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“No,” he says evenly, but his voice still sounds a bit rough. “Just away from this place.”

We spend the first ten minutes of the ride in silence. Liam keeps looking at me while I try my hardest to tear my gaze away. My heartbeat rises again.

“Your heart is racing,” he comments with a low voice.

Of course, it is, duh.

When he looks at me with his eyebrows raised, I notice I said the last words aloud. “Sorry,” I blurt out. “My filter. It doesn’t work.”

He tilts his head, a hint of surprise flashing through his eyes. “What kind of filter?”

“Leah,” I explain in panic. “My wolf. We know you are an Alpha, Lord Liam. We don’t mean any disrespect-”

“Liam,” he interrupts.

I blink in slight confusion. “I am sorry?”

“My mate shouldn’t address me by any titles,” he states. “Unless-” Suddenly, his expression changes into a devilish smirk. It sends tingles down my back. “You want me to punish you. Then you can call me Lord or Alpha, by all means.”

I can’t help but blush… again.

“So, why’s your heart racing?” he asks me again.

Does he really not know? Is he teasing me? His expression is earnest, though, like most of the time, his face is also serious. “I am not used to this,” I explain carefully, not sure how to voice my thoughts with him sitting right next to me, Leah going crazy in my head, and him smelling so… so… good.

“And?”

For real? Men can be so slow. “You said you would claim me,” I blurt out, finally finding my courage again. “But I, I am not ready yet, please, Lord Liam. I don’t mean to… you know… I am overjoyed we found our mate, but don’t mark me immediately.”

“Then I won’t do it immediately,” he states calmly. “We can go to a quiet place and have dinner instead.”

I blink, looking at him through wide eyes. “Really?”

“Of course, anything you want. My wolf is under control again. There is no way I would ravish my mate in the back seat of my car with my driver sitting in the front. Mating and marking are something special, and so it should be.”

I can barely trust my ears. Did he really just say that? I sigh deeply. “We could go to a sushi place,” I finally offer to dispel my own embarrassment.

“Sounds fine to me,” He leans forward again. “My driver will take us to a good place.”

I smile happily at him. “Thank you.”

He looks at me, a hint of surprise crossing his eyes.

Liam’s chauffeur takes us to a small, secluded sushi place. It’s in the better part of town. Nowhere I would regularly visit. It’s also not too crowded, which I assume is why Liam brought us here. When we take our seats, I wonder for a split second what I should order. Eating has never been an issue for me. I am not particularly skinny, I do still have some baby fat, but I am not chubby either. However, this is the first time I have gotten to have dinner… with… a date. That’s different.

Liam beats me to it by ordering everything from the menu. “I hope you are hungry,” he states evenly.

I stare at him in horror. “Notthathungry!” I protest.

Before Liam can answer, his driver approaches us. “Pardon me, Lord Liam, your Beta Aryanna just called. Should I inform her that an urgent issue came up, and you can’t attend the pack meeting?”

Liam nods. “Please do so, Emerson.”

“I am surprised you are on your own,” I point out, my interest beating my initial shyness. “I know that Anders follows Finn everywhere.”

“She wouldn’t have let me stroll around on my own had she known I wouldn’t stay at the party,” he explains in amusement. He nods toward his chauffeur. “Tell Aryanna what she needs to know. I will fill her in with the details later.”

The man nods politely. “I wish you a wonderful evening. I will be waiting outside.” He bows slightly. “Lord Liam. Miss Annalise.”