Chapter 45 She's not yours to worry about.
"I've been meaning to ask you about your mate, Lyra. I hope you don't mind telling me about it," the man said, and the spoon I was holding fell forcefully from my grip.
I could literally see this coming, so I was right all along. I was right when I said he was actually getting me closer so he could dig in. He wasn't helping me after all. I should have known.
"Hmm. About my mate... he..." I stuttered, not finding the right lies to tell.
There was no way I was going to tell him about the prince. I guess he's been suspecting something, and the only way he could get to know the truth was by asking me. Did he really think I was going to open up to him?
"That's enough, Pascal. It's not necessary for you to ask about it here. You and I know Lyra is shy. We would have gotten to know if she's seen her mate. Let's just focus on our meal for now," the alpha, who noticed how uncomfortable I was, cut him off.
Thank God the alpha noticed; he would have ended up getting the answers out of me because I didn't even know the perfect lie to tell at this point. He totally caught me off guard.
"I see... I'm so sorry, Lyra, if I made you feel uncomfortable... I was just looking out for you. I mean, you are already 18, and you don't even have a mate. I was worried on your behalf," he further said. I knew for sure he wouldn't stop until he got me to say what I shouldn't have said.
"Thank you for your concern, but I think that isn't yours to worry about... you should leave me to worry about that. Thank you for your concern, though. I know you are asking out of love for her, and I really appreciate that," my mom finally spoke up, her lips curved up in a mischievous smile.
Thank God she managed to speak up for me; I could already imagine myself getting caught. Because how the hell was I going to lie about my mate? Telling them I hadn't found my mate isn't even convincing, and if I told them I'd seen my mate, they would want to know who, and I didn't even want that. Not when the alpha prince already warned me not to say a word about it to anyone.
"Yes, the Luna is right. It's her duty to worry about Lyra, not the other way around. And besides, she’s still young. I remember your daughter; she didn't get a mate until she was 26. I'm not saying Lyra's case might be similar, but who knows? The Moon Goddess might actually decide to do it that way," the alpha said sarcastically.
I watched as his expression changed; the one sneaky smile he had faded. I guess he felt bad when the alpha mentioned his daughter. Maybe next time he will learn to mind his business, asking about my mate like I was his daughter or something.
"Yes, you're right. She will definitely get her mate when the time is right... if she hasn't already," he said and ended up laughing at his own stupidity.
"That's enough, Pascal! You're actually making her uncomfortable... I already told you it's not yours to worry about. I would really appreciate it if you didn't mention anything about her mate again... she's not your daughter, so it's not your responsibility to worry about her," the alpha added authoritatively. I guess he was beginning to see that the old man was intentionally doing it.
The maid offered me another spoon since the other one fell.
The rest of the meal was the alpha chatting with the rest of the council, while the particular man and his gaze didn't for once leave me, and it kind of made me nervous.
Soon we were done, and it was time for the alpha to leave.
"Lyra, I want to see you by noon tomorrow... remember you promised to walk with me last time," the alpha told me. It was then I remembered I actually promised to go on a walk with him.
"Sure, Father, I'll definitely come see you by tomorrow noon." Yeah, Mom said I should call him Father; it was kind of off, but I had to.
The alpha smiled briefly at me before walking out.
Mom smiled at me as well before rushing after the alpha. I didn't wait for the rest of the council to leave before I stood up as well and began walking out. As I walked, I could hear heavy footsteps behind me... not just anyone, but the same old man from earlier. Then I hastened my pace, hoping to get away from him, but it only made things worse because he increased his pace as well.
"Wait, Lyra. I have something to discuss with you." At first, I continued walking, acting like I didn't hear him. But then he called again, and I had no choice but to stop and listen to whatever he had to say.