Within their dreams (Reverse Harem)

Chapter 29

Owen's POV

"So what exactly is the plan here, or are you giving up?"

Leo's face remains impassive as I pace in front of him, tugging at my hair. Rage makes my chest tight, vibrating through my body and craving release. Ivy's calming trickles down the bond helped soothe my anxiety last night but now as dawn rises in the sky Leo's face is looking more and more punchable.

"It was the best move in the moment. The council weren't going to let what happened go easily."

"She's not safe with him."

"Simon said no harm will come to her. He can't kill our mate. He can be calculating but even he knows the punishment for that."

"He said she'll remain in one piece," I mutter. "That's very different from being unharmed."

While I distance myself from as many diplomatic duties as I can get away with, I'm familiar with the way the council bends their word, staying ambiguous enough that their promises can be twisted to their will.

While I can feel Ivy through the bond, the distance makes it harder to hone in on her. Without fully completing the mate bond, I'm only able to feel small fragments and I worry that the longer we spend apart, the more fragmented it will become.

Despite Leo's calm exterior, lazily leaning back in his office chair, I can see the tension stiffening his body. As much as he doesn't want to show it, he's just as worried as I am. My shoulders slump and I let out a sharp exhale through my nose.

I'm used to Leo putting on a front for everyone, even me. He perfected it when we were young, never letting emotions slip onto his face. By the time we were teens, I was so used to the expressionless mask he wore that I wondered if he ever took it off, even when alone. This was one of the few moments I'd seen him visibly rattled. He cared for Ivy just as much as I did, but unlike me, Leo is used to playing the long game to get what he wants.

A knock rings through the room and the person responsible doesn't bother waiting for an invitation before letting themselves into the room. Mark walks in with a grin, strolling over to Leo's whiskey cabinet and pouring himself a drink. I scowl, turning my back on him and stepping closer to Leo, who barely gives him a glance.

Leo's friendship with Mark is nothing but a political alliance, his parents being influential lords that allowed us to be favoured among the nobility. When our parents died, having them on our side was obvious so that the line of succession would remain with us, but over the years it's been increasingly difficult not to strangle the power-hungry prick.

While Leo is good at placating nobility, I cannot, which is why I avoid Mark and anyone else I deem too dull or simple or greedy like the plague. Unfortunately for me, Mark seems to think of himself as Leo's right-hand man, attempting to use their friendship to whisper his ideas into Leo's ear in an attempt to persuade him to do what he wants. On occasion, Leo actually listens to what he has to say, which only feeds into his ego more. I can't stand him.

"Did you need something, Lord Mark?" I sneer, ignoring Leo's warning look.

Mark turns, two glasses of whiskey in his hand, the crystal glinting in the rising sunlight.

"I thought we'd celebrate you returning to your bachelor positions, now that the little witch is gone."

He strolls over to Leo, handing the glass to him and clinking the two drinks together before leaning back and downing his in one gulp.

"She's not gone, she's learning to control her powers. She's coming back." I say through clenched teeth. Mark clicks his teeth and raises a brow, unconvinced.