Chapter 148 The Wolf and the Doctor

Fiona and Barry stepped out onto the main deck, the cool night air hitting them.

Fiona stopped. "Are you heading back?"

"I’m going up," Barry said. Alpha Killian had invited him to the victory party on the upper deck tonight. But with Logan freshly back in town, Barry had skipped the celebration earlier.

"Fine. I’ll go home alone," Fiona said.

Barry tried his luck. "How about you come up with me for a bit? Just for a drink. Then I’ll make sure you get home safe."

"Do you want me dead? Just say so." Fiona shot him a look. "Carter Group and Sterling Pack are rivals. If I show up at a Sterling party, everyone’s going to think Carter’s waving the white flag. No wonder you’re Alpha Killian’s personal doctor. You’ve got no shame."

Barry just stood there. So much for good intentions.

He turned toward the stairs.

Just then, Eira was coming down from the upper deck. She’d stepped outside earlier to take a call, but Alpha Killian had startled her. Her phone had slipped and tumbled down to the level below.

Barry nearly ran into Eira on the landing.

"Eira?"

"Dr. Wood."

At the name, Fiona’s head snapped around. [Wasn’t this Alpha Sebastian’s mate? ]

"Where are you off to, Eira?"

"Retrieving my phone."

Before Barry could ask another question, Alpha Killian’s tall frame appeared at the top of the stairs, long legs carrying him down at an unhurried pace. His cold gaze slid sideways, landing on Barry.

"Weren’t you having dinner with Logan?"

"Logan and Vincent had things to discuss, so I ducked out early." Barry stepped aside to let Eira pass. He fell into step behind Alpha Killian, like a loyal shadow. "I’ll head back upstairs, Alpha. Take your time."

Fiona’s eyes moved between the three of them. A woman’s instinct was rarely wrong. Hers was screaming that Alpha Killian’s interest in Alpha Sebastian’s mate was anything but innocent.

She wanted to see for herself what made Eira so special that both Alpha Sebastian and Alpha Killian had taken an interest in her.

Suddenly, Fiona caught his arm. "Hey, weren’t you just offering to walk me up?"

Barry looked at her. "Don’t start trouble, Fiona. If you make a scene, the Carters will back you up. If I do, no one’s got my back, and my grandmother’s too old to survive the shock."

"Relax." She waved him toward the stairs.

Barry did not relax. But there was no arguing with a Carter, so up they went.

--

Eira had just bent to pick up her phone from the second level deck, where it had fallen, when a hand beat her to it.

The device settled into Alpha Killian’s warm palm. "I’ll get you a new one."

"The one still works," Eira said, reaching for it. Their fingers brushed.

Alpha Killian felt a bloom of cold.

He studied her. Turtleneck, thick trousers, a cashmere coat. Her lips were pink, not blue. Yet her fingertips were ice.

"Why are your hands so cold?"

Eira was busy texting Miss Gwen back, having accidentally dropped the earlier call. The soft concern from above made her look up.

"Are you cold?" Alpha Killian asked again.

Eira wiggled her slender, pale fingers. "It’s normal. Most women run cold. Winter always turns our hands and feet to ice."

She finished the message. "Let’s head back, Mr. Sterling."

Alpha Killian nodded. "Who was calling?"

Eira sighed. The legendary man of few words was a myth. "Home."

His eyes flickered. "The orphanage?"

"Miss Gwen sent me the height and weight chart for the kids." A faint smile touched her mouth. "I can order the winter coats now."

Alpha Killian’s brow lifted, and the ghost of a smile pulled at his lips.

The pleasant moment didn’t last. Along both banks the city blazed with light, skyscrapers running their signature light shows. A river cruiser drifted past, sending ripples fanning across the water.

On their deck, a new group emerged from the lounge, stepping into the evening air.

Two groups came face to face.

The moment Logan spotted Alpha Killian, he moved in fast. "Alpha Killian."

"Logan."

Logan never could look at Alpha Killian without a pang. They were roughly the same age, yet Alpha Killian had taken the Alpha role at twenty while Logan, pushing thirty, still had a father who refused to step aside. Comparison really was the thief of joy.

Then Logan’s gaze shifted to Eira.

The moment he got a good look at her face, he stiffened.[Why does she look so familiar?]

With the disaster of Vincent, Serena, and Lainey fresh in mind, he decided not to guess.

Instead he asked politely, "And this is?"

Alpha Killian answered. "A business partner."

Eira gave a calm nod.

Logan’s whole demeanor changed. A Sterling business partner was no ordinary person. He extended a hand. "What should I call you?"

Eira started to reach out.

Then Logan caught the warning frost in Alpha Killian’s eyes and yanked his hand back.

Eira’s hand hung in the empty air. Awkward.

This time the look Alpha Killian aimed at him carried more than warning. It carried murder.

"Just call me Eira." Unbothered, she withdrew her hand, and her eyes collided with Serena’s, then with Vincent’s beside her.

Both of them had been staring at her.

Logan pressed on. "What line of work are you in, Ms. Eira?"

"She’s in research," Alpha Killian said.

Logan turned to him. Was that pride on the man’s face?

"You’re in research too? So is a friend of Vincent’s. I wonder if you two know each other."

Right in the sore spot.

Serena was speechless. Vincent couldn’t fathom what had gotten into Logan tonight.

Eira nodded. "We do."

Alpha Killian added, "Serena was Eira’s former subordinate, more or less."

If Logan couldn’t read the room now, he deserved to be called a fool.He wisely shut his mouth.

Vincent moved to leave with Serena. She’d taken enough hits tonight, thanks to him. He was getting her home, no matter what.

As it happened, the cruiser was pulling in at the next dock for a brief stop.

The boat had barely settled when Alpha Sebastian appeared in full view of everyone.

Serena spotted him first, her face lighting up. From his frantic expression, she assumed he’d seen her post and come running, jealous.

In truth, the first person Alpha Sebastian looked for was Eira.

The moment he’d received a text from Jordan about Alpha Killian hosting a victory party on this very yacht, his gut had told him Eira might be here.

Fortune had smiled on him. Eira was here.