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So, I kept staring at Eden, pretending I didn’t feel the weight of Nolan’s gaze on my back.
“So,” he cleared his throat, sending goosebumps scattering along the back of my neck. “Nice to see you again.”
I took in a sharp breath before turning, standing up so I wasn’t completely dwarfed by him, although he still towered over me.
“Yes, what a coincidence this is,” I somehow managed to say, my throat dry as I caught another look into those forest green eyes I had been enthralled by. “Trying to sneak in some meetings before your official start date?”
“Nope.” He shook his head, amusement etched into his features. “Just as you said, coincidence when I needed a drink after a long day of travel.”
“But you just moved in here today.”
“I wanted to stay in town for my first few days.” He shrugged. “Figured it would be good to get a basic understanding of the capital city of my new territory before I started working.”
“Mhm.” I looked him up and down, begrudgingly admitting to myself that it was a smart idea on his part. Before I let that thought get too far, I reached my arm out to him, his warm hand clasping my forearm as we shook gently in introduction. “I’m Kasha.”
“I figured,” he laughed, his smile just as warm as his eyes. “Glad to finally meet my particularly famous Beta.”
I yanked my arm away. “Famous?” Now what did that mean?
“Of course, your Varg bloodline is fairly well-known in the Onyx Guard.” He tilted his chin down at me, leaving my chest unsettled. “Anton was the one to bring the assignment to me.”
I bit my cheek at the mention of my father’s name, so hard that warm blood slowly pooled between my molars. Nolan’s eyebrow quirked, probably smelling it, just like everyone else around me could, which was probably why all of my friends stiffened instantly. They knew my father wasn’t the best person to bring up if you wanted to get on my good side, which Nolan probably knew from reading my personnel file. Between my father signing off on a forced hospitalization for three months and his involvement in other issues between myself and the High Faction, only an incompetent idiot would think we were on good terms.
“And where exactly did you transfer from?” I crossed my arms, staring up at him, my spine as straight as it could go. “Nolan…?”
“Carragan, Nolan Carragan.” He scratched at his sleeve, my eyes lingering on the tattoos snaking up his forearm and disappearing under his shirt. “From Xoblar. I was the Beta there for six years before I was promoted and transferred here.”
Shock rippled through me, my training the only reason I was able to school my expression and keep my jaw from going slack. Xoblar was on the western tip of Kazola. My father barely found the energy to visit me in the hospital when I was being treated, and Seathra bordered the capital territory of Crelanti where he lived. But of course, he had no issue traveling for days to hand over my Faction to a stranger.
My chest ached slightly at that realization, but something else pricked at my mind.
“Carragan?” My brows wrinkled. “That sounds familiar. Have we met before?”
“You mean besides the other night?” He winked at me. My cheeks heated at the gesture. “No, I don’t think so. I typically leave a lasting impression when people meet me, and I’m sure I wouldn’t have forgotten you.”
I snorted. “Wow, I’m certainly impressed by your level of arrogance. Hopefully that’s not all that impresses me as we work together.”
Beckett let out a muffled groan behind me while Eden and Greyson both hid their laughter. And failed.
“We’re going to get along well, I can tell,” Nolan laughed, shaking his head before his gaze left mine. I bristled, my scowl deepening.
He stepped around me, his stance shifting from relaxed to Alpha in a matter of seconds. “I’ll give you all fifteen minutes to clean up and grab any missing Hierarchy members before meeting me over at the conference room for your briefing on our newest caseload.”
Everyone mumbled various agreements, but I just stood there glaring at him. I would go to the briefing—I wasn’tthatinsubordinate, after all—but I still couldn’t find the strength inside of me to answer him.
He didn’t seem to care, giving me that annoying half-smirk of his before strutting out of the room, leaving me to stew in my own frustration.
Chapter Seven
The room was silent, all of us sitting in our proper seats around the conference room.
Everyone’s eyes were on Nolan standing in front of his chair at the head of the table, next to Beckett’s seat, mine directly next to him. He was shuffling a few papers around from the stack of files strewn out, the rest piled in boxes around the bland room.
However, he must have worked most of the day unpacking in here, because an investigation board was already in progress. Our far-left wall was what we used to lay out important cases, hanging up any pieces of evidence, victim autopsy records, case reports, and any other necessary details so they were easier to find. Somehow, Nolan already had half the wall covered.
He had been busy, the show off.
I tried not to let it bother me. I tried to ignore the crawling, neck-twitching itch that was making its way up my spine. It was perfect, even half-finished and with plenty of boxes still in need of unpacking. Already, I could tell he was meticulous with his work, dedicated and detail-oriented almost to the point of overdoing it. My fingers tapped on the tabletop, trying to avoid the truth that the inky voices in my head were trying to feed me.
