“The Alpha has requested you come down for breakfast,” the servant who stood at my door the next morning informed me, her eyes downcast.
My surprise was evident. I had only ever had my meals in my room alone, and even when I tried to strike a conversation with the servants who served them, their responses were monotonous, and I knew better than to keep trying. It was obvious they had been told to not indulge me, and I didn't need half a brain to know who had given that instruction, so it was why Callan’s invite came to me as a shock.
I could feel my stomach tightening at the reminder of our proximity last night. Now that daylight was here, I was trying to put the events from the night before behind me. I had embarrassed myself, and I didn't need the memory to worsen my mortification.
“Uh, is there any special reason?” I asked.
She stared at me for a while. “He would like to properly introduce you to the family.”
The family.
A cold shiver went down my spine. I knew next to nothing about Callan’s family. I had no idea if he had a brother or sister, or if his parents were still alive and living here in this manor too, and suddenly, I didn't know how to act.
What if his parents didn't like me and saw me as an inconvenience?
“I… I don't think I feel so good,” I lied. The servant’s eyes ran over me distastefully.
“The Alpha has summoned you, Miss Sophia. It would be utterly rude to dismiss his orders for no reason,” she said in a rigid voice that conveyed her displeasure at my obvious lie in a bid to escape going down for breakfast.
I took in a breath. “Is my outfit okay?”
A small smile reflected on her face at my words, and she gave me a polite nod. “Come on. I'll lead you.”
I walked behind her, my heart rate accelerating with every step as she led me down a flight of stairs. We took one last turn towards what I assume to be the dining hall, and from the distance, I could hear the sound of cutlery and subdued conversation.
She paused and stepped aside for me to go through the thick curtains that separated me from whatever the opposite room held. “It’ll be fine,” she assured, and for a brief second, I could have hugged her. She was the first person here other than Callan to even show me a semblance of niceness.
“What is your name?” I asked her.
I noticed her pale and glanced over her shoulder before saying, “Claire,” and with that, she turned on her heels and scurried off.
I didn't have the luxury of time to dwell on her strange behavior before I turned my attention back to the curtains, and with a simultaneous inhale and exhale, I pushed them aside and stepped behind them.
Silence swept the room at my presence. It was unnerving. The air suddenly became thick with a certain stillness and trepidation, choking me. I could feel every single pair of eyes on me, and it was more attention than I’d ever received in my entire life. At the head of the table was Callan, looking as majestic as he always did, but so much more now that I was seeing him in his territory. He was impeccably clad in a pristine white long-sleeved button-up shirt tucked into navy blue pants.
He sat at the head of the table with a certain self-assuredness that was immensely attractive. From the way he ate to the way he chewed, I could tell the confidence that he exuded, and it was the first time I was realizing with full intensity how much power Callan held. Alone with him, he was just Callan to me, but here in his pack, he was an Alpha, and I knew to do well to remember that.
At the other end of the table was an older woman with a pleasant face. I supposed she was his mother although they looked nothing alike, and beside her was a girl with a smiling face who didn't look any older than sixteen, and finally, on the right of Callan was Amelia with a regal look and poise. Opposite her and to Callan’s left was Radley, his eyes, as usual, burning into me.
Warriors lined the two opposite walls, standing at alert, their eyes staring straight ahead and their hands placed at the hilt of their swords.
“Hello,” I said, my awkwardness glaring, and from the corner of my eyes, I caught Amelia rolling her eyes, irritated.
“Sophia, is it?” the older woman asked, her lips stretching into a smile. “Please come join us.”
I nodded gratefully and headed off to her side. As soon as I settled myself on the seat next to the teenage girl, my eyes with a mind of their own trailed to Callan to find him already looking at me. Heat crept up my face and neck at the reminders of last night. I wished more than anything else I could retract what had happened.
I could still feel the warmth of his body against mine, the heavy feel of his arms around my waist, and despite how much I tried to fight against it, it was still there—the recent feelings he was beginning to elicit in me.
For a lingering moment, we held each other’s gaze intensely, feeling as though we were the only two people in the room, every single person at the table fading into nothingness.
‘I could touch him.’ I was convinced that if I reached out a hand to him, I would be able to make physical contact with him, and just as I raised my hand, a cough interrupted me, breaking both our eye contact.
I could barely stop myself from jumping at the sound of the older woman letting out a fake cough. The teenage girl gave me a sheepish smile before burying her face in her food.
“Maybe it's about time you introduce us to Sophia, don't you think so, Callan?” the older woman asked, giving him a knowing look that surpassed my understanding.
“Uh, yes,” Callan cleared his throat. “Sophia, that is my stepmother and the current Luna of the pack.”
The woman gave me another of her bright smiles. “Call me Isla, please.”
“Isla,” I repeated after her, and at my words, her smile widened. I marveled at how that was even possible. She wasn't Callan’s mother, and if she was the current Luna, I could only assume his mother had passed on.
“That’s my sister, Grace,” Callan continued. The girl gave me a small wave before turning away.
“You’ve met Radley, and this is Amelia,” he finished.
Amelia turned to me with a sweet smile that completely stunned me. “It’s great to have you with us, Sophia. Please do not in any way be formal with us. We shall try our best to make you feel as welcome as possible,” she declared in a voice that was the complete opposite of the one she’d used the last time we’d spoken, and I realized in horror that Amelia was to everyone else a different person compared to the brief persona she’d revealed to me.
I was too stupefied to say anything in response until I realized everyone was watching me, waiting.
“Thank you,” I mumbled.
“And how have you been enjoying your stay here?” Radley asked.
With him, the venom in his voice remained. He didn't bother to hide his annoyance with me, and there was no reason to. He’d already confided in Callan his thoughts concerning me.
“Yes, I am,” I replied just as Isla pulled a dish containing pie towards me.
“Well, don’t get used to it,” he said in a dismissive tone.
Callan’s face hardened. “Radley!”
“Darling,” Amelia said softly, reaching out a hand to cover Callan’s that was on the table. “You have to understand Radley’s point.”
She glanced at me before proceeding, and this time, in a much lower voice. I had to strain to grasp her words. “It would be uncomfortable for us all, Sophia included, if she stayed here.”
I wanted to protest against her words, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from where their hands met long enough for me to form a coherent statement. She was gently caressing his knuckles with her fingertips as she kept on saying something that was lost on me.
Callan finally looked up to me, and like last night, I could see the fight and raw pain reflected in his eyes.
He took in a breath, and I held mine, mentally preparing myself for his next words.