The Alpha’s Forbidden Claim

12

Jayme picked up her drink and glanced back at the murmuring crowd taking up the entire yard. “So, I’m guessing you’re not from around here with that accent,” she hummed. “In town for the ceremony?”

I sighed, trying not to hang my head. How much more obvious could I make it that I wasn’t looking for anything tonight? “I’m not,” I confirmed, “but I was already in town for business.”

“Ah,” she replied, nodding. “My younger brother wanted to come. I agreed to come with him since California isn’t that far away.”

California? Wow. How many different packs are represented here? Remus’ influence stretched further than I realized. “I suppose not,” I answered mildly.

Jayme watched me from the corner of her eye before speaking. “Ah, there he is. I should check on him. Have a good evening, Eli.”

“You too,” I murmured, trying not to breathe a sigh of relief. I stepped away from the bar before anyone else could accost me, trying to slink towards the fringe of the party. I could do with some quiet.

I’d found myself alone for at least an hour when the sound of footsteps approached.

“Eli?” a voice called. I recognized it at once — Remus’ wife.

I withheld a sigh and glanced over my shoulder, stepping to one side to make some room for her. “Hi, Luna,” I murmured, tipping my head to resume watching the stars.

She stood beside me in silence for a moment, following my gaze to the night sky. Out here, away from the city, you could see the stars, even with the moon flowing gently in the far corner. That was one of the things I’d come to appreciate about visiting Texas, the moments outside of the city. The landscape could be truly amazing.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Luna asked eventually, finally looking at me.

My sigh escaped this time, and I shrugged one shoulder. “It’s not really my scene,” I admitted. She deserved that, at least. “You throw a nice party, and the alcohol is great, but…” I shook my head. “I don’t buy into the ‘fated mate’ business, if you don’t mind me saying.” I had no idea what Remus shared with her, and I’d barely shared anything with him on the matter.

“You sound just like your brother,” she replied, laughing softly.

It was contagious. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I found a soft chuckle escaping as one corner of my mouth tipped upward. “You know, I do like it here. I thought the heat would be too much, but…” I trailed off, motioning at the land around us. “There’s so much open space. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Texas during our visits.” Honestly, I hoped to visit a few other states once the firm was established here. Harry had mentioned something about the Grand Canyon, and I couldn’t help but wonder how amazing that would be to see firsthand.

Entirely different from London, anyway.

Luna hummed softly. “I’m glad to hear that,” she murmured, taking a sip of her drink. “You know you’re welcome to stay whenever you’re in the area. Remus really enjoys having you around.”

I eyed her, raising a brow. “And you?” It wasn’t just Remus’ house, after all.

Luna laughed again. “I happen to think you’re quite a nice house guest, even if you pretend to be the grumpiest man alive.” Before I could respond, someone back towards the party called Luna’s name. She glanced over her shoulder, studying the group for a moment before she leaned over and gave me a little nudge with her shoulder. “Why don’t you come back a little longer? If you’re sick of it in the next thirty minutes, I’ll make up some excuse about the twins, and you can escape.”

Hm. I rolled the proposition over in my mind for a moment before I nodded, shoving my free hand into one pocket of my slacks. “You have a deal, Luna Silverstreak,” I said, tipping my head to one side.

She gave me a little smile and a wave before she stepped back towards the party. I watched her as she went, mingling with a few guests before rejoining her husband and glancing at me. I sighed, lifted my glass before checking my watch, and wandered back towards the crowd. Just thirty minutes, Eli. You can do that, no sweat.

The crowd had thinned a bit, some shifters already pairing up and retreating to talk somewhere quieter — or “talk,” but I wasn’t going to judge. Frankly, I judged those who actually bought into the ‘fated mate’ bullshit more. I couldn’t speak to how it felt, but I’d observed enough of it. Anything that encouraged you to neglect your familial relationships (and friendships) for one single wolf was flawed at conception.

And really, why were they so comfortable with allowing ‘fate’ or ‘the universe’ to dictate to them who they spent the rest of their lives with? What was stopping the universe from pairing you with a total asshole or someone who just despised you? The universe was just… the universe! What did it know?

So, I didn’t look for this supposed magic connection, and I didn’t date, either. I mean, it was purely physical when I hooked up with women. On the rare occasions I dated, I chose women I knew I’d get sick of in weeks, if not days. I didn’t even do it consciously, but I couldn’t argue with whatever drove me to do that. I was better off as a single man. I had a firm to run and needed to prove to my father and the rest of the Longbow pack that I was a worthy alpha. There was no time for anything — or anyone —after that.

Looking down at my empty glass, I scowled and found a table to place it on. I could finish another drink before my time was up and was about to make my way back to the bar when a woman caught my eye. I couldn’t say what made me look over — a flurry of motion, maybe, the toss of her hair — but as soon as our eyes met, my wolf sent up a frenzied howl that rattled through me as if I was hollow.

What the hell was that?

I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t help myself, struck by this woman in a plain green dress. Somehow, she made it look spectacular, her long, dark hair done in a single braid down the center of her back. Her eyes were dark and piercing, her expression morphing into something unreadable as she noticed I was watching her. Well, s**t.

My wolf seemed to possess me, urging me forward. I walked across the gathering like the rest of the crowd didn’t exist, and the woman never took her eyes off me, tracking every step as if she were the wolf and I was the fawn. She was the spider, and I was the fly. I was drawn in, even though the sane corner of my brain screamed at me — what am I doing?

My wolf was louder, dragging us forward like his very life depended on it. Once I got close, I offered my hand, clearing my throat softly. “Hello,” I murmured, trying to muster up a smile. “I’m Eli Archer.”

The woman narrowed her eyes, looking from my hand to my face as if assessing whether I was about to trap her or yank her off her feet. After a moment, she extended her hand and gave me the briefest of shakes. “Iris Walker,” she replied, removing her hand from my space as quickly as possible.