Arabella’s POV
“Ouch.”
I pushed myself up from the floor looking at the crazy man who had dropped me and had the effrontery to look at me as though I was the one who was mad. If he was no longer interested in having sex, he could have just said it.
“Cover yourself up. The pack doctor will soon be here.”
The pack what?
I pulled on the red robe. “Why is the pack doctor coming here again?”
Alpha Luciano remained silent. After some time had passed, there was a knock on the door.
“Enter.” Alpha Luciano ordered.
A middle-aged dark-haired woman entered the room wearing a white lab coat over her outfit and carrying a large medkit.
She bowed to him.
“Alpha I came as soon as I could. How may I be of service?”
Alpha Luciano didn’t look at me, he just stood up from the bed leaving me there alone and faced the woman.
“I would like you to examine her.”
“Of course, Alpha. Might I ask what for?”
Alpha Luciano looked at me then back at the woman. “For brain damage, bleeding. Anything mentally related.” My mouth dropped open in shock. “I feel there is something wrong with her. Ever since our accident, she has been behaving strangely.”
This man was simply unbelievable. He thought I was having a mental issue simply because I decided to save his life, live my life no matter how short it turned out to be, enjoy sex and not let him ruin that for me.
The doctor look hesitant but went on with her work like it was nothing.
She took her time examining me while Alpha Luciano watched the entire process like a hawk. I was going to get back at him for this.
She asked me random questions monitoring my speech pattern until I felt like tearing her apart into many many pieces.
She turned to Alpha Luciano.
“Well?!” He asked impatiently.
“Although we can not know for sure until we run scans on her, she seems fine to me.”
Alpha Luciano looked rather sceptical and as though he wanted to ask her to run the scans anyway.
I lost my temper.
“Thank you, doctor, you may leave.” The doctor looked uncertain and looked to Alpha Luciano for confirmation.
I turned to him too. “This insane she-wolf is taking her to leave as well, Alpha Luciano.” I made a step towards the door, but his hand gripped my arm as if in warning. I shook off his grip and walked away making sure to slam the door behind me.
Maybe I should have asked the doctor to examine him for signs of brain damage. He was the one who acted crazy, not me.
I was so angry at him that I went back to my room, locked the damned door and opened that envelope.
After recognizing Dad’s handwriting, I couldn’t bring myself to open it. It felt as though the moment I opened it, something would change. I also felt a little hesitant to open it because of what Victor told me.
My father was an entirely different person than I knew and I didn’t know how to deal with that. It wasn’t out of loyalty to Alpha Luciano or anything like that. It was commonplace decency.
What sort of person would break a treaty and slaughter parents in front of their child? What sort of child would such a heartless person have?
The envelope held a letter.
You don’t have to do this Arabella. Not because Alpha Luciano made you angry.
I unfolded the letter.
It held a date, time and location. Nothing more.
The handwriting there wasn’t Dad’s.
What exactly was going on? Would I go to that location? The date was days away. I could decide later, I needed to think first. I folded it back and stuffed it under my mattress. Just in time too.
Margaret walked inside my room about to speak before she noticed my countenance.
“Are you okay?” She asked tentatively.
“Perfect. Just perfect.” I said angrily.
“Sure.” Margaret looked at me warily. “I came to drop off your outfit for the party.”
“The party?” Oh, I remembered now, the annual pack celebrations that I didn’t want to attend. I finally noticed the bag in Margaret’s hands, I’d been too angry to notice it.
Would I go to the party where I would see that infuriating man’s face? Or would I stay here alone? I could have gone to see Victor but the last thing I wanted was for him to get into trouble because of me. Alpha Luciano was extremely possessive for someone who didn’t even like me.
Plus he would also be attending the party.
“Will there be a buffet?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. There will be a very large spread…”
“Fine, you convinced me, I’m going.” I cut in while she was still explaining and she looked at me in askance as I grabbed the bag from her ripping it open to see the outfit.
“Aww, it’s so pretty.”
Emery’s POV
The party started beautifully and I got to see my parents. My mother looked happy to see me while my father cut me a sharp glare.
“What are you doing here?”
“Celebrating the annuals?”
His face looked even frostier than before if that was possible.
“Why aren’t you next to the Alpha?” Father gestured to the high table where Luciano sat discussing with Elder Tommaso, former Beta of the pack. He looked extremely handsome in formal wear. He always did.
“It’s the high table. I can’t sit there.”
“Not until you bear a son, you can’t. How many years have you warmed his bed?” My cheeks coloured. “Yet there is nothing to show for it. You should thank the goddess none of the other wenches has taken in or I would have disowned you already.”
Mother put her hand on his arm as if to stop him but he shrugged off her grip and walked away briskly. Mother gave me a pained smile before going after him like the dutiful wife she was.
I clenched my fists. I was always the disappointment. If Father knew that Alpha Luciano hadn’t touched me in so many days, he would have disowned me already. Then I saw her.
Arabella Bianchi. Just sampling from the buffet without a care in the world. I’d heard Margaret summon her, seen her in her robe. She’d fucked him today while I remained a disappointment.
I took a glass of juice from an extended tray and with a sleight of hand that would have impressed Mother, poured the drug into the juice. I had been saving it for later to unwind but Arabella was a good enough reason to change my mind.
I called a server and gave him the juice.
“That lady there.” I indicated at Arabella discreetly. “She needs some juice before she chokes on her food.” Truly, her mouth was so full that there seemed no room for more food.
He collected it and bowed before scurrying off.
Minutes later, Arabella gulped it down while I waited for the drama to commence. I had been dressed down by my father but now Arabella would disgrace herself here and that would elevate my mood immensely.
I smirked. This would be fun.
Luciano’s POV
Something weird was going on. It wasn’t Uncle Tommaso talking once more about finding me a mate. It wasn’t the fact that Emery hadn’t sucked my dick in weeks. It was that crazy woman again. Arabella Bianchi.
At first, she’d been stuffing her face at the buffet as though I didn’t feed her. Then she had moved and now she was on the dance floor breaking out some moves that had wolves moving out of the way.
Her motions were strange and jerky as though she was unbalanced. Was she drunk? She leapt on top of the buffet table stepping on some food while giggling and clapping her hands. Yes. She was high or drunk or both.
“Excuse me.” I stood up and walked towards her as she teetered on the table. Even when not inebriated, she wasn’t stable much less when drunk or drugged.
Arabella proved me right by falling off the table luckily I was close enough to catch her. My pack had been watching her make a mockery of herself not that I could blame them. I would have too if I wasn’t bothered about the damage she would do that I would have to pay for.
“My hero.” She slurred loudly and I shook my head walking faster. I had a celebration to attend. If she knew she was such a lightweight then why did she drink?
I sniffed at her. No alcohol. None. What did she take? Who did she get it from?
I reached her quarters in the harem, dumped her unceremoniously on the bed and was about to leave when I couldn’t because she was holding on to my shirt tightly.
I pried her fingers away one by one. Her eyes opened, her warm brown eyes finding me. Then she smiled widely. Goddess, was she crazier when high? I’d never seen her smile at me like that before.
“Luciano.” She said in a low undertone, a smile in her voice. “You are here. Come snuggle with me.”
“No.” I tried to pry away her fingers.
They held onto me even tighter. “You are the worst.” One of her hands left my shirt and cupped my cheek. “But you are so pretty.” I took the opportunity to remove her other hand from my shirt.
I was almost out of the room when I heard her speak so softly that I knew I must have imagined it. “I think I love you, Luciano.”
I turned back but she was already asleep.