9. Celina #2
Her office door clicked shut behind them, and suddenly the space felt impossibly intimate.
Unlike Osias’s minimalist executive suite, this room was undeniably personal—framed photographs from film sets mixed with candid shots of her and Daya, bookshelves crammed with everything from classic screenplays to trashy romance novels, a vintage velvet armchair that had belonged to her mother positioned near the window where sunlight painted everything golden.
“This place is much more you,” Osias observed, his blue eyes taking in every detail with the focused attention she was beginning to recognize as quintessentially him.
The simple statement made her chest squeeze with unexpected emotion. He noticed what made her happy. He noticed what she needed. But unlike Rennick’s suffocating awareness, Osias’s attention felt like a gift freely given.
He can feel your emotions through the mate bond, she reminded herself as she settled behind her desk.
But a supernatural connection can’t define someone’s character.
And his character—the steady support without pressure, the way he’d cleared his entire schedule to help her navigate crisis without taking control of it—was becoming more appealing by the hour.
After years of being smothered by Rennick’s version of care, Osias’s approach felt refreshing.
“Why don’t you use my Beta Juno as your personal security until Trent recovers?”
Celina looked up from the stack of contracts she’d been pretending to organize. “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
His expression was matter-of-fact, as if offering his most trusted advisor as her bodyguard was the most natural thing in the world. “Not at all. The pride would understand immediately that the Alpha’s mate needs protection. And Juno, of all people, would understand that.”
Right. The lion pride.
The pieces clicked together with startling clarity.
Everything about him suddenly made more sense: the quiet authority that made entire rooms orient toward him, the protective instincts that had brought him racing to her mansion last night, the way he moved through the world like someone who had never questioned his right to be exactly where he was.
“Alright. I’ll have Juno be my bodyguard then.”
Satisfaction flickered across his features, subtle but unmistakable. She was learning to read the micro-expressions that revealed the man beneath the composed executive exterior.
She reached for her phone. “I should call the police and see if they found any information about the attackers.”
“Do you want me to look into it further? I can have my pride enforcers do some digging.”
The offer didn’t feel controlling—it felt like genuine partnership. Someone finally asking what she wanted.
“Yes, that would be helpful. Maybe they can find something the police can’t.”
Minutes later, the conversation with the detective was predictably frustrating. No leads, no witnesses, no surveillance footage that showed anything useful. The attackers had vanished as efficiently as they’d appeared, leaving nothing but Trent’s injuries and her shattered sense of security.
She hung up and immediately felt the weight of everything she didn’t know how to handle pressing down on her shoulders. “I also need to get my gate replaced, but I have no idea who to call. Rennick always handled things like that.”
When did I stop wanting to learn how to take care of myself?
Osias leaned forward, his voice gentle. “Celina, it’s okay that you don’t know every detail.
You’ve had Rennick managing things since you were four years old, so it’s understandable that you trusted him to handle everything.
But now, I understand why you want to break free of that, and I think what you’re doing is incredibly courageous. ”
His words hit her like a physical embrace. Not judgment for her dependence, but recognition of her strength in choosing independence.
“And I will stand beside you every step of the way,” he continued softly. “I’ll support whatever decisions you make and help when you ask.”
Something massive shifted in her chest—a weight she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying suddenly lifting. “Thank you.”
She stood up and crossed to his chair, settling onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.
His response was immediate and sure—his arms encircling her waist, pulling her closer as their lips met in a kiss that tasted like gratitude and possibility and the intoxicating promise of partnership instead of management.
They were thoroughly lost in each other when Daya’s voice cut through the haze.
“Oh, sorry to interrupt.”
They broke apart, and Celina felt heat flood her cheeks as she scrambled up. Daya stood in the doorway wearing an expression of barely contained glee that promised an interrogation later.
“I just wanted to let you know the socials are handled and the press release says you’re fine and recovering from the scare.”
“Thank you for everything, Daya.”
Her best friend’s smile was pure mischief. “Anytime. I’ll just be out here if you need anything else.”
The door clicked shut, and Osias stood up, extending his hand toward her. “Let’s go to my pride territory and meet Juno.”
Celina took his hand, marveling at how natural the gesture felt. As they left Bates Films, she caught sight of the paparazzi clustered outside like vultures waiting for carrion. The moment they stepped into the sunlight, cameras exploded in a symphony of clicking shutters and shouted questions.
“Celina! Are you dating Osias Fellan?”
“How are you feeling after the attack?”
“Is this a publicity stunt for your production company?”
Osias moved with practiced ease, his arm sliding around her waist in a gesture that was both protective and possessive. He guided her toward his Ferrari with the calm efficiency of someone who had navigated media circuses his entire adult life.
“Celina is fine. We don’t have time for questions right now.”
His voice carried an authority that made the photographers step back automatically, creating a clear path to his car. He opened the passenger door and she slipped inside, grateful for the tinted windows that blocked out the chaos of flashing cameras.
“Thank you for that,” she said when he settled into the driver’s seat. “I didn’t realize just how crazy the paparazzi would be about our relationship.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re safe and never feel like you can’t handle anything.”
As he pulled away from the curb and the photographers faded in the rearview mirror, Celina felt something settle in her chest. Her life had changed drastically in twenty-four hours.
She’d met the most extraordinary man who happened to be an Alpha lion shifter and her fated mate, according to supernatural forces she was still processing.
But everything was becoming more complicated by the hour.
Rennick wouldn’t sit quietly on the sidelines. The press would dissect every moment of their relationship. And the attack on her home suggested threats she didn’t understand.
But as Osias reached over and took her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers, she felt excitement rather than anxiety. This was her first real step toward liberation.
Like a sunflower finally turning toward the sun, she thought, squeezing his hand as Beverly Hills spread out before them.
Whatever came next, she would be facing it with him beside her.