The Alpha Christmas claim

Chapter 8: The Matriarch’s Scorn

The air in the private dining room was thick with tension, a potent mix of expensive holiday spices, burning pine, and the suffocating scent of repressed wolf dominance. It was a subtle, invisible battlefield, and Lila was walking directly onto it.

Rhys had given her a single instruction before they entered: “Say nothing unless I direct you to speak. Your silence is my weapon. Your presence is my claim.”

Lila wore a simple, deep forest-green dress that emphasized the silver ring on her hand and contrasted sharply with the white-and-gold elegance of the room. She stood exactly one pace behind Rhys’s left shoulder, the exact position of a Mate deferring to the Alpha, and she kept her eyes downcast until Rhys commanded her to raise them. The Mate Bond was a constant, dizzying pressure, broadcasting Rhys’s absolute focus and his building territorial rage toward the Silases.

The Inner Circle was present, all seated, but the focus was on the host: Lady Eleanor Silas.

Lady Eleanor was an impeccably preserved she-wolf in her sixties, wearing a deep burgundy velvet gown and a triple-strand pearl necklace that proclaimed her wealth and pedigree. She looked at Lila with barely concealed disdain, her eyes flicking over the simple green dress and the lack of inherited jewelry.

“Alpha Rhys,” Lady Eleanor purred, her voice smooth but edged with steel. “I am so glad you could join our humble gathering. And I see you brought… your guest.”

Lila felt a surge of cold fury—her own, mixed with Rhys’s fierce protective instinct transmitted through the bond. Eleanor was deliberately using the word ‘guest’ instead of ‘Luna’ or ‘Mate’ to undermine Lila’s status.

Rhys settled into the head chair, his movement slow and deliberate, radiating power. He did not introduce Lila, but simply gestured to the seat beside him.

“Sit, Luna,” Rhys commanded, his voice a low, gravelly note that held the full authority of the Alpha.

Lila obeyed instantly. She moved fluidly, sitting at his right hand, not making eye contact with anyone other than to acknowledge the subtle nod of the ever-present Zara, who stood unobtrusively by the door.

Rhys leaned back, a faint, predatory smile touching his lips. “Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Eleanor. I brought the Luna because she is a central element of this Pack’s future. Any matter regarding the territory is now a matter for the Mate Bond.”

Eleanor sipped her wine, her eyes remaining fixed on Lila. “Of course, Alpha. We honor the bond. However, the current topic is the expansion of the western boundary—a delicate political negotiation, not a matter for… emotional intuition.”

The insult was veiled, implying Lila’s human background rendered her incapable of understanding diplomacy.

The Attack and The Mate’s Shield

A young, handsome wolf—Tobias Silas, the son who was being shopped to the Southern Pack—spoke up, trying to appear helpful but aiming a direct attack at Lila.

“We simply worry for the Luna’s safety, Alpha. These are complex documents. We understand a new Mate needs time to… adjust to the history. Perhaps it would be better for her to rest until the papers are signed?”

Lila felt a fresh wave of Rhys’s intense protective dominance slam into her through the bond. It was an almost overwhelming urge to bare her throat in submission to him, coupled with a deep, instinctive command to silence the challenger.

Lila used all her mental fortitude to control the physical reaction. She kept her posture perfect, her breathing shallow, waiting for Rhys’s command.

Rhys did not look at Tobias. He looked at Eleanor. “Lady Eleanor, your son forgets his manners. He has suggested the Luna is fragile. I find that insulting.”

“Forgive him, Alpha,” Eleanor said smoothly, but her eyes glittered with challenge. “He is only concerned with appearances. The Pack sees a human, Alpha. They see a Mate who did not emerge from our bloodline. It creates… questions.”

This was the crux of the political threat. Eleanor was leveraging the Pack’s fear of the unknown.

Rhys finally turned his head to Lila, his eyes glowing faintly gold in the dim light. “Luna. Tell Lady Eleanor your thoughts on the western boundary negotiation. Do not use emotion. Use the facts you studied this morning.”

Lila knew this was her test. She had to show not only her political intelligence but her absolute, unquestioning submission to Rhys’s command—a submission that only a Luna could give.

She raised her eyes, meeting Eleanor’s scornful gaze with cool, steady defiance.

“Alpha, the negotiation is a diversion,” Lila stated, her voice clear and carrying across the silence of the table. “The western boundary negotiation with the River Pack is financially sound, but politically weak. The River Pack’s true motivation is not the land sale, but the negotiation of Tobias Silas’s marriage to their Beta daughter.”

Lila continued, reciting the facts she had memorized: “The Silas family is leveraging Pack territory to secure their private social advancement. This is a direct violation of the Loyalty and Succession Protocol, which dictates that all Pack resources must be secured by the Alpha before private interests can be satisfied.”

Lila finished, keeping her eyes fixed on Rhys, not Eleanor. “If the Alpha permits this negotiation to continue before the boundary is settled, it signals a weakness in the Alpha’s control over the Inner Circle. The only acceptable solution is for the Alpha to seize the boundary negotiation entirely and demand that the Silas family either demonstrate complete loyalty or face a formal review of their private assets.”

The Alpha’s Claim

A stunned silence fell over the table. Lila had not only answered the political question but had, on Rhys’s command, delivered a direct, devastating challenge to the Silas family's authority.

Rhys’s hand shot out, wrapping around the back of Lila’s neck, his thumb resting possessively on her sensitive juncture. The Mate Bond exploded with overwhelming pride and satisfaction, flooding Lila’s senses until she felt giddy with triumph. His touch was a public, non-verbal claim—a powerful, physical reward for her political submission.

The message was clear: She is mine, and her intelligence is mine. She is not a guest; she is my authority.

Rhys didn’t let go. He kept his hand firmly on her neck, displaying his physical dominance to every witness.

“My Luna speaks the truth,” Rhys stated, his voice now dangerously soft, his eyes never leaving Lady Eleanor. “The only negotiation the Silas family will conduct now is with me. Effective immediately, the western boundary is under my direct control. Tobias, you will contact the River Pack and inform them that the entire negotiation is suspended until I approve the terms.”

Tobias flushed deep red, humiliated in front of his entire family and the Inner Circle.

Lady Eleanor, however, remained composed, though a muscle twitched in her jaw. She had been publicly shamed and beaten.

“As the Alpha commands,” she said, her voice strained. She managed a thin, venomous smile at Lila. “The Mate Bond certainly gives a she-wolf a quick education, Luna. You learned fast.”

“It is not education, Lady Eleanor,” Rhys interrupted, his possessive hold on Lila tightening, emphasizing his ownership. “It is loyalty. And it is absolute.”

With the political battle won and the Silas family neutralized, Rhys stood up, pulling Lila to her feet with him, his hand remaining locked on her.

“We are finished here,” Rhys announced, his authority absolute. “Enjoy your Solstice, Lady Eleanor. The Luna and I have much to discuss regarding the future of this Pack.”

He steered Lila toward the door, not walking in front of her, but moving with her as a single, powerful unit, their scents now fusing together in an overwhelming declaration of the Mate Claim.

As they reached the door, the sheer intensity of the Mate Bond made Lila stumble, and she leaned heavily into Rhys. His dominant scent, rich with victory and possession, was intoxicating.

“Well done, Luna,” Rhys murmured, his voice husky, his gold eyes blazing with an expression of ownership that promised swift, immediate intimacy once they reached their private suite. “You showed them exactly why you are mine.”

That was a decisive victory for Lila! She proved her value and publicly submitted to Rhys's authority, achieving his goal of neutralizing the Silas threat.