious reasons.”
Harlan sat back in his chair. “If this is truly what you want, if this is a path you’re certain is right for you, then I will support you. Arrange the meet for ten tomorrow morning.”
Feeling the stiffness in her muscles leach away, Quinley let out a long, relieved breath. “I will.”
“Am I right in assuming you’d prefer to keep working at the salon with your sisters?”
“Yes. Would that be an issue?”
“Not for me.”
Quinley nodded, grateful. “Then that’s what I’ll do.” She rose to her feet.
“Who else in the pride knows about this?”
“Only my sisters and their mates.”
“You might want to keep it that way. At least until papers have been signed.”
Understanding what he was getting at, she nodded. “That’s the plan.” Because Nazra’s friends would otherwise hear of it, they’d pass it on to the soon-to-be-Alpha female, and Quinley didn’t trust that the bitch wouldn’t try to sabotage everything.
“Good.” His gaze dropped to the papers on his desk.
Quinley nodded at Astor and then walked out of the office. It didn’t surprise her that her older sisters waited there. Both petite blue-eyed brunettes looked so alike they could probably have passed for twins if there wasn’t a seven-year age difference between them.
As their parents had died when Quinley was just five, Adaline—being not only the eldest but thirteen years her senior—had been her main mother figure growing up. All three of them were very close.
“How did it go?” Adaline asked without preamble.
Raya cast a brief frown at the office door. “I didn’t expect you to be in there that long.”
“Surprisingly, he didn’t immediately agree because he wanted ‘better’ for me,” Quinley explained. “Turns out he does feel just a little bad about how he put the pride before my right to be with my mate, though he doesn’t regret it.”
