Oops… I Went Into Heat and My Alpha Daddies Claimed Me

Keisha’s POV

Rhett slowed down when he noticed us and stopped a few feet away, his attention moving between Nadia and me before he gave us a polite nod.

Nadia, who had spent the last several minutes insisting that seeing him would somehow prove nothing, suddenly became very interested in the ground beneath her feet. I had to bite back a laugh before greeting him myself.

"Good afternoon, Rhett. We were actually just talking about you." I mused.

Nadia’s head snapped toward me. "Keisha."

Rhett raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "About me?"

I smiled innocently. "Nothing serious. Nadia was just saying how helpful you’ve been since she started asking you to take her around the estate since I’m usually busy."

"I see." He looked at Nadia, who was now avoiding both of us.

My grin widened. "I hope she hasn’t been troubling you."

Nadia finally looked up. "I haven’t been troubling him."

Rhett smiled. "She hasn’t."

I looked between them, enjoying myself far too much. "Good. Then I’ll leave you both to continue pretending there’s nothing going on."

Nadia gave me a warning look, but Rhett only chuckled. "I actually have an errand to take care of, so I won’t keep you."

"Of course," I replied. "We’ll see you later."

Rhett nodded and walked away, leaving Nadia watching him until he disappeared around the side of the building. The moment he was gone, I turned toward her with a smile.

"So, are you going to pursue him now, or are you still going to pretend the Moon Goddess didn’t practically put him in front of you?"

Nadia groaned and started walking again. "It was a coincidence. That’s all."

"That was so not the deal we had, Nadia." I scoffed.

"Because it’s true. He was already coming this way." She glared at me, then after a second, she shook her head, laughing despite herself. "Fine. Maybe I can try being his friend. That’s all I’m saying."

I giggled. "That’s probably a good place to start."

She glared at me. "I mean it, Keisha. I barely know him."

"You can fix that. Friends to lovers or whatever. Your eyes literally twinkle when you see him." I gushed.

She pulled out her phone and looked at me. "Don’t laugh."

I immediately raised my hands in surrender. "I haven’t said anything."

She shook her head and dialed Rhett. "Hello, Rhett? It’s Nadia. I know you said you had an errand, but I wanted to ask if you might have some time later. There are still parts of the estate I don’t really go to, and since you know the place better than I do, I thought you could show me those areas properly. If you’re busy, that’s fine. I just thought I’d ask." She listened for a moment before smiling. "Okay. That’s fine. I’ll see you later then."

She ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket. "He agreed."

I laughed. "Of course he did."

"Don’t." She shot me a withering look.

"I’m not saying anything."

"You don’t have to. Your face is saying enough." She rolled her eyes.

We continued walking for a little while before Nadia eventually decided she was going to meet Rhett, leaving me to finish my walk alone. I returned to the mansion later, and hoped that things would work out between them.

The rest of the week was rather uneventful. There was, however, one very obvious difference.

Nadia had become incapable of having a conversation without somehow bringing Rhett into it.

At first, I found it funny when she came with news of, "Rhett showed me another part of the estate today."

Then it became something else. "Rhett said the lake looks better in the evening."

And then there were the conversations where she didn’t even realize she was talking about him until I pointed it out.

By Saturday afternoon, we’d been sitting in the sitting room for almost an hour when she brought him up again. I was already smiling before she finished because I knew exactly where the conversation was going. "I think I actually like him." She suddenly said. "He’s cool."

I looked at her properly. "You’re finally admitting it?"

She laughed and tucked her legs beneath herself on the couch. "I didn’t say I was in love with him. I said I think I like him. There’s a difference."

I straightened. "Okay, then tell me what you like about him."

She paused, thinking about it. "I don’t know. He’s just... easy to talk to. He’s quiet, but not in that annoying way where you feel like you’re forcing every word out of him. He actually listens when I speak, and whenever I’m being ridiculous, he doesn’t treat me like I’m stupid."

I smiled. "That sounds like you like him."

She threw her head back. "I do. That’s the problem."

That made me frown. "Why is that a problem?"

She leaned back and sighed. "Because I don’t know what we’re doing. We’re friends, I guess. At least that’s what I keep telling myself, but we’ve started spending more time together, and I don’t know where it’s going."

I shrugged. "Then don’t force it anywhere. Let it develop."

She gave me a doubtful look. "You make it feel like roses and sunshine."

"It is. You don’t have to decide whether he’s the man you’ll spend the rest of your life with. You just have to decide whether you enjoy being around him." I told her honestly.

"I do." She agreed.

"Then there you go."

She was quiet for a moment before her expression changed. "My father won’t like it."

I frowned. "Because he’s Rhett?"

She nodded. "You know what happened. Dad had him punished earlier this year."

"I remember." I nodded.

"Well, dad remembers too even if he’s changed. He was working for Vanessa, and Dad had every reason to believe he was dangerous. He was involved with her, and whatever he did was serious enough that he ended up being almost killed." She sighed. "Oh god, I pick him out of all my options? I’m fucked."

I sighed. "But he’s changed."

She looked down at her hands. "That’s what makes it worse. Rhett isn’t the same person anymore. He’s trying to make things right. He’s loyal to Dad now, and I’ve seen how seriously he takes protecting this family. But I don’t know if Dad will ever see him as anything other than the man who betrayed him."

I reached across and squeezed her hand. "You don’t have to solve your father’s reaction before you’ve even figured out what you and Rhett are."

She smiled faintly. "And what if Dad says no?"

I squeezed her hand tighter. "Don’t worry. Just don’t. Callum loves and respects your wishes. Let’s not say that."

Nadia gave me a look. "Wow. I can not believe you’re giving me advice now."

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang and Becca got up from the other side of the room. "I’ll get it."

Nadia and I continued talking while she left, but a few minutes later, Becca returned carrying two bags. "Keisha, you have a visitor."

I looked up. "Who?"

Before Becca could answer, Lyra walked into the room and my face immediately lit up. "Lyra!" I stood and walked toward her, and she laughed as I wrapped my arms around her. "I almost forgot you were coming today," I admitted when we pulled apart.

She shook her head. "I figured. That’s why I didn’t expect you to be waiting at the door."

Nadia hugged her next, and the three of us laughed as we stood together. Then I noticed someone else entering behind her.

A man stood a few steps away, giving us a polite smile as he waited for Lyra to finish greeting us.

I looked at him. Then at Lyra, and my eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

Lyra smiled knowingly and I stared at the man for another second before looking at my sister again.

This must be him.