Family
1235 Words
Chapter Eight
Harper’s POV
The dining room was even larger than the entrance hall.
A long wooden table stretched through the center of the room, polished until it reflected the warm light from the crystal chandeliers above. Portraits of wolves and former Alphas lined the walls, watching over the room with calm but commanding expressions.
I suddenly became very aware of how ordinary I looked.
My hands tightened around each other as Xavier walked beside me.
At the far end of the table sat three people.
A distinguished man with streaks of gray in his dark hair sat at the head of the table. Even without speaking, he carried an overwhelming presence. His sharp eyes reminded me so much of Xavier’s.
Beside him sat a graceful woman with gentle features and kind eyes. She smiled politely when she saw us.
The young woman sitting opposite them slowly looked up from her glass.
She was beautiful.
Long brown hair rested neatly over her shoulders, and her elegant dress made her look as though she belonged inside this mansion.
When she saw Xavier, a warm smile appeared on her face. “Xavier.”
He gave a small nod. “Lyra.”
For some reason, my chest felt strangely tight.
Xavier walked forward without hesitation. “Mother. Father.”
The older couple looked at him.
Then Xavier turned slightly toward me. “This is Harper.”
His mother looked at me with surprise before offering a gentle smile. “So… this is the young woman I’ve been hearing about.”
I forced myself to smile back. “Good evening.”
“Please,” she said warmly. “Have a seat.”
I quietly thanked her before sitting beside Xavier.
A maid immediately stepped forward and began serving dinner.
For the first few minutes, only the sound of cutlery touching plates filled the room.
No one spoke, the silence made me even more nervous.
Finally, Xavier’s father placed his knife and fork down.
His eyes settled on me. “Harper.”
I looked up immediately. “Yes, sir?”
“Tell me about your family.”
I swallowed. “My family?”
“Yes.”
I nodded slowly. “We’re… just an ordinary family.”
He remained silent.
I continued. “My parents aren’t involved in business or politics.”
I gave a nervous smile. “I’m a hockey player.”
Silence, complete silence.
Even the servants stopped moving for a brief second.
Xavier’s father slowly leaned back in his chair. “Ordinary?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You are not from a werewolf family?”
I blinked. “Were… werewolf family?”
His sharp gaze remained fixed on me. “You don’t know who Xavier is?@
It wasn’t a question, It was a statement.
I looked toward Xavier in confusion before looking back at his father. “I… I don’t understand.”
His expression became colder. “You know nothing about our world.”
I could only stare at him.
The room suddenly felt much colder than before.
Lyra gently placed her glass back on the table. “Uncle,” she said softly, “perhaps family background isn’t everything.”
Relief washed over me. For a second, I thought she was defending me.
Then she continued with the same gentle smile. “But becoming Luna requires much more than a kind heart.”
My fingers slowly tightened beneath the table.
Xavier remained silent.
His father looked at him. “Do you understand what you’ve done?”
Xavier answered calmly. “Yes.”
“No.” His father’s voice became firmer. “You do not.”
He slowly stood from his chair. The room instantly became tense.
“When I was Alpha, every decision I made carried the weight of this entire pack.” His eyes never left Xavier. “I did not have the luxury of choosing only with my heart.”
“You are the Alpha now. You carry thousands of lives on your shoulders, every choice you make affects this pack.” His voice grew harder. “And yet you bring me a woman who knows nothing about us.” He looked directly at me. “A human.”
“She does not know our traditions,she does not know our enemies, she does not know our responsibilities, she cannot even begin to understand the burden of standing beside an Alpha.”
Each word felt heavier than the last.
I lowered my head. Maybe… Maybe he was right.
His gaze returned to Xavier. “You should marry within this pack. You should marry someone raised among our people. Someone who understands what it means to be Luna.”
His eyes briefly shifted toward Lyra. “The Beta’s daughter has stood beside this family since childhood. She knows our customs, she knows our laws, she knows what this pack needs That is the kind of woman who should stand beside its Alpha.”
The meaning behind his words was impossible to miss.
Lyra lowered her eyes modestly, saying nothing.
Xavier’s mother finally spoke. “Xavier…”
Her voice was softer than her husband’s. “We only want what is best for you, we know Lyra, we trust her, we know the woman she has become.”
She looked at me with sympathy rather than anger. “But Harper is a stranger. We know nothing about her. Can you truly ask us to place the future of this family into the hands of someone we have only just met?”
I couldn’t find a single word to answer.
Everything they said sounded reasonable.
Maybe… Maybe I shouldn’t have come.
Then Xavier’s father spoke again.
His voice echoed through the dining room. “I cannot approve of this. This relationship cannot happen. As the Alpha who led this family before you… I cannot accept this decision.”
Silence filled the room. I slowly turned toward Xavier, his face remained calm.
There was no anger, no frustration.
He quietly placed his cutlery on the table.
Then he stood. “Father.” His voice was steady. “You taught me that an Alpha must make difficult decisions.”
His father said nothing.
Xavier continued. “This is mine. I respect you and always will but the woman who stands beside me …is my choice.” His eyes met his father’s without hesitation. “I have made my decision.”
Then… He turned toward me.
His expression softened ever so slightly. “I choose Harper.”
My heart stopped.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
No one… No one had ever chosen me like that before, not openly.
Not without hesitation, not in front of everyone.
Xavier reached for my hand.
His fingers wrapped gently around mine.
They were warm, steady, certain .
He looked at me. “Let’s go.”
I could only nod.
My legs felt weak as he led me toward the door. No one tried to stop us.
The dining room remained completely silent until the doors closed behind us.
Inside the room, Xavier’s father stood motionless.
His face was dark with disappointment.
His mother let out a quiet sigh, worry filling her eyes.
Across the table, Lyra slowly lifted her glass.
The polite smile she had worn throughout dinner finally disappeared.
Her eyes rested on the closed doors.
Then she spoke so quietly that only the people in the room could hear.
“This isn’t over.”
- Writer
