MARGARET
1817 Words
ALLISON
The Pack House dining room felt overly large for just the two of us. Alpha Lazar sat across the mahogany table, looking impossibly regal even when merely describing his afternoon. I leaned forward, resting my chin in my hand, admiring the way his dark hair fell just so. How could he be so effortlessly beautiful even without trying?
“It was a productive day, Allie,” he summarized, taking a sip of the water. “As usual, the Pack elders were here. They had some issues that needed to be dealt with.”
A cold wave of panic washed over me. Issues that needed to be dealt with? Could it possibly be me? My human presence in the Pack House had always felt like a ticking clock, and every meeting made my stomach churn.
“What’s on your mind?” He arched one perfect brow, and I exhaled, trying to sound casual.
“Were they here because of me?” I asked, dreading the response.
He gave me a challenging look. “Do you truly think it was because of you?”
I nodded, feeling a fresh surge of panic. It has to be. I’m a liability. A scandal in the making.
A small smile broke out on his face as he set down his glass. “Relax, Allison. Meetings happen. We talked about a lot of things: the Pack security, our rival packs, securing the border to prevent attacks. And of course, we talked about me getting a mate. Those men never seem to back down” He elaborated, his gaze fixed intently on mine.
“Did you tell them about me?” I asked immediately, the question screaming silently inside my head.
He shook his head, a gesture so swift it felt like an answer before I had finished the thought. Just right. Of course he wouldn’t tell them about me. I’m a weak ass human, a liability and it’s seen as a shameful thing if a powerful Alpha like him has a human mate.
He must be ashamed of me… Right? I felt a familiar twinge of insecurity.
“Come on, Allie, it’s not like that,” he exhaled, his expression softening with a strange mix of exasperation and amusement.
My mouth dropped open at his words. My gaze darted around the room. Can he read my mind?
“Yes, my Luna. I can read your mind, but only if you want me to.” He confirmed, the amusement now openly playing on his features.
Oh God! If he could read my mind, that meant he must have heard those absolutely ridiculous, ‘miserable’ words I'd said earlier….the entire, lengthy internal commentary about how hot he looked even without trying, the way his jawline could cut glass, how unfairly appealing his scent was and how I'd loved to feel his hot lips on mine.
At that moment, I wanted nothing but for the polished wooden floor to open up and swallow me. I wanted to simply disappear.
A wave of intense heat crashed over me, starting in my chest and rushing up my neck. My cheeks, nose, and the tips of my ears felt like they were instantly on fire, turning a spectacular crimson.
My hands flew up instantly to cover my mouth, trying to contain the absolute mortified terror that felt like it was about to burst out of me.
I focused intently on the gleaming surface of the table, willing the reflections there to absorb my humiliation. When I finally lifted my wide, panicked eyes back to him, he gave me an utterly devastating grin—the kind of knowledge that promised trouble and acknowledged his own acute mental eavesdropping—and then winked.
“Don’t worry,” he added, his voice dropping an octave lower, now sounding dangerously intimate. “I was flattered. Please, keep going.”
“I… I didn’t….” I stammered, my voice barely a whisper.
“Come here.” The low command bypassed my rational brain. My legs moved before I could control them. It was as if he had an unexplainable and strange power over me. And of course he do.
Standing, I walked slowly around the dining table toward him.
He reached out and pulled me onto his lap. The simple, possessive act tore a small, sharp gasp from my lips. Another heartbeat, and his rough, large hands came to rest firmly on my thighs, anchoring me to him.
“Look, baby. I am not ashamed of you in any way, okay?” He started. “I didn't tell the elders about you, because I felt you wouldn’t want me to tell them yet. I need you to accept the Pack, to be comfortable here in the Pack before telling the elders about you.”
“But what if the elders aren't pleased with me, your human mate? What if they ask you to reject me and send me away? Will you do that?”
“Now, let's take things slowly. We'll cross that bridge later.” He let out a hearty laugh, the sound filling the room with warmth.
Fine! I'll take his words. And I'll stop worrying about what anyone thinks about me. I'm sure as hell that the moon goddess made no mistake by making me his mate. After all everyone believes that the moon goddess chooses the best soul mate and life partner for everyone, including an Alpha. So if she feels that I'm the best choice for him, fine.
We'll take things slowly and see what the future holds for us. I really hope whatever it is, it is beautiful.
We sat in comfortable silence, the warmth of his body seeping through my clothes, a pleasant distraction while we waited for dinner to be served.
Suddenly, a loud and distressed shout echoed from downstairs.
“Open the door, you idiots!” a woman’s voice shrieked. “Don’t you know who I am?”
I felt Alpha Lazar stiffen instantly beneath me, his arms tightening reflexively around my waist. I didn't say anything, thinking perhaps he was just startled by the sudden noise the same way I was too.
“Shouldn’t we go see who that is?” I suggested, slightly concerned. It was already late. Who could be causing trouble outside and at such a time?
Lazar shook his head, his jaw tight.
Instead, he reached for his phone on the table beside the water pitcher and quickly dialed a number. He spoke low to the receiver. “Who is causing that commotion downstairs?”
He was still on the call when the dining room door was violently thrown open.
A woman stood in the doorway, framed like a hostile deity. At one glance, I could tell this woman wasn’t someone you would want to mess with. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with an effortless elegance that made her look like a queen.
I found myself instinctively admiring her striking composure, her expensive clothes, and her flawless features….until I heard her voice.
“Oh, Baby!” she purred, her eyes fixed intently on Lazar.
The intimate endearment came like a shock and I instantly snapped out of my daze of admiration, turning my head sharply to stare at Lazar, searching his face for an explanation.
But I didn't get one.
“Margaret!” He began with a stern voice. “What the f**k are you doing here?”
“Come on baby, I've missed you. I was told that you stopped by our house earlier. Why didn't you call me?”
“That doesn't answer my question, Margaret. What are you doing here?”
Moving with shocking speed, the elegant woman, Margaret as he'd called her, strode directly to the table, her eyes barely sparing me a glance.
She then executed the most brazen and humiliating act of my life: she gripped my shoulder, shoved me roughly off Lazar's lap. With the handkerchief in her hands, she dusted his laps and settled herself instantly where I had been sitting, wrapping her arms around my Alpha’s neck.
“Oh baby!” She sighed dreamily, like a lady whose husband has been away for so long. “You have no idea how much I've missed you.”
I cried out in pain, scrabbling to catch myself. I almost hit my head on the heavy edge of the table. I managed to brace my fall, stumbling backward, completely reeling with shock.
How was she so strong? Obviously a she-wolf!
Before I could regain my balance, my shoulder collided hard with someone behind me. A sharp gasp sounded, followed by the awful, unmistakable slosh of hot liquid.
It was Helen, who had been coming in with our meal. The hot contents of the tray she was carrying, a scorching, steaming liquid that smelled strongly of stew, poured all over the front of my body.
The pain was unbearable.
“Oh! Luna, I am so sorry!” Helen cried out, instantly kneeling down, her voice laced with an apology that felt rehearsed and fake.
Tears sprang to my eyes. They weren’t just from the physical burn; they were from the shock, the humiliation, the public push, and the awful certainty that Helen had not been clumsy. She had done it on purpose.
Again.
Recalling my last encounter with her, I needed no soothsayer to tell me that it was a deliberate act. The b***h did it on purpose. And I wasn't going to let it slide this time. I wasn't going to buy her fake apologies anymore.
I didn’t wait. I didn’t think of what I was about to do. I felt a desperate rage surge through the physical pain. Before I could stop myself, I reared back and hit Helen across the cheek with the back of my hand, delivering a stinging blow to her face.
“You better be careful next time, you blind bat, because the next time you try such, I'll make sure you rot in the dungeon for the rest of your life.” I spat.
A sharp gasp echoed in the room, probably from the maids who were about to serve the meals.
Then, I turned and ran.
I heard Lazar push the strange woman off his lap with a furious yell, shouting, probably at his guards for letting the crazy woman in.
But I didn't care to know who his anger was directed at. I only cared about escaping the dining room, escaping the beautiful stranger, and escaping the burning pain and shame.
I sprinted down the hall and threw myself into my room, locking the door behind me with a loud, resounding thud.
- Writer
