Chapter 11
Lucian stood and shook hands with Darian, their movements tense, almost forced. I couldn’t bring myself to look at them, the weight of the moment pressing down on
- me.
“Why is your Luna not seated with you?” Darian asked, his tone cold and cutting.
Lucian’s mother let out a laugh, light but mocking. “Oh, don‘ t mind her! She walked off earlier–wouldn’t even listen when we called her back. She‘ s… well, you know,” she muttered dismissively.
“But this meeting is far more important than her antics.”
Darian’s gaze hardened, his eyes. narrowing as he looked at them. The air around him grew heavy, almost suffocating, and I couldn’t help but feel a mix of embarrassment and shame. They were treating me like this in front of their potential ally, as though I were nothing
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more than an afterthought.
Lucian growled, his irritation palpable.
“Are you really going to keep
embarrassing yourself like this, Freya? Just say something and sit,” he said, his tone weary and indifferent.
I opened my mouth to respond, but before. I could, Vlanche‘ s voice cut through, sharp and mocking. “Oh, I think Freya‘ s just shy,” she said with a smirk. “Our Luna must be tired.”
Her words struck like a slap, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my composure, my confidence crumbling.
“Alpha Darian, you may sit,” I murmured softly, forcing my voice to sound polite, though my heart felt heavy.
But instead of taking a seat, Darian did something unexpected–he reached out and took my hand, his grip firm but reassuring.
“No,” he said, his voice cold and resolute.
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“I won’t sit at a table where a Luna is disrespected by her own pack.”
His words shocked me, and the room fell silent.
“I won’t be forming an alliance with a pack that treats its Luna this way. Instead, I’d rather make my own alliance–with Luna Freya.” His declaration hung in the air like a thunderclap, and before anyone could respond, he pulled me toward him, away from the table.
The bond between Lucian and me flared, his anger searing through it like fire. I could feel it, sharp and suffocating, as Darian led me out of the room.
“What are you doing!?” I demanded, yanking my hand free once we were outside. “You don‘ t even know me!”
Darian turned to me, his expression calm but intense. “I know you better than you think,” he said simply, his gaze
unwavering.
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Before I could respond, Lucian stormed out, his face dark with fury.
“Alpha Darian, you‘ ve misunderstood,” Lucian said, his voice tense, his anger barely contained. He grabbed my hand, his grip tightening to the point of pain. “No one dares to disrespect my Luna, not here and not in our pack!”
His words were desperate, almost pleading, but his actions betrayed something else- control, a need to assert dominance. His hold on me wasn‘ t protective; it was possessive.
I glanced between them, caught in the middle of their storm, my own emotions swirling in chaos.
“Is that so?” Darian asked, his tone sharp, eyes narrowing slightly.
“Yes,” Lucian snapped, his grip on my arm tightening painfully. “Tell him, Freya!” He shot me a look before mind- linking, “We’ll talk about this at home.”
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Darian’s eyes flicked to Lucian‘ s hand on me, then back to his face.
“Unfortunately, my decision is final,” he said evenly. “Even if Freya were to speak up now, it wouldn’t change what I saw. You lack respect for your own Luna, and that’s not the kind of alliance I want to form.”
“And why do you even care about her?” Lucian hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “She‘ s mine to handle. She’s my Luna!” He yanked me closer, his possessiveness palpable.
Darian smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach his eves
eyes. “We’ll see about that soon enough,” he said before shifting into his wolf form, his massive frame radiating power as he bolted into the forest.
The tension in the air lingered even after he was gone, and Lucian’s fury simmered all the way back to the pack house.
Once inside, his anger exploded.
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“What the hell did you do, Freya?!” he roared, pacing the room like a caged animal.
I folded my arms, meeting his gaze head- on. “I didn’t do anything, Lucian. I have no idea what you‘ re even implying. It‘ s not my fault that Alpha Darian canceled the-”
“Don’t lie to me!” he interrupted, his voice a snarl. “You talked to him, didn’t you? Why were you even with him in the first place?”
I rolled my eyes, my patience thinning.
“Because he was outside and asked for my guidance. That’s all.”
His eyes darkened, and he stepped closer, his voice dripping with venom.
“Guidance? Are you kidding me? He’s a grown man, Freya! What, are you so desperate for another man’s attention. now-”
His words cut off as my hand connected
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with his face, the slap echoing in the room.
“Don’t you dare speak to me like that,” I snapped, my voice low and trembling with fury. “Or do you want me to slap you again? Maybe in front of your favorite girl?”
I turned my gaze to the doorway, where Vlanche stood frozen, her eyes wide with
shock.
Lucian’s jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists. “You‘ re not like this, Freya,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice softer but still taut with anger.
I smirked, my confidence unshaken.
“Your family disrespects me at every turn, Lucian. Don’t think I’ll just stand by and let it happen. And as for Alpha Darian rejecting your alliance? That’s far from the worst thing that could happen.”
I stepped closer, my eyes locking with his.
“This is only the beginning.”
