chapter 22

Everly Now that Valen has realized I'm his mate, and after his persistence yesterday, I know it won’t be the last time I'll hear from him. He doesn’t seem like the type that's used to being knocked back by a woman. But he'll have to get used to it; there's no way I will allow my son to be taken from me. Maybe I've made my point though. Maybe I can go the entire day without dealing with mate dramas. Stepping out of my office, I groan when I see him again. My heart stops in my chest—he's walking down the corridor toward me. I turn in the opposite direction to escape out the side door and back to the safety of my apartment for a while before I retrieve Valarian from preschool. “Everly.” “What? Alpha Valen, I'm busy,” I call over my shoulder. He jogs after me. “Too busy to speak with your mate?” he asks. “Yep, definitely too busy for you,” I tell him, continuing toward the door that leads outside and refusing to make eye contact with him. “Hmm. So you hire liars here? Because that cleaner