Chapter 39 - The Choice
1135 Words
Amber pushed the front door open with more force than necessary and stepped into the house.
The soft echo of the door closing behind her spread through the quiet hallway. She tossed her small handbag onto the upholstered bench near the entrance and began removing her gloves with slow, practiced movements.
The afternoon had been tedious.
She had spent hours with her usual circle of friends, listening to the same gossip, the same speculation, the same polite curiosity about her future marriage.
Anthony.
The name followed her everywhere lately.
Amber rolled her eyes slightly as she placed the gloves neatly beside her bag.
If she were honest with herself, the entire situation had begun to irritate her.
The waiting.
The silence.
The endless discussion between families.
It was becoming tiresome.
But she quickly pushed the thought aside.
Leonard was convinced the alliance was already practically finalized. If that was true, then Anthony would have little room to escape the arrangement.
And if there was one thing Amber understood well, it was power.
No Alpha ignored political necessity.
As she walked deeper into the house, voices reached her ears.
They were coming from the study.
Amber slowed her steps.
Her brow lifted slightly.
Felicity rarely entertained visitors there.
Curious, Amber approached the door and pushed it open just enough to peer inside.
What she saw surprised her.
Felicity sat comfortably on the couch, leaning forward slightly as she spoke animatedly with someone sitting across from her.
A young man.
Amber narrowed her eyes slightly.
His clothing immediately caught her attention.
Simple.
University clothes.
A student.
Yet Amber was certain she had never seen him before.
Strange.
She knew nearly every young wolf in their circle.
But this one…
Amber studied him carefully.
He was striking.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that fell casually across his forehead. His posture carried quiet confidence, the kind that did not require attention yet commanded it naturally.
Even Amber had to admit it.
It had been a long time since she had seen a wolf that attractive.
Her lips curved slightly.
Her cousin clearly had good taste.
Without knocking, Amber pushed the door fully open and stepped inside.
Both of them looked up.
Felicity immediately stiffened.
The young man turned his head calmly toward the doorway.
Amber leaned lightly against the doorframe.
“Well, well,” she said smoothly.
“We have guests.”
Her gaze flicked toward Felicity.
“And you didn’t warn anyone.”
Felicity opened her mouth slightly.
“Amber—”
But the young man stood before she could finish.
The movement was quick and deliberate.
He positioned himself slightly in front of Felicity, not aggressively, but clearly placing himself between them.
Amber’s eyes flickered with interest.
Now that he was standing, she could see his full height.
Tall.
Strong.
Almost as tall as Anthony.
Almost.
Amber’s gaze sharpened.
Interesting.
The young man stepped forward politely.
“Matthew,” he said calmly, extending his hand.
Amber took it.
His grip was firm.
“I study with Felicity at the university,” he continued. “I stopped by to ask about a few things related to our coursework.”
Amber clicked her tongue softly.
Her eyes moved slowly over him.
He didn’t react.
Not to her voice.
Not to her presence.
Not even to the way her dress clung perfectly to her figure.
That was unusual.
Very unusual.
Most wolves reacted to Amber immediately.
Even those who tried to hide it.
Matthew did not.
Amber’s interest sharpened slightly.
Felicity stood quickly.
“Mother knows he’s here,” she said, her voice slightly tense. “She said it was fine for us to talk.”
Amber smiled.
But it was not a warm smile.
It was the kind of smile used to remind others of their place.
“Of course she did.”
She turned slowly toward the door.
As she walked past Matthew, she let her hips sway deliberately.
It was not subtle.
It never was.
Amber did not bother with subtlety.
She knew exactly how striking she looked, and she used that knowledge whenever she wished.
Yet Matthew did not turn his head.
Amber noticed.
And for the briefest moment, irritation flickered across her face.
Then she left the room.
The door closed behind her.
Silence lingered for a moment.
Matthew returned to the couch.
A small smile touched his lips.
“Is she always like that?” he asked.
Felicity blinked.
“Like what?”
Matthew leaned back.
“Overly… dramatic.”
Felicity looked genuinely surprised.
“She didn’t make an impression on you?”
Matthew laughed quietly.
“Oh, she did.”
Felicity leaned forward slightly.
“And?”
Matthew shrugged.
“I’ve never seen beauty in open seduction.”
He paused.
“Honestly, I find it unpleasant.”
Felicity stared at him.
No one had ever said that before.
Not about Amber.
Never.
Amber was famous for her beauty.
For her presence.
For the way every room seemed to revolve around her.
Matthew reached for one of the open books on the table.
“Anyway,” he said casually. “You were explaining the lecture on early trade alliances.”
Felicity slowly sat back down.
Her mind was racing.
He had ignored Amber.
Completely.
Not because he hadn’t noticed her.
But because he had chosen not to care.
Felicity felt something strange stir inside her chest.
A warmth.
A quiet thrill.
They continued discussing their coursework.
But Felicity barely heard half the conversation.
Her thoughts kept drifting.
Matthew had chosen her.
Not Amber.
Her.
It had never happened before.
Growing up beside Amber meant living in a constant shadow.
Amber was the Alpha’s daughter.
Beautiful.
Confident.
Untouchable.
Whenever wolves gathered, their attention always drifted toward her first.
Felicity had grown used to it.
She had learned not to mind.
But today something was different.
Today someone had looked directly past Amber…
and seen her.
Across the hallway, Amber paused near the staircase.
She had not gone far.
Her sharp hearing allowed her to catch fragments of their conversation through the closed door.
Matthew’s voice.
Calm.
Unimpressed.
Amber’s jaw tightened.
Unpleasant.
That was the word he had used.
Amber slowly removed the last glove from her hand and stared at it.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
For the first time in a long while…
Someone had not been interested in her.
And Amber Littlewood did not like being ignored.
Not at all.
Upstairs in the study, Felicity laughed softly at something Matthew said.
The sound was genuine.
Bright.
But neither of them realized something had changed.
Two quiet currents had begun to move beneath the surface.
One was the awakening of Felicity’s heart.
The other was the wounded pride of a wolf who had never been overlooked before.
And wounded pride…
could become a very dangerous thing.
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