Chapter 29 - Terms of Power
1542 Words
Amber entered Anthony’s office without knocking.
The heavy wooden door slammed softly against the wall behind her as it opened. For a moment she simply stood there, her chin raised, her posture perfectly straight.
The humiliation from the reception still burned beneath her skin.
She had not slept.
The whispers had followed her all night.
A Littlewood wolf rejected by an alpha.
Unthinkable.
Amber refused to accept it.
Across the room Anthony sat behind his desk, reviewing the final page of a stack of documents. The office smelled faintly of leather and ink. Tall windows let pale afternoon light spill across the polished wooden floor.
Anthony signed the last paper with calm precision.
Without looking up, he slid the document across the desk.
“Sam.”
Sam stepped forward from beside the bookshelf, took the document, and gave a short nod.
“Yes, Alpha.”
Only then did Anthony lift his gaze.
He noticed Amber immediately.
Sam followed his line of sight and stiffened slightly.
Amber forced a polite smile.
The kind of smile wolves used when they were seconds away from tearing someone’s throat out.
Sam glanced between them.
Then wisely excused himself.
“I’ll return these to the council records.”
Anthony nodded.
Sam left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
Silence followed.
Amber walked slowly toward the desk.
Each step echoed in the large office.
Anthony leaned back in his leather chair, studying her.
“Mistress Littlewood,” he said calmly.
Amber stopped in front of the desk.
“We have met twice,” Anthony continued, “and yet I have the strange impression that you misunderstood my intentions.”
Amber placed both hands on the desk and leaned forward slightly.
Her dark eyes were sharp.
“Alpha Anthony,” she said evenly, “I do not waste my time on ideas, flirting, or meaningless dinners.”
Anthony watched her carefully.
Amber continued.
“I believe you understand exactly what this alliance would bring to both of our packs.”
Anthony nodded once.
Of course he understood.
The Littlewood pack controlled several territories near the northern trade routes. Their influence in the council was considerable.
A marriage between their packs would strengthen both sides.
Politically.
Financially.
Strategically.
Amber straightened slightly.
“That is why,” she said, “we need clarity.”
Anthony folded his hands together on the desk.
“Clarity?”
“Yes.”
Amber’s voice was calm, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable.
“Either we discuss an engagement,” she said, “or we stop wasting each other’s time.”
Anthony studied her for several seconds.
Amber Littlewood was beautiful.
Coldly beautiful.
Everything about her spoke of power.
She was ambitious, intelligent, and utterly practical.
She would make a strong Luna.
But something in Anthony resisted the idea.
He shook his head slowly.
Amber’s eyes narrowed.
“Is that your answer?”
Anthony stood from his chair and walked around the desk.
“No,” he said quietly.
He stopped a few steps away from her.
“I simply have matters that require my attention.”
Amber crossed her arms.
“Important matters?”
“Important enough.”
Anthony’s gaze was steady.
“These matters may complicate certain political decisions. I would prefer to resolve them first.”
Amber watched him carefully.
She was not a fool.
Anthony might appear calm, but she sensed something else beneath his words.
A hesitation.
A distraction.
Her lips curved slightly.
“If this concerns the librarian,” she said lightly, “then it doesn’t concern me.”
Anthony raised one eyebrow.
Amber smiled.
“I saw you.”
Anthony’s expression did not change.
Amber continued.
“At the reception.”
Her voice remained perfectly calm.
“You carried her in your arms.”
She began slowly circling the desk.
“And later I saw you leaving her house.”
Anthony said nothing.
Amber stopped in front of him again.
“You don’t need to hide it.”
Anthony studied her.
“Hide what?”
Amber’s smile widened.
“Your toy.”
The word hung in the air.
Anthony’s jaw tightened slightly.
Amber waved her hand dismissively.
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
She spoke the words as if discussing something completely trivial.
“You can keep her.”
Anthony looked genuinely surprised now.
Amber shrugged.
“I’m not naïve enough to believe an alpha remains… completely faithful.”
She stepped closer.
“As long as she understands her place.”
Anthony’s voice remained quiet.
“And what place would that be?”
Amber tilted her head slightly.
“A distraction.”
Her tone sharpened slightly.
“Temporary.”
She met his eyes directly.
“There is only one thing that matters to me.”
Anthony waited.
Amber’s voice dropped slightly.
“She must not become pregnant.”
The silence that followed felt heavy.
Anthony exhaled slowly.
Amber stepped back.
“Everything else,” she said lightly, “is your personal matter.”
Anthony turned away for a moment and walked toward the window.
Outside, wolves moved through the courtyard below the office.
Training.
Working.
Living.
Pack life never stopped.
Behind him Amber waited patiently.
Anthony finally spoke.
“I will give you my answer in one week.”
Amber studied him carefully.
One week.
That was acceptable.
For now.
She nodded.
“Very well.”
She turned and walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, she paused.
Without turning around she said quietly:
“Do not mistake my patience for weakness, Alpha.”
Then she left.
The door closed softly.
Anthony remained standing by the window for several seconds.
The office felt strangely quiet.
Then the door opened again.
Sam stepped inside.
“Alpha?”
Anthony turned slightly.
Sam closed the door behind him.
His expression was troubled.
“How did she find out about Florence?”
Anthony shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Sam frowned.
“That kind of information shouldn’t spread so quickly.”
Anthony walked back toward his desk.
“Apparently it already has.”
Sam watched him carefully.
“Do you trust her?”
Anthony sat down slowly.
“No.”
Sam nodded.
That answer had been expected.
Sam hesitated before asking his next question.
“What exactly is going on between you and Florence?”
Anthony leaned back in his chair.
For a moment he did not answer.
He stared at the ceiling.
Thinking.
Finally he spoke.
“Nothing.”
Sam crossed his arms.
“I don’t believe that.”
Anthony’s mouth curved slightly.
“It’s true.”
Sam waited.
Anthony sighed quietly.
“It’s not what you think.”
Sam leaned against the bookshelf.
“Then what is it?”
Anthony stared at the desk.
His voice was quieter now.
“Pity.”
Sam blinked.
“Pity?”
Anthony nodded slowly.
“That’s all.”
Sam studied him carefully.
Anthony continued.
“I saw her lying there.”
The memory flashed in his mind again.
Broken bones.
Blood.
Fear.
“She had been beaten nearly to death.”
Anthony rubbed his forehead.
“And when I learned her own pack intended to let her die…”
He shook his head slightly.
“I couldn’t leave her there.”
Sam watched him silently.
Anthony continued.
“I bought her.”
The words sounded strange even to him.
Sam spoke carefully.
“People usually buy horses, not wolves.”
Anthony gave a humorless smile.
“I know.”
Sam walked closer.
“So what happens now?”
Anthony looked up.
“I don’t know.”
That was the truth.
And he hated it.
Sam sighed.
“You know what the council will say.”
Anthony nodded.
“They’ll say she’s a liability.”
“And?”
Anthony’s voice hardened.
“They’re not wrong.”
Sam studied him for a moment.
“Then why keep her?”
Anthony looked toward the door.
Toward the direction of the guest wing where Florence now rested.
“I told you.”
Sam waited.
Anthony’s voice softened slightly.
“Pity.”
Sam watched him for several seconds.
Then he said quietly:
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Anthony frowned.
“I’m not lying.”
Sam shook his head.
“No.”
He pushed himself away from the bookshelf.
“You’re just lying to yourself.”
Anthony said nothing.
Sam walked toward the door.
Just before leaving he stopped.
“One more thing.”
Anthony looked up.
Sam’s voice was calm.
“If Amber Littlewood is already watching Florence…”
He opened the door.
“…then your problems are about to get much worse.”
Sam left the room.
Anthony remained alone.
The office felt colder now.
He leaned back in his chair again.
Amber’s words echoed in his mind.
You can keep your toy.
Anthony clenched his jaw.
Florence was not a toy.
She was barely alive.
And yet somehow…
She had already begun to change the balance of power inside his pack.
Anthony stared at the ceiling.
One week.
That was all the time he had promised Amber.
But deep down he knew something.
The decision he was about to make…
Would affect far more than a political alliance.
It might change the fate of the entire pack.
And perhaps…
His own.
- Writer
