Fated Alpha

Chapter 8: Hidden Intention

A knock filled the silence.

Caelia waited for another 5 minutes. But no sound came inside the room. She started to fidget uncontrollably.

'What if he left again earlier while I was in the greenhouse?' She did not want to face the servant, only to tell her that Darius had left. She did not want to stay in the mansion and keep waiting for her fated alpha.

After pondering for a minute, she decided to knock again. But before she could do so, the door opened. Her eyes met the man she had been thinking about the entire time.

Darius looked at her, waiting for an answer, but Caelia could not utter a single word. The words she had in her mind suddenly disappeared when faced with the very man himself. She mustered all her remaining courage and composed herself by feeding her mind with the belief that there was nothing wrong with inviting her mated alpha over lunch.

However, before she could open her mouth, Darius had already spoken.

"Get ready. We are eating outside."

Stupefied, Caelia stared at him as if she had heard a ghost.

'Did he read my mind?' she wondered. Darius literally took the words out of her mouth. She was so shocked that she forgot to answer him and continued without blinking. Only when Darius repeated his words and reminded her to not take long did she finally come back to her senses.

Still dazed, she nodded her head and went back to her room. As if struck by thunder, she remained frozen trying to process what had just happened. However, repeating his words in her mind jolted her awake when she remembered he told her not to waste time.

She strutted her way to the bookshelf, pulled a book, and entered the walk-in closet. Without a second to spare, she pulled away a dress which may or may not suit her. However, she has never been the picky type. What's important is that her body is covered, then that is all that matters.

After successfully fixing her hair, she took her white purse and went out of her room. She stood still for a moment, wondering if she should knock on the door and tell Darius she was ready or if she should wait outside.

She was about to knock on the door when a 'honk' was heard outside. She figured that it was Darius who was already in the car, waiting for her. Not wanting to test his patience, she hurried down the stairs and almost fell, but thankfully gained her balance. Without a moment to spare, she opened the door and saw the black car waiting for her.

There, Darius wore a different suit. This time, it was blue. He wore glasses and had his hands placed on the steering wheel. Caelia, on the other hand, wore a plain, yellow dress with a yellow hair clip. However, despite the plain dress she wore, her beauty glowed under the clear sky.

The old man, standing still beside the gate, closed it after Caelia had left the mansion. However, another predicament was presented before her.

'Where do I sit?' she thought, pondering if it would be inappropriate if she sat on the back but close enough for her to sit in front. Her mind turned fuzzy, she didn't want to appear rude or too friendly. With her indecisiveness, Darius, who had been waiting the entire time, stuck his head out of the car and frowned.

"What are you waiting there for?"

"Uh- it's just..." she hesitated.

'Is he mad?'

No. She can't afford to anger him. She hasn't even done anything to get closer yet, and their relationship surely turned cold. If she angers him now, then she will have no chance to fix their relationship again.

"Where do I sit?" her grip on her dress tightened, crumpling it in the process. She tried to avert his gaze, embarrassed by asking such a trivial question.

Instead of answering her question, Darius tapped the seat beside him, indicating that Caelia sit there. Without waiting for a word, she turned towards the other side of the car and opened it, sitting beside him. She fidgeted so hard her finger started to bleed. But she couldn't feel the pain, her beating heart was too hard to notice, so she remained quiet, afraid to utter even a single word.

***

Aside from the silence that filled the car, a scent familiar to her enveloped her nose. It was Darius'. The scent of an Alpha.

Alphas and Lunas are known to be vulnerable to each other's scents. However, when they are not their mated partner, the scent is faint. Darius's scent is exactly that. His scent was so pale that despite Caelia sitting beside him, her mind did not turn hazy and remained clear.

In spite of this, none of the two found it weird. It has always been the case for as long as the tradition exists. Their world was limited to only those within their pack. Even if their fated mate is from another pack, they can't be together. It was a taboo, and they must always abide by the rules, or they would be ousted from the pack.

Even Caelia, who was born from two people fated to mate, refuses to defy the rules. She greatly believes that love can be found between two people without the need for scents. Even normal wolves who are either Alpha or Luna find love without emitting much scent. So she hoped, and still hoped, that she would get the love she deserved, even in a man not fated for her.

***

After a long drive, they soon arrived at a restaurant. Strangely, the place was empty, with no single soul in sight. The only people inside the place are the owner and staff.

'Did he rent the entire place?'

Her eyes wandered from one piece of furniture to another. They were soon led by a staff member to their table. The menu, placed carefully in front of them, had a variety of dishes that caused her stomach to growl. Thankfully, it wasn't too loud for Darius to hear.

She only ate a light meal for breakfast, so naturally, she felt hungrier than usual. Caelia flipped the menu, but the waiter recommended their stake. It was said to be famous in their restaurant. And since she was already starving, she just ordered the same dish Darius did.

Caelia was not able to escape the awkwardness as they waited for the food to be ready. She couldn't read Darius's mind, so she had no idea why he would invite her but not initiate a conversation. She was also not the talkative type, so even she found it difficult to converse.

The silence which dawned on them for the longest time was finally interrupted when the waiter brought them their food. She let out a sigh, grateful that she finally had a reason to play busy. The steak was cooked well, juice seeping out every time she took a bite. She was so preoccupied with eating that she did not notice Darius's staring eyes.

When their eyes finally met, she awkwardly munched her food and placed the fork back at her plate.

"I—Is there something on my face?" she asked, but his eyes continued to glow under the dim light of the restaurant.

He did not answer. But after a few minutes, he opened his mouth and said a word she knew he had already prepared for.

"You will be coming with me to visit the company father had bequeathed to me." As if done with his part, he finally took a bite of the food left untouched since earlier.

'Ah — so that's why.'