Claire’s POV
At Ivan’s rejection, Gideon’s entire posture shifted, tightening. He had been tense this entire conversation, which wasn’t unexpected given the topic, but he had remained open with Ivan, his face calm. Now, he looked like he was half a heartbeat away from starting an Alpha battle right here in his office.
Instinctively, I moved closer toward him. As I was his mate, my presence should have been naturally reassuring to him, which should have helped some of the tension in the room. Since I was hiding who I truly was, I didn’t know what kind of reaction my closeness would stir in him.
I was a member of Ivan’s pack now, so he might have perceived it as a threat.
Surprisingly, my closeness did seem to work. Gideon closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled, then relaxed his hands.
Iv
