Chapter 70 070

Chapter 70 070
Mikhail

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Irina's face. That look of fury and suspicion as she had stormed out. She was determined to find out who I was sleeping with.

I spent the last two hours lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to construct some kind of plausible excuse or explanation that would satisfy her questions without revealing the truth.

Maybe I could claim a medical issue. I could say I had been injured in training, something that affected my ability to perform, but she would demand to speak with a healer, and then what?

Or I could say I was nervous. That the pressure of the arranged mating made it difficult to respond naturally, but alphas didn't get nervous about fucking.

That would only make me look weak.

Maybe I could convince her she wasn't trying hard enough. That her approach was too aggressive, but I had seen the way she touched herself.

I heard the desperation in her voice. She had done everything short of forcing herself on me.

Fuck.

There was no good excuse. There was no explanation that wouldn't eventually unravel.

Unless I just went through with it. Closed my eyes, thought of Natasha, and forced myself to fuck Irina. Proved I was capable so she would stop asking questions.

My stomach turned at the thought.

I couldn't. Even imagining it felt like a betrayal. It felt like I would be destroying the one good thing I had, but if Irina kept digging, if she found out about Natasha...

A sharp knock on my door made me sit up.

"Mikhail," My brother's voice called out urgently. "Emergency meeting. Main hall. Now."

My blood ran cold. "What's happened?"

"Just get dressed and get down there."

I threw on clothes, my hands shaking slightly as I laced my shirt. Emergency meeting. That could mean anything. An attack. A threat from another pack. Or maybe Irina had already figured it out.

The main hall was packed when I arrived. The entire pack leadership stood around the long table, and more pack members lined the walls.

It wasn't just a council meeting. Everyone had been summoned.

Dimitri stood at the head of the table, Irina beside him. She looked calm and composed. Nothing like the furious woman from earlier.

That scared me more than anything.

My brother gestured for me to take my place. I moved to stand across from Dimitri, my heart pounding.

"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice," Dimitri began, his voice echoing through the hall. "I've called this meeting to discuss a matter of great importance to both our packs."

I could see Natasha near the back, standing with the other healers. Her face was pale and her eyes locked on mine.

"As you know," Dimitri continued, "We have been planning a mating ceremony between Irina and Mikhail to unite our packs." He paused. "I am proposing we move that timeline up significantly."

The room erupted in murmurs.

The elders looked surprised and one of them asked. "How significantly?"

"In three days."

The murmurs grew louder.

I couldn't breathe. He wanted us mated in three days.

"That's very sudden," An elder said carefully. "May I ask why the urgency?"

"These are dangerous times," Dimitri said smoothly. "We've had reports of movements from the northern packs. Tensions are rising. Our alliance needs to be solidified as quickly as possible. We need to maintain a united front," He looked directly at me.

"Besides, the two of them have been spending time together all week. I see no reason to delay what we all know is inevitable."

Irina smiled at me. It was a small, knowing smile and it made my skin crawl.

She had orchestrated this. She had convinced Dimitri to push the timeline up, to trap me before I could find a way out.

"Mikhail?" Dimitri's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "You've been spending time with Irina. Surely you have no objections to formalizing your bond?"

Every eye in the room turned to me.

I looked at Dimitri. He was watching me expectantly and proudly. This was everything he wanted. An alliance that would secure our pack's future.

Then I looked at Natasha. She was crying, silent tears streaming down her face, and she wasn't even trying to hide them.

She just stood there, watching the moment her world fell apart.

I was supposed to say yes. It was the only logical answer. The only answer that made sense for the pack, for my brother and for everything I was supposed to be.

My mouth opened.

"Mikhail?" Dimitri prompted.

I looked at Natasha, the woman I loved. The woman I had promised myself to, watching me prepare to marry someone else.

Our eyes met across the room.

I was going to refuse. I was going to say no, consequences be damned. I would deal with Dimitri's wrath and the political fallout.

I would find a way to make it work because I couldn't do this to her. I couldn't.

Natasha turned and ran.

She pushed through the crowd and fled the hall, the sound of the door slamming echoing through the stunned silence.

"Who was that?" Someone muttered.

"One of the healers I think?" Someone else answered.

Dimitri frowned, then he turned back to me, dismissing it. "Well, Mikhail? Do we have your agreement?"

My mind was blank. Natasha was gone. She had run before I could refuse, before I could make my stand, and now the entire pack was staring at me, waiting for an answer I couldn't give.

"I..." My voice came out rough. "I need time to think."

The room went silent and Dimitri’s face darkened. "Mikhail—"

"This is a significant decision," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Three days is very sudden. I need time to prepare myself mentally for such an important commitment."

Dimitri's expression hardened. "You need time to think aout marrying Irina? This arrangement was agreed upon weeks ago."

"I'm not refusing," I said quickly. "I just need more time to process the change in timeline. To prepare properly."

"Prepare?" Dimitri's voice was dangerously quiet. "You've had weeks to prepare, Mikhail. What more preparation do you need?"

Irina chipped in at that moment. "Perhaps we're pushing too hard," She said softly, but her eyes were fixed on me with that same knowing look.

"If Mikhail needs time, we should give it to him. I want a mate who's certain, after all."

The subtext was clear. She knew I wasn't certain. She knew something was wrong.

"Very well," Dimitri said, though his tone suggested it wasn't well at all. "You have until tomorrow evening to make your decision, but understand, Mikhail, that this alliance is crucial. Refusing would be problematic for everyone involved."

The threat hung in the air.

"I understand." I managed.

"This meeting is concluded."

Irina walked out with a backward glance at me. The hall erupted in conversation as people began to disperse. I stood frozen, unable to move.

Dimitri said "My office. Now."

"I need to—"

"Now, Mikhail."

But I wasn't looking at him. I was looking at Seraphina, who stood near the doorway Natasha had fled through. She caught my eye, her expression worried and almost sympathetic.

Then she slipped out the door, probably going after Natasha.

"Mikhail!" My brother's voice was sharp.

I tore my gaze away and followed him, my stomach in knots. I had little time to decide whether to destroy everything I was supposed to be, or destroy the only thing that actually mattered.

And I had no idea what the fuck I was going to do.