Andre’s POV
I grabbed a bottle and poured Doran’s drink. We sat in my room talking. My study was undergoing repairs, so our usual meeting place was inaccessible for now.
Doran raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. It was amazing how he was able to ignore the burning taste of the whiskey and drink it with a straight face.
“Your little revelation really sparked a lot of tension in the pack. I can tell you first-hand that the council is definitely not happy with you. And they are appalled by the relationship between Olivia and her mother.”
I took a sip of my own drink and grimaced slightly as the hot liquor burned its way down my oesophagus. I rarely drank.
“Honestly, I couldn’t care less about what they thought. They wanted a Luna, and I gave them one, and I’m happy about my decision.”
I took another sip and rolled my eyes to communicate my disinterest further. The council had gotten impatient and forced Nicole on me. I never wanted her, but it seems that the Goddess planned it all so that she could bring my mate to me.
Nicole could be as upset as she wanted to be. She signed our nuptial contract willingly, and now that the terms of the contract have been met, there was no need for her.
“Andre, you need to be reasonable about this. The pack can only grow if they have a Luna they can respect. Don’t get me wrong. I adore Olivia and respect her, and I’m happy that you two are happy and hitting it off night after night. But now, this isn’t about just you and her. The whole pack is involved. And I fear that the members of the pack aren’t going to accord her the respect that she deserves.”
I raised my glass to my mouth to take another sip, but I was enraged by Doran’s words, so I slammed the glass on the table.
“Is that all this pack cares about: A Luna? I must remind everyone that the pack was doing fine before Nicole arrived. Her, being my Luna, didn’t make any significant improvements.”
I was fuming and could feel myself shaking in anger.
“Maybe the best thing for me to do is step down as the Alpha and let someone else take the position. I have found my mate and want to be happy with her.”
“Hey, take it easy.”
“There is no need to go overboard and be reckless. Like I said earlier, I am happy that she makes you happy. You have been a miserable bachelor for too long.”
Miserable bachelor?
I rolled my eyes at Doran and took another sip of my drink. I wasn’t in the mood to talk about this anymore.
“Olivia is the most perfect girl in the world. If no one else can see that, then I will see it, and I will see that she is going to make a wonderful Luna. Trust and respect is earned. The pack is going to give Olivia a chance to prove herself, and I’m sure that with time, they will grow to love her.”
I took a sip of my drink, and Doran snorted, trying his best to hold in his laugh.
“You are really hooked on this girl. I have no idea what is wrong with you. I have never seen you this bad for anyone.”
I rolled my eyes, and Doran set his glass down.
“Look, man, just because she is perfect for you will not make everyone automatically love her. She is going to have to prove herself to a lot of people if she is going to win them over. Being a Luna is important. And you, on the other hand, need to let people know that whatever you had with Nicole is only contract-bound. I don’t think that it has sunk in for the councilmen yet.”
I scoffed.
“Fuck the council. But I will tell them about it in the next meeting. I enjoy seeing the bewilderment on Fentris’ face.”
Doran and I laughed at Fentris for a while, and finally, he took his leave. Just as he opened the door, Pierre stood there, seemingly ready to knock.
“Pierre, come in.”
He greeted Doran and came inside my room, closing the door behind him.
“I’m sorry, Alpha. I hope I was not intruding.”
I shook my head and gestured to the seat that Doran had been sitting on.
Pierre lowered himself into the seat, and I set my glass down. I offered him a drink, but he declined politely.
“How is the search on Nicole going? Have we found anything?” I said, diving straight into business.
“I have kept people posted near her room and had surveillance cameras discreetly installed. She is being monitored constantly. She is still in our custody, but I don’t think we can keep her detained forever.”
Pierre lowered his voice and leaned closer to me.
” Plus, the staff are tired of her nagging.”
I laughed as Pierre took a swipe at Nicole. He wasn’t one to speak out of turn.
“And what about the unwanted guest?” I questioned.
Pierre stopped chuckling and smirked.
“Well, he seems to be settling in very well. Too well, actually.”
I leaned into him and raised an eyebrow.
“Excuse me? Settling in?”
Pierre looked nervous and cleared his throat.
“Yes, Sir. He seems to be very comfortable and lavishing your hospitality. He’s not showing any signs of leaving anytime soon.”
I was stunned and said nothing. Pierre took up the silence and continued to speak.
“I actually got a message from one of the maids, and she said that he requested renovations to his room.”
I slammed my hand on the table and glared at Pierre. He must be joking.
“Why the fuck does he need a renovation to his room?”
I was about to intensify my rant, but my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I whipped it out and answered it angrily.
“Who is this?”
A light feminine voice filled my ears, and my anger reduced slightly.
“I am so sorry to bother you, Alpha. But it’s Miss Regina. We are calling about Olivia.”
My anger sizzled off completely and was replaced with worry.
“Olivia? What happened to her? Is she alright?”
“Well, it actually depends on how you look at it.”
I was confused. What was she talking about?
“What are you saying?” I asked with slight irritation.
Finally, she spilled the tea.
“Olivia got into a fight.”