Deviant Games (The Controllers #8) - L.V. Lane Page 0,34

office unless it was to berate me for some short-falling relating to our daughter.

Amber eyes that were so pretty on our daughter narrowed upon me.

Ah. The reasons for her arrival suddenly clicked into place.

"She's pregnant!"

"I'm aware of this," I said, hedging and praying that Woodrow would imminently arrive.

"You are?" One delicate brow raised. There was a thick pearl necklace at her throat that I fully believed to be the real thing. I'd heard she was seeing some business magnate—people had a tendency to tell me about her whether I wanted to listen to it or not. "She said she hadn't spoken to you. Said she was furious with you! How could you possibly know?"

I wasn't about to explain to Eline how Ethan had stood where she was now, making bold, and entirely believable, claims about breeding our daughter before he would go on the operation. The cocky bastard had some nerve.

I chose silence. Where the hell was Woodrow?

My other children from my mate, Celeste, were all Alphas, but I harbored a soft spot for my first and only Omega child. It helped ease my guilt that Lilly's siblings all doted on their Omega sister with the same joy—it was in an Alpha's nature. And Celeste, my sweet mate, loved Lilly dearly even as she threatened to stab her mother if she caught her scent in my office again.

I was going to need to get a cleaning crew in. They rarely did a thorough enough job—Celeste seemed to have an extra level of sensitivity when it came to Eline.

"Ethan mentioned it," I said, which was close enough to the truth—I was a politician, after all.

Eline’s fire softened as quickly as it arrived; she was ever an emotive being. "You sent him away, on a mission to god knows where. She's an Omega, Victor. She needs her mates with her. It's not healthy for her to be separated. She was inconsolable when we spoke."

My gut clenched. I didn’t enjoy bringing pain to Lilly. I'd tried to talk to her yesterday, but she had point-blank refused. Ryker, whom I still had reservations about, had answered my fifth communication request and told me to fuck off. I'd allowed General Sherwin to persuade me his son was a good choice with unique skills perfect for the kind of trouble my willful, independently-minded Omega daughter might find herself in.

The reasons for this momentous decision eluded me today.

"He'll be back within a week." Did Eline genuinely believe I would separate them if I had other options? The war was escalating long before Lilly was snatched. There were plans in play that I was not at liberty to divulge, and even if I could, I doubted Eline would truly understand. It wasn't only about the Uncorrupted anymore, nor Salvation. Now it was internal, and we had yet to uncover how far the rot had spread.

"He better," she said. "Exactly how dangerous is this operation?"

"You know I can't tell you anything about it, Eline."

Finally, my door opened, and Woodrow Brock entered. The imposing Alpha gave Eline an up-down look that was a cool assessment of her mood rather than an interest in her beauty or graceful dancer’s body. "Eline," he said with a brief nod of his head. "I've some urgent security issues to discuss with the governor. I'm sure you understand."

He held the door open for her.

Her chin lifted in defiance, but with a warning glare and parting promise for me, she said, "I'll castrate you if anything happens to upset Lilly."

As the door clicked shut on her, Woodrow's lips tugged up in a smirk. "Your assistant forewarned me. Sorry I was late." There was a little more grey at his temples than mine, although he was a decade my junior. His nose was a dominant feature on his face, and his brows deep. The former director of special operations, now an advisor to the ruling council, still kept his finger on the pulse.

For which I was grateful. Recent developments had seen him working closely with his former bureau again.

I indicated the visitor chair, and he strode over to take the seat. Slipping a hand into his suit pocket, he extracted a small black cube and placed it on the desk before me. A flashing amber light turned green.

He nodded. "Secure."

"What do you have?" I asked.

"He's in. We won't have contact again until he leaves Pilgrim Point. Reports indicate Olson is there, and Cohen likes to display her in front of the elite Alpha force. This will be