Back in the past…
“Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome to our celebration, our beloved and respected Alpha, Abner de Jaager, and his guest of honor, Doctor Alexia Van der Meer! Crescent Moon Pack salutes you both!”
Ma’Heron paused at his sixth full glass of fine and potent wolf wine to look up to the well-known TV show host – he’s not publicly known as a werewolf – who had just made the announcement and was standing at the top of the winding staircase of the ballroom. And within a few more seconds, his irritated and impatient facial expression was slowly replaced with a surprised and shocked one.
The Gamma had now realized that his mate was no “stripper” …
The couple was standing at the top of the stairs for the whole party to see. She was wearing a silky white dress, gripping her curvaceous body like a tight glove, hugging her large breasts and buxom hips. The plunging neckline that squeezed her deep, rounded cleavage to an inch of its life showed off her tanned skin to perfection along with the sparkling diamonds around her neck, and wrist, hanging from her ears and pinned into her thick wavy midnight black hair.
Her face, though truly beautiful with its nude-styled make-up; was expressionless with no smile even in her eyes, and yet Ma’Heron was frozen in place thoroughly enchanted. For almost a minute he was just staring speechless, his mouth open, at possibly the most beautiful female he had ever laid eyes on.
She practically was the only woman – no, person – that he was seeing right then and there. The applauding crowd simply disappeared from his sight while the man beside his mate no longer existed to him.
In his mind, only she was there with him in that huge ballroom.
Then suddenly, his gaze landed on the tall, pale man beside her, dressed in a more classic-styled tuxedo, complete with ruffled sleeves and shirtfront, and he felt anger rise from his chest. This unfamiliar fury was another emotion he couldn’t explain, so he automatically reasoned out against it…
And blamed the one person who brought him there.
How dare you hide the truth from me, woman? What kind of game are you playing and how big an idiot do you take me for?!
* * *
Alexia saw him from the top of the stairway as he broke their eye contact and walked to a side table filled with bottles of wine, brandies, whiskeys, and other alcoholic drinks. She couldn’t help but continue to stare at her mate as he was dressed to the nines and looked so handsome even from a distance.
He’s truly magnificent. Dear goddess, he’s such a beautiful man even with that furious and infuriating expression on his face. And yes, I can imagine he must be angry right now at feeling ‘betrayed’ and ‘lied to’ but sorry, not sorry, dearest mate. You didn’t deserve to be told everything after you judged me so harshly at the club.
The Alpha’s daughter shook her head as she watched him walk towards the nearest bottle of wolf wine he could find and drink it straight up, not caring for proper etiquette anymore. It took him around a quarter of a minute to demolish it before he picked up another bottle.
Yes, he is pissed. But he is known for keeping his emotions in control. How come he’s not able to do that now?
“Shall we descend, dearest wife?” asked a hated voice beside her.
“Until we are actually publicly married, you are not allowed to call me that, Abner,” the Alpha’s daughter hissed back in reply, removing her elbow from his grasp.
“Beloved, then?” he sneered as they slowly went down the stairs.
“That is what my father called my mother because they were mates. Since we are not any such thing and cannot be so, you will never use that term of endearment on me.”
“Oh Alexia, you can never tell me what I can and cannot do with you when we are finally married.”
Abner’s ominous reply brought loathsome chills through Alex, but she kept her blank expression, denying him any kind of satisfaction. Her tone remained flat as she spoke to him as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Well, since you planned that right after I accepted your engagement proposal, I should be married to you immediately, Abner, I demand to be given the freedom to mingle and dance with the guests before you make the announcement.”
***
Ahahahaha! Oh, goddess, help me, I just can’t stop laughing! Ahahahahahaha!!!
Shut up, Lyon! You are not helping!
I told you I’m not helping you with this. Especially since you are angry at our mate for hiding her true identity from you. I mean really, Ma’Heron? Why on earth should you be furious at her now?
She betrayed my trust! Why did she hide this from me? That she’s actually THE ALPHA’S DAUGHTER who I’m supposed to rescue? And she asks me to speak on her behalf as a lawyer? As the representative of my pack? Why didn’t she just ask me as her fucking mate?
Whoa, whoa… easy on the drinks M! You’re already getting drunk, and so am I. What is going on with you? Are you really that affected by her hiding the truth from you?
SHE LIED TO ME!
And that’s supposed to make you angry? You’ve been lied to before, by clients, fellow lawyers, even pack members, and you’re never this affected. Or is it because it was she who lied to you and that’s why you’re overreacting now?
I’M. NOT. OVERREACTING!
“Hello, may I have this dance?” a gentle and melodic feminine voice behind him requested firmly.
The half-drunk and still furious Gamma twirled around at the sound of the questioning voice behind him. Yes, he did it eagerly but then suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be angry with her so he kept his surly and suspicious expression on his face as he walked towards her with almost unsteady but overly-controlled steps.