Chapter eleven
Alpha Lucian Pov
All eyes fell on me immediately I stepped into the ballroom, my pack members all turned to me, expecting an announcement about my trip. But I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to address them. So, I just waved my hands in the air, accepting their cheers and urging them to go have a good time.
I just wanted to show my face a bit and leave.
My wolf didn't want to be anywhere but near her.
The hall seemed different from how it was a few minutes ago.
My wolf pined for his mate, but I couldn’t stop thinking because as far as I remember, my mate that I rejected was a human who lives in the human world. Half of the time at the ball, my attention was shifted, and my wolf would not even let me think properly. He keeps shoving how we left our mate in the care of another man down my throat.
“Hunter,” I growled at my wolf, “You need to get your shit together.”
I continued while I scanned through the hall looking for a different seat away from Mia.
The last place I wanted to be right now was close to her and her constant desire to prove to everyone that I chose her amidst all the other women in the west coast, but it was already late as I noticed her walking towards my direction.
“Baby,” she drawled, stretching her hands towards me. “When did you get back? I've been miserable without you and the Ball's been quite boring without you here,” she finished, pressing her body against mine.
I slowly pulled her off me with a fake smile
“I’m really tired Mia, I might need to turn in early” I muttered, looking anywhere but at her face.
“Really? I thought you were going to stay till the end.”
“Do you know where I'm coming from? It's been a long week and I'm tired Mia, show some consideration,” I snapped and without waiting for her response, I moved towards the front of the room where Jake and Suzy were sitting.
Without waiting for me to fully relax in my seat, Jake dragged himself closer, and I leaned a bit forward to hear him. The DJ was trying to deafen us. I don't know why Mia insisted on a human DJ who didn't understand that werewolves had sensitive hearing.
“So what happens now?” he asked, sliding his head to the doorway. I pretended I didn’t know what he was referring to.
“What are you talking about?” I acted clueless, looking around the hall.
He squeezed his face slightly before answering, “The Rogue? What are we going to do with her? She's probably dangerous, and the fact that we can’t smell her pack or be certain she's a rogue because we couldn’t smell that either, kind of puts me on edge. And yes, I worry too much but that's what Betas do you know?”
I took a deep breath, wishing I hadn’t come back to the hall. I hated how I had to lie to the men who had been through hell and back with me but until I untangled the mess I'd made of my love life, no one could know who that ‘rogue’ was.
“Security has been tightened, but you can go and double-tighten it if that would give you a sense of… control. And no Jake, you don't worry too much, just the right amount,” I said, smiling at him.
He looked weirdly at me and I could tell he suspected something was off, I don't go around smiling all the time but things were different now and my wolf was driving me crazy upstairs.
As though she had a death wish, Mia danced drunkenly until she fell into my lap, making my wolf growl with wrath that would consume us all if I didn't get the hell out of that room soon.
I gently lifted her and dropped her on the chair next to me.
“Lucian,” she whined, batting her eyelids at me as though that would make any difference, “why are you being mean to me?”
I wanted to answer her but I couldn't say what was on my mind and I was out of lies to feed her at the moment so I signaled Darius's bedmate who was Mia's best friend to come over.
“Your friend is drunk,” I instructed her, “take her to the bathroom.”
Mia protested but I hadn't given her friend a choice, every word I'd uttered was filled with the aura of an alpha command.
I breathed deeply as she was dragged away from me, her scent irritating me. I know the scent I'd rather inhale, one that smelled like a citrus farm, filled with the sweet scent of daisies and vanilla. I wanted to drown in that scent, but I had gone and announced to my pack that my mate was dead and Mia would be their Luna.
But as she was carried into the pack by my enforcer, I realized I should have never put duty above love. If I'd accepted her then, I would have been able to find out what made her disguise herself and she wouldn't be hurt and in the room of another man.
“I'm disappointed in myself for allowing you to reject her,” my wolf snarled in my head, “ and now she'll give herself to another while that leech you forced upon us takes her place.”
“I’ll shut this damn link if you don’t shut up,” I warned, drawing in slow, steady breaths to avoid exploding.
But he didn't care to listen as he continued, snarling at me with each other he spoke in my head.
“I warned you, told you not to do it, but you wouldn’t listen! How on earth you'd try to reject our true mate for that skank …” he trailed off, “I wouldn’t let you destr….”
I closed the link between us; I already felt horrible, I didn't need him to worsen it.
“Baby,” I heard an irritating, shrilling voice but I didn't respond. I was struggling to hold my wolf down.
It would be a bad idea to let him loose on our future bride. But would it? That would definitely solve a lot of problems.
But no, I'm nothing like my father who solved all of his problems with violence.
“Luciannnn,” Mia called again, tapping my shoulder gently, “You look lost for a sec. Come dance with me,” she asked, standing up from her chair.
I shook my head in disapproval, not wanting to speak. No wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear though and she was depending on me not wanting to get the pack members gossiping about us to do whatever she wanted.
Mai pulled my hand up, and Hunter growled in rage, which made her almost miss her step, heading to the ground but I caught her.
All eyes fell on us, making me groan internally, she was doing this intentionally. Having little to no choice, I stood up.
“Everyone,” I announced, wincing as she wrapped her arm around my waist. “It's been a rough couple of days looking for the wolves engineering this war and although I don't have a definite result to give you all for now, I can assure we're close to getting them.” They cheered, “But I'll have to call it a night. You guys keep up the fun in my absence and DJ,” I nodded to the redhead with earphones in his ear. Someone yanked it off immediately, “please turn it down.
You're in the midst of wolves.”
I relished the fear that passed through his eyes as he instantly reduced the volume to a bearable state.
But before I could turn away, Mia cleared her throat, making all eyes to focus on her, including mine.
“The White Wolf Triumph Festival is in three days,” she announced seductively,“And Lucian and I have decided to complete our mate bond that night so you're all expected to come for the Mating Ceremony.”
The pack cheered loudly in excitement but me?
I was livid as I quickly extricated myself from her hold, walking away.