Chapter 55 Fifty four

Chapter 55 Fifty four
Howard.

It's astonishing and deeply troubling how Nora and I can go from seemingly peaceful moments to intense arguments at the slightest provocation. These fluctuations in our relationship make me contemplate the idea of removing her from my life entirely. I can't afford to have my mind divided among numerous concerns. There's already an overwhelming burden on my shoulders, and Nora is the last thing I want to be preoccupied with. However, despite my desire to remain detached from her affairs, they still manage to get under my skin, and I detest it.

I should be in an urgent meeting right now, but instead, I find myself pacing back and forth in Nora's room, waiting for her. Is she deliberately trying to get back at me for casually mentioning that I might bring Karen back? It was merely a passing thought, and I don't feel comfortable sending Scott, away as a rogue with Karen. I don't trust her or Damon to care for Scott properly; they are both unfit and undeserving. I shouldn't have agreed to let him go so easily; he deserves far better. Yet, Nora selfishly opposes my judgment for her own interests.

How can she expect me to prioritize her desires when I don't love her? I only informed her about my plan regarding Karen and Scott to avoid shocking her later, not because I needed her input.

I grab my phone from her bed and dial her number, but there's no answer. It seems she rarely uses her phone. I sit down on the bed, my heart weighing heavily on me. My primary concern now is the potential threat Nora might bring into my pack tonight. I specifically instructed her not to invite Herman and his son, Miles, but she disregarded my instructions. While I don't care much about Herman, as my father can handle him, Miles poses a significant threat, especially since I've learned about his feelings for Nora. The thought of the two of them together drives me insane.

I decide to step out and look for Nora. Just as I'm about to leave the room, she enters with her personal maid. She scans me with a perplexed expression. "Put the bags in my closet," she instructs her maid, who obeys and then leaves the room.

"Where have you been?" I question, blocking her path to the bathroom. 

Nora kicks off her heels and approaches me. "Keep this up, Howard," she says wearily. "You think I want to be here? Why didn't you answer my call?" I ask, feeling the frustration building within me.

She rolls her eyes. "I went to pick up my dress for tonight," she mumbles.

"And what about Miles?" I demand, my anger growing. 

She shoots me an exasperated look. "What about him?" she retorts.

I scoff. "I explicitly told you to cancel their invitation. I discovered that you didn't." 

Nora shrugs and pulls her arm away from my grasp. "Nora!" I raise my voice, blocking her path again.

"Howard," she replies in a tone mirroring my own, leaving me taken aback by her unexpected defiance. "Stop being stubborn!"

Why are you suddenly accusing me of being stubborn?" She challenges me with a question of her own.

"You don't listen to me. I am your husband and also your Alpha!" I exclaimed, my frustration boiling over.

"No, you listen to me, Howard! I am sick and tired of all your bullshit. You have taken too much from me. I will not tolerate your bullshit anymore. It's either you get your shit together or get out of my sight!" Nora spat at me fiercely. Her anger always had a strange effect on me, but this time, her words hit hard. She'd changed—she wasn't the soft, compliant girl I once knew.

"Okay, what do you want?" I conceded, my voice softening. Nora heaved a sigh, folding her arms tightly, and averted her gaze.

"Act your shit together," she said bluntly, then walked past me and into the bathroom. I watched her retreating back, my emotions swirling. This new attitude from Nora didn't sit well with me.

I glanced around her room, torn between leaving and continuing our conversation. I needed to resolve this issue because I couldn't stand this newfound defiance from her. With determination, I walked over to the bathroom door and knocked firmly.

"You can't just walk away! I am not done talking to you," I insisted, continuing to knock repeatedly.

"Well, I'm done talking to you!" Nora yelled from the other side, her voice muffled by the bathroom door.

I stepped back, gripping my waist and taking a deep breath. But then, without warning, the door flew open, and there stood Nora, draped in a pink towel. Her face was still flushed with anger, but the pink towel added a hint of levity to her appearance.

"On second thought, I am not done talking to you. What do you have to say about your insane thoughts of bringing Karen back into the pack? What the hell are you going to tell your father and the pack members?" she clamored angrily.

In truth, I hadn't put much thought into it. I was more focused on asserting my authority. "I owe no one an explanation," I replied firmly.

Nora's anger flared. "Well, you owe me one! I'm your wife, for crying out loud. Even if you don't love me, respect me at least. It would be an insult if that woman comes back here, do you realize that? Do you realize how embarrassing it would be for me?" Her voice wavered, her eyes becoming glassy as she turned away.

"What about Scott? It's not just Karen, and I'm not doing this because I want to insult you or I want Karen back..." I began.

"Then don't fucking do it!" She interrupted. "You can take care of Scott from where they are, but don't bring Karen back to where I am. Because if you do, I will leave. And you cannot say me leaving will not affect you."

"It will not," I declared firmly, my tone harsh.

Nora's words didn't deter me, and I couldn't deny the surge of anger within me. "Oh, Mr. Nonchalant, Mr. Stoic, it will affect your miserable life big time," she retorted through gritted teeth.

"You called me miserable?" I questioned, closing the distance between us.

"I fucking did because you're miserable, a coward, and a jerk," she spat back, her anger palpable.

I halted, my hands in my pockets as I stared at Nora, who was venting her anger at me. Oddly, I found myself wanting to kiss her in that moment, my gaze drawn to her red lips.

Nora wiped her face in frustration and growled, "Don't even think of kissing me because I will bite you." She turns and head back into the bathroom. 

I took a step closer, blocking her from closing the bathroom door. She slammed the door on my hand, and it hurt, but I didn't flinch. Nora gasped, covering her mouth with her palms as her eyes filled with concern. Despite her anger, she was worried about hurting me. This revelation only confirmed what I suspected: Nora was still in love with me.

"Your hand... I didn't mean to, I swear. It's red," Nora panics as she approaches me. Her voice quivers with worry as she gently holds my hand, her eyes fixed on my palm. It does hurt, but I don't flinch.

"I will heal," I reassure her, but she shakes her head, her tears flowing freely now.

"It will take the whole night before you heal back, you need a bandage," she insists, her voice choked with emotion.

"You're crying?" I ask in disbelief, a hint of surprise in my voice.

"Shut up," she snaps, her frustration evident, but it makes me smile. Nora, who rarely showed any sense of tears during our heated arguments, was now shedding tears because she had accidentally hurt me.

She guides me to her bed, and then with a call on the intercom, her maid enters, carrying a first aid kit. When the maid notices my hand, she suggests calling the doctor.

"No one asked you to do that. Now leave," I assert firmly, and the maid obeys, leaving the room.

Nora sits beside me and holds my hand gently to examine it, her hands trembling slightly. She blows cool air on my palm, and I can't help but enjoy the sensation.

Examining my palm further, she places it on her bare thighs, her skin incredibly soft. In that moment, I can't help but entertain forbidden thoughts about her, right there on the bed.

Nora opens the first aid kit, wiping her face and sniffling. She retrieves a bandage. "We need ice," she murmurs. "I forgot to tell Selene to get ice..." Panic creeps back into her voice.

She places my hand on the bed and rushes to the intercom, making another call. She returns to the bed, clearly distressed. "It's all your fault! You're so stubborn and wouldn't listen when I tell you to do stuff," she grumbles while carefully wrapping my hand with a bandage.

My phone suddenly rings, and I grab it with my uninjured hand, answering Alex's call. "Hey," I greet.

"Where the hell are you? Have you forgotten the meeting you were supposed to attend?" Alex's voice sounds urgent.

"I had to sit for an hour and a half listening to your elders complain about irrelevant things," he complains further. A hint of amusement in my voice. "So the 'urgent' meeting wasn't urgent or significant?"

Alex sighs. "It wasn't. Where are you? Guests are beginning to arrive. You should be at the gates welcoming them."

I glance at Nora, who is focused on wrapping my hand. "Caught up with something, but I'll be at the gate in half an hour. Meet you there?"

Alex chuckles mischievously. "Caught up with Nora, huh?" he teases.

I quickly look at Nora again, but she remains absorbed in her task. "Shut up, I'll see you there," I retort, ending the call.

The door opens once more, and Nora's maid enters with a bowl of ice, which she hands to Nora. "My Luna, your glam team awaits you in your living room," she announces.

"Tell them I'll be ready in a jiffy," Nora replies. She bows and then leaves the room. 

"You should be good now," she tells me, placing the pack of ice on my hand. Then, without another word, she heads to the bathroom.

"You're leaving me here?" I ask her as she disappears into the bathroom.

"I am already late because of you!" she retorts, glaring at me. With that, she leaves me in her room. I take this moment to head to my own room and get dressed for the pack bond event, an event I wish I could avoid altogether.

As soon as I enter my room, I place the pack of ice on the side drawer and quickly remove my shirt. The suit I'm to wear for tonight's event is meticulously laid out on my bed. Without wasting any time, I swiftly dress, knowing that any delay will result in Alex breathing down my neck. 

As I stepped out, the pack premises are bustling with activity, crowded for the event. I feel a sense of suffocation being here, but I have no choice. The responsibilities that come with being an Alpha often force me into situations I'd rather avoid. I navigate my way through the throng, heading toward the gates where Alex is already attending to arriving guests.

"How many guests so far?" I ask Alex as I approach him.

"Thirty-six, a hundred and sixty-four left," he responds.

I nod in acknowledgment. I had agreed to accommodate two hundred guests for the event because I couldn't handle more than that. My father had pushed for five hundred, but I deemed it excessive, unnecessary, and too risky.

Another car arrives, and I glare at it. The door opens, and Alpha Gray steps out, wearing a smile that I can tell doesn't reach his heart. He extends a handshake, which I accept.

"Pleased to see you again, Alpha Howard," he greets me.

"Hope all is well?" he inquires, noticing my injured hand.

"Yeah, what happened?" Alex asks, now realizing my injury.

"I'm fine. The servants will show you to the event center and your seat number," I inform him.

"Hoping to leave with my men tonight," Alpha Gray says with a smile, heading back to his car.

I tuck my injured hand into my suit pocket and watch as the car drives away. Alex raises a concern, "It's been months; when are you releasing those prisoners?"
I shake my head firmly. "I don't trust him; he's up to something," I assert, sensing ulterior motives behind Alpha Gray's facade. I've allowed him into our territory not to appear weak but to bide my time for a strategic move.

"Yeah, well, he will be up to something if you don't release his men," Alex warns, but I brush it off with a dismissive gesture.

Minutes later, more guests arrive, and we continue welcoming them. The next car causes my heart to sink, for it carries the guests invited from the Greenbell pack. Herman steps out, and we exchange forced pleasantries. However, my attention is drawn to the front car door, which opens to reveal a man I least expected to see—Miles.

He stands there, giving me a pointed look, and I return it with equal intensity. Irritation surges within me as I clench both my fists. My injured left hand throbs with pain, but it pales in comparison to the turmoil in my chest. Miles has displayed an audacious level of nerve by showing up tonight.