106 - The Engagement Party

106 - The Engagement Party


Josh

Watching Steven’s retreating back, I know nothing will ever be the same again. The unbeatable triad has been broken and I’ve already chosen my side. I rotate my glance towards the couple. Frida is calmer now, but is still silently crying in Alex’s arms.


What a mess! My head is about to explode and all I can do is rub my temples to place my thoughts in some order and produce some plan. But nothing comes. Charles’ unpredictable move has blocked every logical argumentation.


Beta Marco’s arrival interrupts my attempt to concentrate. His signature slow, dragged, yet all too quiet steps bring him in our vicinity, but he doesn’t approach more. He sticks his hand out to Frida, staring at her and waiting for her to go to him. The girl hesitates when Alex growls possessively.


“There’s nothing you can do or say here. It’s too dangerous. Come with me, sister!”


His tone is cold and calculated, like everything this man does. It’s weird to even assume that he has a soul in him, especially after seeing his reaction to his own mate. Charles never accepted to invite her over. I guess the local coven had its word against it, but she joined us nevertheless. Marco was, of course, painfully aware of this, but once again didn’t even glance her way. To him, she was an enemy. All of us were, and for this, he didn’t wish his little sister to be close to us.


“You must help me, Marco. My happiness depends on you. You’re the only one who can find the solution to this. I trust you, brother,” she says and for a millisecond his gaze softens, directed at her.


“Charles will be here sooner than you think unless you return to your seat where his minions can see you. Whatever there is to say, we’ll say it at home.”


He allows no room open for discussion, so, with a last peck on Alex’s lips, she leaves his embrace and, despite my friend’s threatening pose, she passes next to her brother and rushes back to the hall.


“I need a word with you as well, Beta Marco.”


It’s probably the most stupid move ever, but I can’t let him leave just yet. If I have to reveal more than my position should allow, then so be it. I will betray Steven’s trust, but, as I said before, I have already chosen my side and that’s with Alex. He doesn’t seem the least surprised by my reaction. This serpent of a man can read people from miles away. No wonder he’s mated to such a potent creature.


“I’m all ears, Mr Cross. Amuse me!”


His remark drips poison, but his eyes are cold and indifferent, demonstrating no animosity or any other emotion for what it matters. I hate having to deal with him. Charles may be a major asshole, but his anger and explosion are something I got used to through the years, whereas his Beta holds an otherworldly aura, altogether creepy and dangerous. I open my mouth, but before any words come out, he bursts out laughing.


“Have you not been listening to what I said before? It’s no appropriate place or moment for any serious conversations. You let me down, fellow Beta…” he says, turning to leave with a quiet move, and I don’t stop him this time.

“Let’s take off. I’m not in the mood to celebrate anything right now.”

My friend’s words wake me up from my bewilderment. I nod in silence, but my brain is still running fast in Marco’s direction. Frida’s point was accurate. Their only chance to flee to safety lies with him. But how do I get to him? Maybe if he learnt the truth, he would understand just how dangerous it is for his sister to stay back here.

My legs follow Alex’s steps in auto pilot, exiting the building, making our way towards the parking area, when I catch a slight movement in the shadows. With a brief, muttered excuse, I distance myself from him and pursue what I think I saw. It’s stark midnight, and the darkness is too thick, so it’s even harder to catch up. I almost have to run between the trees surrounding the pack house of the Golden Moon. There certainly is a dark, agile figure ahead of me and it has on purpose slowed down, so they mean for me to reach them, but not just yet.

It must have taken about ten minutes of hunting through the woods when we arrive at an opening quite further away from our kickoff and the figure abruptly stops and turns to face me.

“Linda? What on earth?”

“Shhh, he’ll be here soon. He can’t take the risk to be seen talking to you more than the formalities everyone would expect to witness in the pack house between two Betas of opposing clans,” she says and then disappears before I can further question her words.

Sure enough, some minutes later, her mate appears in an uncertain and bewildered state. We share an awkward, puzzled glance, unsure about how to proceed. It’s crystal clear we didn’t choose to be here. We were both lured here by the deadly attractive, uncanny young witch to resolve what we couldn’t within the walls where the Alphas’ ears and eyes could reach.

“There’s one more thing you need to know before you make your decision regarding Frida and Alex,” I say with a sigh, breaking the troublesome silence and destroying the trance he was in. A quick disappointed expression crosses his face. I suppose he was expecting to see his mate, but he swiftly buries his authentic emotions under the all too familiar stoney bearing.


“She’s unscrupulous, isn’t she? She will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Don’t forget, we’re just pawns in her game. Never overlook that. A woman who doesn’t hesitate to play her own mate in order to help you has no limitation in what she’s capable of. Take this little piece of advice from a man who would probably do the same and store it in some part of your brain, since you’ll be seeing her more often than I. Now I’m all ears. What is it you wanted to say?”

Marco

I’ve been fidgeting all morning, and it’s not like me at all. Yesterday was too harsh for everybody. There’s an eerie silence throughout the pack house, as if nobody wishes to utter a word. On the complete contrary, the surrounding lands bloom with excitement. The Alpha’s announcement made them giddy; the perfect ending to an honorary celebration in our territory that was crowned with absolute success.

Frida has her face pinned on the couch cushion and has been crying non-stop since last night. I hate how I contributed to her misery, even in the slightest bit, but she deserved to know. All the things the Black Moon has dug up and Josh shared with me about her birth identity aren’t my secret to conceal. My timing sucks, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She must have all the data before she decides. Mate or no mate, I don’t believe in lucky coincidences. They knew who she really was and didn’t reach out for us till her mate turned out to be a ranked wolf from their pack. It stinks. It’s shady and suspicious, to say the least.

I’m such a coward, standing at the threshold, unable to go closer to her. In some days, she may be gone and I’ll possibly never see her again, but here I am, unwilling to share my affection for her. Grasping on my cold facade like a second skin. I crave to run next to her; to hold her and offer my comfort, to say sweet things that would soothe her aching heart and the turmoil in her brain, but my feet won’t take me there.

“You shouldn’t have told Cathy about Alex,” I dryly remark and she rotates her puffy red eyes towards me.

“She’s my best friend. I trust her!”

Damn it… You wouldn’t, if you had the complete picture… But I can’t disclose that to anyone, not even to Frida. Cathy has my full loyalty, no matter what.

“Charles asked for me. I will try to buy us some time. We’ll discuss this after I return.” I say with another sigh, and leave to confront my Alpha, killing every little piece of emotion before I reach him.

Reaching his office, I knock, but no response comes. I knock once again… nothing… Something must have drawn his attention, and he forgot he summoned me. Maybe he’s in his quarters, so I head for his and Cathy’s bedroom.

“I’m telling you, I know her better than myself. She’ll certainly do something unpredictable.”

Wait a moment…

This voice… My Alpha female and most respected person in this forsaken pack. But who is she talking to? I lurk back to a nearby shadow to avoid getting spotted. No steps approach or move away, so they’re sitting somewhere close. Thinking about it, there’s a small storage room next to here. The Luna sneaking into a depot to talk to someone is no good news at all, given our circumstances.

“She won’t dare. Her beloved brother is the Beta. Imagine what kind of disgrace denying the match the Alpha made would bring to him. She may not fancy the turn of events, but she’ll have no choice but to sit here like a good girl and carry on with the engagement. I can’t give you up, Cathy! You’re the sole remedy to my madness, you and Nicholas.”

“I’m fucking terrified, Milton. Charles won’t just let us be. What if someone else apart from him finds out? The entire pack will lose respect for him and if there’s one thing that he holds most precious, it’s his grasp on the power his position offers him. And what will happen to my boy then? He’s so young and innocent. None of this is his fault. The mate bond is too powerful. Why did it all have to turn out this way? Damn you, Elliot! I should be away now. Off to the university with no such nonsense, only us, Angie, and Frida!”

“Charles would never hurt Nicholas, Cathy! Never think about it again. In his own weird way, he adores the little fella.”

Oh, shit! What have you done, Cathy? The proof of my deepest fears strikes me stronger than a punch. There’s really no other option for Frida. Whatever the Black Moon’s intentions, it will be better than this. One fucked up Alpha mate relationship is enough for this pack. My little sister won’t be dragged into this.

Damn, Josh… I sure hope you keep your promise and stand next to her or I’ll skin you alive. I’m not trading the monster who wants to destroy the little girl that brought sunshine to our household for his even shadier brother. Far away is their only way out of here.

With a brand new determination, I turn around and rush off, treading warily towards my allies, who I know can help me. I’ve done this before, but with a clear mind. Now it’s urgent and I’m so emotional I worry I may drop my alertness.

“There you are, Marco! I’ve been looking for you. Didn’t they tell you I summoned you?”

Charles’ merry voice proves just that. Get your head together, you idiot, or you’ll get both of you killed this way.

“I came to your office, but you were not there. I was about to mind link you. Anything wrong?” I say cautiously.

“Oh, quite the opposite. Come on, we have a big celebration to organize and only a few days to prepare everything. Let’s get to work. I’ve sent for my Luna too. She’s the best at managing upcoming events and is also perfectly aware of her best friend’s tastes, so that it will all turn out perfect. What a lovely day today is!”

‘OK, hurry we must,’ I think as I drag my feet around the corridors, paying close attention to all kinds of stupid details for the engagement party…

___________

Tonight’s the big night. It’s all or nothing. Either we make it and one of us gets to fulfill their dreams or we fail and all get caught up in an endless misery beyond what words can explain. I’ve done the best I could, but the part of the plan that concerns the Black Moon is still vague. They chose not to disclose anything and perhaps it’s better this way, because not even Claudia herself can compel me to reveal it if they suspect there’s some plan against theirs.

There’s a horde of cheerful omegas in our apartments, preparing the most important person for tonight’s ceremony. The bride-to-be is standing in the middle of the living room dressed in the most delicate and elegant.. what did they call the color? It was the name of the drink. Ah, yes, the most delicate and elegant champagne dress I’ve seen, with her shoulders out and small moonstones decorating her neckline and waist. She follows their instructions down to the last detail, but she’s so nervous. They all attribute it to her engagement, but I know better…

A bitter taste of melancholy fills me. I won’t be present at her real mating ceremony. Fuck, maybe I’ll never get to see her again after tonight. With as much force as I can muster, I turn to her and smile. The million thoughts in her mind dissolve the same moment and she gifts me with her brightest smile, the one of my partner in crime, the naughty little nuisance that always ran behind my back to hide when she needed coverage for the mess she created. Only this time, her eyes glisten at the same time. It’s almost time to say goodbye and we both recognize it.

A subtle knock brings us back to reality. One omega announces they are ready and heads for the door, but I stop her and drag my feet to open it myself. I instantly regret it, though, because I’m hit with one more full blast of storming emotions. Before me stands who I see as Steven’s wife, Anna, but from the knot formed in my stomach, it’s impossible not to guess who she is, in fact. Sure enough, when I rise my glance to meet her eyes, the fiery challenge that could ignite my insides has replaced Anna’s familiar modesty and calmness. It takes all my strength to swallow the saliva threatening to drool and my surprised gasp.

It is happening and the person taking my little sister away from me is none other than my mate under an altogether different appearance.


“Hello, Beta Marco. Could I have a moment with the celebration girl? We may not have bonded well since the beginning, but my husband and I wish to give her a present for her engagement and have a word with her alone. Now we would never have Steven come here for fear of causing trouble, but you can’t deny me at least that little piece of comfort. Please…”

Even the voice and intonation sounds like Anna’s. Behind her are two guards of our pack, who are visibly perturbed, but don’t know why. Their beasts are more intuitive and understand something’s off with the supposed opponent Luna. I can’t risk unmasking her. Frida’s well-being depends on it, so I just nod and gesture to them to let her in.

“Of course, Luna,” I mutter, understanding without a doubt what the consequences of my action will be, but if it is necessary for our girl’s happiness, then so be it.

With one decisive step in my little treasure’s direction, I kiss her forehead one last time and utter the biggest lie I’ve ever had to.

“Don’t be late, sis. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs…”


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Hello everyone! It's been too long. I know. I just wanted to let everyone know I am okay and haven't given up on the story. I am currently going through a major burnout that makes everything more difficult, but I hope brighter days will come soon. Take care of yourselves and don't forget to like and leave a comment, if you enjoy this...