Silverclaw Captive: The Alpha Wolf Who Can’t Escape

Chapter 3 Tensions at the Banquet

Ella

My gaze locked onto the door instantly. A man in a charcoal gray suit strode in with his hands in his pockets, radiating an icy, unapproachable aura. His eyes swept the room, and when they finally landed on me, they flickered with a flash of disgust—a look as sharp as a frosted blade, yet it only stoked the fire burning deep inside me.

“My brother-in-law’s here,” Ethan said, tightening his arm around my waist and guiding me forward. The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric of my dress, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Lucas, standing just steps away. The bite mark I’d left on his Adam’s apple was gone, erased completely—no doubt by the pack’s top-tier healing salve.

Ethan was blissfully oblivious to the charged tension between us as he greeted Lucas with a grin. “Finally made it, bro! Let me introduce you—this is Ella. Baby, this is my brother-in-law, Lucas.”

Ethan was blissfully oblivious to the charged tension between us as he greeted Lucas with a grin. “Finally made it, bro! Let me introduce you—this is Ginger. Baby, this is my brother-in-law, Lucas.”

“Hello, Alpha,” I purred, pitching my voice into a syrupy, coquettish lilt. I held out my hand, my eyes brimming with feigned admiration. “I’ve heard so much about you—how you’re the strongest Alpha in the pack. Seeing you in person… you’re even more impressive than the stories.”

The word “Alpha” rolled off my tongue like honey, sweet enough to make even my own skin crawl. But Lucas’s expression only turned colder, his golden wolf eyes darkening with irritation. I kept my gaze wide and innocent, my delicate hand hanging mid-air like a fragile white flower waiting to be plucked. Though we both knew better—this “flower” was hiding thorns beneath her petals.

He ignored my hand entirely, turning his glare on Ethan instead. “Keep your pet on a leash.”

He remained as cold and detached as ever, not an ounce of sympathy in his stance. Ethan pulled me into a comforting hug, patting my back gently as he shot Lucas a reproachful look. “C’mon, man. Ella didn’t mean any harm. Don’t scare her like that.”

He remained as cold and detached as ever, not an ounce of sympathy in his stance. Ethan pulled me into a comforting hug, patting my back gently as he shot Lucas a reproachful look. “C’mon, man. Ginger didn’t mean any harm. Don’t scare her like that.”

I nestled into Ethan’s chest, but my peripheral vision caught the flicker of mockery in Lucas’s eyes. I knew exactly what he was thinking—that just a week ago, I’d climbed into his bed, and now here I was, latched onto his right-hand man. My motives couldn’t be more transparent. But the more he loathed me, the more I craved to be near him.

The welcome banquet was a lavish affair, filled with sycophants fawning over Lucas at every turn. I sat in a quiet corner, swirling a glass of champagne between my fingers. The seductive glint in my eyes was a far cry from the innocent act I’d put on earlier. After three rounds of drinks, I finally spotted Lucas slipping away toward the hallway, alone.

My chance.

I set down my empty glass and slipped after him silently. The corridor was deserted, and from a distance, I could see his tall figure standing where light and shadow collided, a comms device pressed to his ear as he murmured a name softly—“Leah.”

How disgustingly sweet. A cold smirk tugged at my lips as I quickened my pace. I snuck up behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist, and tiptoed to whisper in his ear, my breath warm against his skin. “Alpha…”

The call was still ongoing, and Leah’s soft voice drifted through the device clearly. “Did you adjust to the time difference yet? It’s been hot in Silver Moon City lately—take care of yourself, and don’t drink too much tonight.”

I pressed my lips to the sensitive skin behind his ear, my nose nuzzling his hand that held the comms. My fingers slipped under the lapels of his suit jacket, tracing gentle, teasing circles on his abdomen like a curious kitten. “Alpha… I missed you so much…”

Lucas

The second a soft, curvy body pressed against mine, every muscle in my body tensed like a coiled spring. That familiar perfume, mixed with her unique scent, made my stomach churn—it was Ella. She dared to follow me here.

I spun around, snatching her arm in a vice-like grip, my fingers digging into her bones hard enough to make her wince. I dragged her roughly to the balcony and pinned her against the railing, my thumb pressing firmly against her throat. My golden wolf eyes blazed with unbridled rage. If Leah’s voice weren’t still coming through the comms, I would’ve snapped her neck right then and there.

She lost her balance, twisting her ankle with a sharp gasp. “Ah—!”

“Lucas?” Leah’s voice sounded confused. “Who are you with?”

Ella’s face lit up in a triumphant grin, and she raised her voice deliberately. “Alpha, want me to tell her for you? Mmm—!”

I clamped a hand over her mouth, growling into the comms, “Just a pack member who tripped. I helped her up.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you,” Leah laughed, her tone warm and amused. “Rare to see you playing the hero.”

“Guess you’re rubbing off on me,” I replied flatly, my eyes never leaving the woman in my grasp. She squirmed restlessly in my hold, then stuck out her tongue, lapping gently at my palm.

Dammit. I shot her a warning glare, but she ignored it, licking my skin more insistently, her eyes glinting with mischief as her leg wrapped around my thigh. I ended the call with an irritated tap, and only then did she pull back—reluctantly.

She yanked my hand away from her mouth, licking her glossy lips slowly. Her gaze dipped deliberately to my crotch, a suggestive smirk playing on her lips. “Alpha… your body’s a lot more honest than your mouth. Looks like it’s happy to see me.”

I stepped back sharply, yanking my suit jacket straight. The memory of what happened two weeks ago made my skin crawl—how she’d spiked my wolfwine, climbed into my bed, then played the victim to blackmail me into taking responsibility. I’d exposed her with that recording, tossed her a hundred thousand pack currency, and thought that would be the end of it. But no—she’d gone and sunk her claws into Ethan. My most trusted lieutenant. And now she had the audacity to provoke me at my own welcome banquet.

“Stay away from me,” I said, shoving my hands into my pockets, my voice colder than the night air. “Get out of here in three seconds. Or I won’t hesitate to throw you into the pack dungeon.”

“Or what?” She didn’t back down. Instead, she turned around, pressing her hips against mine provocatively, and glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. “You know the pack dungeon can’t touch anything that happens in the Forbidden Lab, right?”

That was the last straw. I lost my patience completely, my fingers digging into her waist as I spun her around. The world spun for her as I dragged her into the men’s restroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind us.

When she looked up, she was met with nothing but loathing and ice in my eyes. I stared at her face—all fake seduction and calculated charm—and suddenly remembered the file Ethan had given me. How she was a nobody princess adopted from a fallen minor branch, how her confidante was colluding with the rival packs.

Her target was never just power through me. From the very start, she’d been here with a plan. A plot.

I stepped closer, trapping her between the wall and my body, my golden wolf eyes blazing with unrelenting cold. “Ella. You think hooking up with Ethan gives you free rein to do whatever you want?”

The smirk froze on her face. She clearly hadn’t expected me to call her by her real name.

“Your little games are beneath me,” I snarled, grabbing her chin tightly, my grip making her wince. “Keep pushing me, and I’ll make sure you and everyone pulling your strings disappear from Silver Moon City—permanently.”