Chapter 9 An awkward dinner
Alpha Maximus Alexus - POV
As I walked into my office, I saw Arthur standing by my liquor cabinet with a glass of wine. “Did the warriors come back?” I asked Arthur when he nodded his head.
“The security around Alpha Elijah’s border is tight. I think we might have to think of a different strategy to enter.” He told me when I nodded my head and made my way over to my desk and took a seat.
“Keep low for now. I don't think we should attack.” I told him when he raised a questioning eyebrow at me.
“But this is the perfect opportunity to take him down, Max.” Arthur argued when a frown appeared on my face.
“What do you mean?”
“Didn't you read the news?” he asked me, but when I didn't say anything, he walked over to the coffee table and picked up today’s edition of the Wolf Daily and placed it on my desk. “Read the first article,” he urged when I looked at the paper. Antonella’s face occupied half of the page, and right below her picture, in bold letters, was written that she was missing.
“What does this have to do with us?” I asked him.
“His Luna is on the run. And even though he claims that someone kidnapped her, I don't believe it.” Arthur said when I felt my heart skip a beat. Did he figure out that Evangeline is actually Antonella?
“Why would Elijah want to lie about this?”
“I am not saying that he lied about this. I know the news is true because our warriors confirmed it. But I don't think anyone kidnapped her.” He paused, waiting for his words to sink in before he continued. “I think she ran away.”
“How sure are you about that?”
“Well, news is being released in this channel called Were’s Gossip. And the latest news states that Luna Antonella actually left the pack because she caught Elijah with another woman.”
I didn't know what to say. I am a person who only believes in facts, and if Antonella wasn't in my pack right now, I would have told Arthur that this might be one of Elijah’s tricks to hide his Luna. “What benefit do we have with this now?”
“She must be alone and unprotected, Max. If we could send out warriors to find her, we can use her as our pawn to bring him down.”
“I don't think it would work,” I said when I leaned back in my seat and picked up a file.
“Why not?”
“Where are you going to find her?” I asked him.
“It’s not like she has anywhere to go, Max. I will send in a few warriors to look for her,” he told me, and I didn't even object. I know it is a futile attempt.
Antonella Erickson - POV
It's been two days since I came to the eclipse pack, and so far no one has suspected my identity. As a matter of fact, everyone looked thrilled to finally have a Luna, and I have been constantly getting gifts from the pack members.
While it touched my heart to receive so much love from them, I was slowly consumed by guilt. The news of my disappearance has spread like wildfire throughout the country, and it has caused an uproar over the safety of pack members.
“Antonella?” I looked up from my book when I saw Alpha Alexus standing by the doorway.
“Alpha Alexus, do you need anything?” I asked him as I closed my book and placed it on the bedside table.
“Dinner is ready. I came to call you,” he told me when I nodded my head. I wore my sandals and followed him downstairs. As I reached the foyer, we took the hallway leading to the dining room when I stopped in my tracks. “Arthur, what are you doing here?” Alpha Alexus asked, sounding surprised.
“I came to have dinner with you,” he replied when his gaze fell on me. “How are you settling in, Luna Evangeline?”
“I am still learning my way around the pack.”
“Don't worry, Luna. You will come to enjoy it here,” he told me when a forced smile appeared on my face. I know there is no escaping now, so we silently went over and took our seats. Soon a group of omegas walked into the dining room and placed the food.
“So Luna Evangeline, you never told me which pack you are from?” Arthur casually asked halfway through the meal.
“I…” My mind was racing with all the names of the pack, but there were warning bells ringing in the back of my mind as well. If I tell him a random name and if he happens to know someone from that pack, my lie would be exposed.
“Arthur, I told you to let her settle first. ”Alpha Alexus intervened.
“I am letting her settle, Arthur. I mean, it's just a basic question,” he argued. I looked up from my plate when I saw that his gaze was locked on me and there was something swirling in his eyes, which distinctly looked like suspicion.
“I am not a pack wolf.” I blurted out when he raised an eyebrow at me.
“So you are a rogue?” he asked me, but I shook my head.
“I don't know if you could call me that. But I lived with my mother until she died a few years ago. And then I moved to New York and found work there.”
“Oh, I am sorry,” he said, but I didn't say anything.
“So you don't have any siblings?” he asked me when I shook my head. My heart was beating so fast I was afraid that it might jump out of my throat.
“What is that?” Alpha Alexus asked when I looked up from my plate to see an omega walk into the dining room with a letter.
“That is the bill for everything I purchased, Max.” Arthur casually said when the omega handed the envelope to Alpha Alexus and walked out of the dining room. He tore it open and read through it when his eyes widened in confusion.
“Why did you buy so many flowers?”
“For the mating ceremony.”