Chapter 103 Iceberg Alpha

Chapter 103 Iceberg Alpha
Esmeralda blinked a few times, staring at the Alpha who was now smiling, flashing his sharp canines alongside his icy blue eyes. For the first time, she realized that beneath that good-humored facade lay a ruthless Alpha who knew exactly how to be cruel when the situation demanded it.
“Derik, I don't want to have children right now. In my world, I was raised with the belief that my body belongs to me. I decide when, and I decide how. I know the child wouldn't just be mine, but I am not ready for motherhood. It shouldn't be a crime to protect myself, especially when you men can easily do the same in this world!”
“We protect ourselves to avoid impregnating females who do not belong to us, but when a fated-mate bond is involved, not even the male can stop the female’s womb from being claimed and fertilized.”
“What am I supposed to do, then? Go on a sex strike until I feel ready to be a mother?”
“Ah, now that is an excellent argument to make Ares disregard the law and actually listen to you. Why don't you ask him that?”
Derik flashed a wicked smirk, thoroughly amused by the prospect of hearing Luna Esmeralda threaten to cut off the ice-cold Alpha's bedroom privileges.


Derik walked into his office, where the Beta couple was waiting for him. He sighed and sank into his chair, leaning back in a slouch with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Out with it. What do you want?”
Eli glanced at his mate, receiving a hopeful smile from her that pushed him to speak.
“My Alpha, are you going to take the human Luna for yourself?”
Derik raised an eyebrow.
“She is not my mate, and she has been fully marked by an Alpha and his nature.”
“But Alpha, if Ares doesn't want her, this could be our chance to save our pack!” the Beta insisted. “Tomorrow night is the full moon. The New Moon Pack is going to name a Beta as their Luna. The bond will be weakened; we can use that to our advantage!”
“It wouldn't be difficult to challenge her position. During the Saturnalia ceremony, while the energies are high, your wolf can exert its dominance and forge a new bond. We will have a Luna's connection once more. Our people can have a future.”
“I don’t believe Ares is foolish enough to reject his mate. As I already said, she has been fully marked.”
The Betas exchanged disappointed looks. They had placed so much hope in Derik asserting his authority over the human Luna for the sake of the pack…
A knock on the door caught the trio's attention. Derik granted permission to enter, and General Azis quickly bowed before the Alpha. His face was flushed, and beads of sweat lined his forehead.
“Alpha, a messenger from the New Moon Pack has brought word!”
The general handed the sheet of paper to Derik, who read it with raised eyebrows. His eyes gleamed, and a sharp smile revealed his war-ready fangs.
“Well, everyone, Alpha Ares has just threatened us with war. In his exact words: ‘I will exterminate every living soul in your pack if you do not surrender my female to me immediately, untouched, along with a compensation of one thousand gold pesos for her abduction.’”
“Oh, no! A war with the New Moon Pack would be catastrophic!” the Beta said sorrowfully, before lifting his head with a furrowed brow. “But what does he mean by that? We didn't kidnap the human!”
“How should I respond to the messenger, my Alpha?” the general asked.
“Simple. Send a message to that stubborn man telling him we did not kidnap Esmeralda. Tell him she is my friend and guest at this very moment, and if he wants to see her, we can talk tomorrow more calmly, with her well-being as the priority—after an apology for this baseless accusation, of course!”
“Alpha Ares would never apologize to you. Furthermore, that message could be interpreted as a veiled threat against the human.”
“That is precisely the intention. Tell him to come in person so we can talk Alpha to Alpha tomorrow. And if he truly cares about the human Luna, he had better not launch an attack, because we wouldn't want her getting hurt by accident.”
“Yes, sir.”