Ethan P. O. V
I stood up and said, “I don’t think this chat is going anywhere anymore.”
There was still a lot of food left on my plate, but I chose to get up from the table. The longer I stayed, the more pointless my talk with Chen Lien felt.
“Alpha,”
Called out an old man named Ethan as he stepped out of the dining room.
Ethan glanced back at the elderly man seated with us at the table. It was Elder Elvis, a pretty impressive figure as long as he held his position. Elvis hardly ever paid attention to my business or anything else, for that matter.
But look at him now. He called my name without even glancing at me.
“What do you need, El?”
“She’s your destined mate, right?”
“What do you want?”
“Your job is to protect her, but trying to mould her into what you want will drive you crazy. So, quit being unfair and figure out who you’ll make Luna in this Pack.”
“What does that even mean? Am I not the top candidate for Luna in this Pack? Why are you still doubting what’s obvious?” Lucy shot back at the Elder, challenging her status as my fiancee in this Pack.
The Elder, a respected and older figure in the Pack, didn’t pay much attention to Lucy’s words. He just kept eating while casually responding to the potluck.
“I’ve never said you aren’t the alpha’s fiancee here, Miss Torrance, but we all know his true mate has shown up, and she’s the real Luna.”
“That’s not for anyone to decide. As long as I’m engaged to Alpha Ethan, my place in this Pack is secure.”
“Oh, that’s quite something. I really hope you achieve what you’re after.”
“You-”
Let’s put an end to this pointless argument. Just don’t do anything that’ll make me angrier, I said as I left the dining room. But just before I walked out, I saw Chen Lien smiling.
Honestly, it makes me feel so nauseous. Right now, there’s not much I can do. It’s not that I mind working with him, but his connection with Claire drives me up the wall for some reason.
Lucy told me not to wander off, but I ignored her completely. I hurried away, letting my feet lead the way.
The mansion is huge, and the Wolf Warriors and the guards are watching over an area I need to familiarize myself with. They’re pretty good at their jobs. As I went to the backyard, I couldn’t help but overhear Claire chatting with someone in the garden.
I was curious, so I tried to sneak closer to see who he was chatting with in such an odd spot. At first, I thought he might be talking to a Warrior, but I was way off. Claire was conversing with Octa, one of the three Elders in this Pack. It was surprising to see Octa talking to someone she didn’t know.
“It’s dangerous to be out here at night; too many unknowns lurk in the forest,” Octa cautioned. But sitting on the grass, Claire didn’t seem to care.
“I could stay out here all night. Being inside feels different, like I’m not really home.”
The house he mentioned? Did he really think that place, which looked more like a barn, was a home? That was just silly. I couldn’t help but smirk, feeling crazy for laughing at something I probably shouldn’t have. Still, the idea of her calling the dormitory her home struck me as pretty amusing.
“You might just tick off Alpha Ethan if you keep this up. Why not come over here? I can hook you up with a cosy blanket and help you chill out. A nice cup of tea will warm you right up.” Even Octa seemed to be reaching out, hoping Claire would take her up on the offer.
I don’t know if Octa is the type to help out people he doesn’t even know. I’ve never really seen him do anything like that before. He usually keeps to himself, acting indifferent, only showing up when someone calls for him. Otherwise, he’s a ghost.
“We don’t really know each other. Why are you being nice to me, Octa?”
Claire’s question hit home. It reminded me of when I first met him at that restaurant. He asked me the same thing about why I was being kind to him, just like we were strangers who had crossed paths.
Is that really how he is? Trusting too quickly, yet always full of questions. Cautious, but also a bit reckless.
I spotted Octa crouching down with her ageing legs. From where I was, I noticed the old grandmother smiling-a rare sight I’d never seen before. Wait, what’s going on? Do all the elders in this Pack have a soft spot for her? Is it really that simple? Is it just because our fate is tied to death, and she’s actually my faithful Luna?
“Did you know that every destined Elder and Luna share an invisible connection?” Octa started to chat.
Claire just shook her head, clearly unaware of what she just heard. “But I’m not the Luna I was supposed to be,” she said.
“I ended up here because I had nowhere else to go, no family, no friends. Alpha Ethan only noticed me out of pity, not because he wanted me to be Luna. He’s already got a fiancee. There’s no way he’d ditch her for me. He’s going to reject me.”
Why are you so confident about this? Did you really think Ethan would go easy on you?
“He’ll definitely do it, just not right now. The truth is, I don’t have anything that would make him proud to have me around. I’m just nobody from nowhere.”
Their chat felt heavy. The more I listened, the more Claire tried to convince herself she was worthless to me. But then I noticed Octa, the old lady, looked like she had something to say that probably shouldn’t be said.
So, I quickly moved to the balcony’s edge and cleared my throat loudly to grab their attention. They both turned to see me standing there, giving them a severe look.
“What are you two doing out there? Come inside. They’ll be on the hunt soon, which isn’t the best time.”