Chapter 16
1401 Words
Lilly POV
Five minutes later I enter the café, and to my surprise Macy is standing in line ordering already. I waited off to the side for her to finish our order. Once she notices me, she smiles and bounces my way.
“I got you a latte.” She tells me and I smile my thanks. “You okay? You look like s**t girl, no offense. Oh! Did you hear the news!”
“Thanks, and no but that’s why I wanted to see you, and yes, I heard the caravan is arriving early. I have to be at the packhouse for lunch and the arrival with my family.”
“Oh, boo. I was hoping we could ogle the royal guard together.”
“They’ll be here for a week; you’ll have plenty of time to ogle.”
Macy and I chatted for a while longer, each grabbing a second cup of coffee before leaving the café and heading to a more secluded area of the pack. Once I’m sure we’re alone, I tell her everything my parents just dropped on me. Showing her the papers I brought with me, and crying some more much needed tears. It felt good to tell my best friend and to have her support. Once I regained control of my emotions, Macy and I parted ways and I headed to the pack house for lunch.
Once I walk into the dining room everyone stops talking. Andy stands up and immediately runs to pull me in for a hug. I start to feel like I’m going to cry again as he hugs me and swears to me that he never knew.
‘You will always be my sister okay? Nothing changes.’ Andy reassures me through the mind link and I just nod my head and hold him tighter. I feel like an asshole for shutting him out.
The only one in this room, besides my family, that knows is the Alpha, so I appreciate the discretion. Sasha looks at me sympathetically. I give her a small smile and squeeze her hand. She will always be my baby sister, I remind myself. I watched her grow up into the sweet and fierce she-wolf she is today.
“Alpha, Luna, Beta.” I great as I sit down. Beta Jefferson’s wife, Bethany, is away visiting family again, due back this evening. She had thought the planned timing was right, and had the caravan not been arriving early she would have been here.
All three nod in greeting and Luna Mallory gives me a sweet, sympathetic smile. Scratch that, she knows now too. I guess now that I know the Alpha let her in on what happened.
Shortly after I’m seated omegas begin to bring carts containing an array of food for the table. It doesn’t take them long to set everything out and we all start to dig in. Conversation is light and fun. No one is discussing the elephant in the room, which I appreciate. My father, the Alpha and Beta are discussing business. My mother and Luna are discussing my upcoming party and the Ascension Ceremony. Andy and Sasha are arguing about which grappling technique is the best to use and Marcus’s eyes are trained on me.
After what happened on the pack lawn he hasn’t come near me. I’m sure he’s extremely suspicious of me at this point. Perhaps he thinks I’m a witch among a family of pureblood werewolves.
‘Pffft.’
I crack a smirk at my wolfs reaction.
‘He’s going to make a pass at us at some point.’
‘Let him try.’ Maeve jumps back and forth playfully in my mind, inviting the challenge.
‘Just keep our scent blocked and stay out of eyesight. Alpha Max is more observant than you think. The man is magic, I swear.’
‘We’ll show him magic.’ Maeve smirks and retreats once more.
As I’m finishing my meal, talking to my brother and Alpha’s middle daughter, Rennae, a chair scrapes across the dining room floor. Causing the conversations to slowly die off. I don’t have to look up to see who it is as footsteps head my direction, stopping behind me.
“Lilly, may I have a word?” Marcus asks from behind me.
“Nope.” I say, popping the p.
“Lilly, be nice.” My mother says nonchalantly.
“I have no desire to talk to Marcus alone, or to give him the opportunity to try to put me in a compromising position.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Beta Jefferson interrupts in defense of his son.
“Your son has been trying to get in my pants for the last year. I’m not like some of the easy she-wolves we have in this pack. Unlike some wolves out there, I respect the mate bond. He knows that so he tried that line on me a few weeks ago. I’m not going to be another notch on his belt. I pity his mate, whoever she is.” I spit out.
Everyone deadpans at my words.
“You need to walk away Marcus.” Andy growls out.
“She’s my chosen, I want to talk to her.” Marcus says under his breath.
“I would have to choose you back, Marcus and that is never going to happen! May I be excused?”
“Of course, darling.” My mother nods with a smile.
“Wait!”
Marcus grabs my hand and I cringe; I feel like I’m going to vomit. Immediately, I rip my hand from his grasp, the nausea subsides instantly. Maeve sits up and starts to growl in my head.
‘This wolf is not my mate; how dare he touch us.’
“You disgust me.” I say standing, and backing away. “You make me sick.”
Marcus approached me again, anger flashing across his face. Anger towards me. It scared me a little bit and I took another step back.
“I WHAT? I DISGUST you!? You should be LUCKY to have my attention! I am choosing you, who the hell are you to reject ME? You WILL be my mate.” Marcus shouts. His eyes growing darker, showing that his wolf is trying to surface.
“Never going to happen.”
Andy and my father immediately blocked his path, Luna Mallory and my mother came to my side to lead me to the Alpha.
“Guards! Take Marcus to the Beta Suit and keep him there until the Caravan arrives!” Alpha Max shouts.
“Marcus, if you do this while the king is here, it will be a week in the dungeon, and you will NOT ascend to Beta. Do I make myself clear!.”
“Yes, Alpha!”
Everyone bares their neck in submission, including me. It takes me a moment to realize before I straighten up. I’ve never felt the pull to do that before.
‘Wait, why did I do that. I’ve never needed to do that.’
I look at the Alpha and see a curious look on his face. s**t. Luckily, he doesn’t say anything, just winks at me and clears his throat.
‘s**t, I’m sorry. Your Alpha is a fair and respectable Alpha, it was instinct.’
‘Did you let out our scent?’
‘NO… at least… I don’t think I did.’
‘Shit.’
The guards come in and surround Marcus. Before he leaves the room, his eyes catch mine again.
“I-I’m sorry Lillianna. I’m sorry everyone.”
The door to the dining room flies open and a warrior runs in. “The caravan will be here in fifteen minutes.”
Everyone stops in their tracks and tension fills the air. He’s not due for two more hours.
Alpha Max lets out a groan and runs his hands over his face. “Bring him back!”
A few moments later Marcus reappears and hangs his head in shame. The Alpha just stares him down.
“I meant what I said boy. Don’t f**k up.”
Following the Alphas lead, we all head outside to the front of the pack house to greet the Royal Caravan.
Maeve is pacing back and forth more, whining. I beg her to settle down because she’s making me jumpy. She whines a few times and then curls into a ball.
- Writer
