Chapter 11. Deadline For Desire
1073 Words
Dominic
I rose, towering. “I’m not selfish. I’m patient.”
“Patience looks a lot like weakness in the eyes of the council.” My father snapped. “Do you think the other Alphas are waiting for you to feel ready? They’re circling. The bloodline demands strength. And strength means bond. Now.”
I turned my back, pacing towards the window. My voice dropped. “The only one who could stir the bond in me left without a name.”
My father stared, stunned, for half a second. “Then she was a mistake.”
“She was real.”
“And she’s gone,” he snapped. So stop mourning a ghost and pick someone worthy. Tomorrow, the Ravok Alpha daughter arrives. You will treat her like a potential Luna.”
I exhaled slowly, emotion buried underice. “Noted.”
That night the manor turned into a social battle ground. She- wolves paraded in designer gowns, trailing clouds of perfume and practiced smiles. I sat at the head table, silent, wine glass untouched, my eyes scanning the room like a predator disinterested in the prey.
A brunette in silver leaned closer. “Alpha Domic, I…”
“I’m not interested,” I cut her off coldly, not even looking at her.
Another approach minutes later. I didn’t speak at all I just stared through her until she fled.
“Why are you like this?” Jax muttered beside me lips barely moving.
“Because they are not her and,” I said. “And non of them ever will.”
“They’re not who?”
“None of your business.” I replied.
“Did you have a secret lover I did not head about?”
“You talk too much. Mind your business.”
Back In my quarters. I stared at the crumbled sketch on my desk, the only proof she’d existed. The woman from the masquerade.
The one who tasted like fate and vanished before dawn.
She had ruined me.
I tore the sketch in half.
She’s not coming back.
But still I waited.
And the blood moon nears.
The next day.
The grand hall was lit with a thousand suspended orbs, glowing softly like a frozen sky full of stars. Murmured voices floated beneath the light, bouncing off the walls of the east wing.
Everyone was gathered: nobles from allied packs, council members, advisors, and even foreign emissaries dressed in traditional cloaks that shimmered faintly.
I stood in the far corner, a glass of wine in my hand. My shoulders were wrapped in black ceremonial fabric trimmed with silver, the alpha heir crest pinned over its heart. I already knew what the gathering was about.
My father hadn’t said it in plain words, but it didn’t need saying. Tonight would be the official announcement of my arranged mating to the Ravok Alpha daughter Varya, or what was her game again?
I hadn’t agreed, but the pact had been sealed months ago, when the Royal pack offered their rare silverback warrior in exchange for protection from the northern rogues.
Political. Clean. Loveless. Efficient. My hand tightened on the glass. “I thought you would’ve at least pretended to smile,” came a voice from behind. It was Aiden, my beta and oldest friend. Dressed sharply, hair slicked back.
Aiden looked far too comfortable in the gathering of power and expectations. “Why should I?” I asked.
“Because half the room thinks you’re going to bolt again. He smirked and continued, “And the others think your stare might kill someone.”
I scoffed, “I’ll try to disappoint both.” Then came the announcement. My father strode to the centre of the hall, towering with charisma and command.
The crowd fell into a hush. “My people, our allies, our friends from every territory,” he began. Voice steady and full of pride. “The blood summit draws near. As tradition and strategy both demand, it is time for strength to join with strength. It is a pleasure to announce the union that will bring prosperity, power, and unity. Murmurs passed through the crowd. He turned slightly. “Dominic, my son, the future Alpha of this pack, will be mated to Varya of Ravok.”
At that moment she entered. Varya was elegantly wrapped in steel.
Her red velvet gown hugged her form, the neckline modest but tailored to draw the eyes. Dark hair fell in cascading waves, and her emerald eyes held the room captive with every step. She moved to me like a queen claiming her throne. I bowed slightly out of courtesy.
“Hello fiancé,” she said, with a soft smile, voice as smooth as chilled wine.
I met her gaze. “I wasn’t aware the proposal had been accepted.”
“Ohh, it was. Weeks ago. Your father’s signature sealed it. All that’s left is your compliance.” She leaned closer. “Don’t worry, I can be very persuasive.”
Aiden coughed from behind us, half a laugh, half disbelief. Varya didn’t falter. “Would you like to dance?”
“No.”
She blinked once, then laughed like I had made a joke. “Ah, you’re charming. But come, let them see us together.”
“I don’t dance.” I said.
She tilted her head. “Then we can stand together. I won’t bite, unless requested.”
I exhaled and walked with her towards the front of the hall. Cameras flashed. Heads turned. The perfect future Alpha pair, except my mind wasn’t here.
“Dominic?” Varya called.
I turned. “What?”
She frowned. “You’re distracted.”
“MaybeI’m thinking about what I’m losing.”
“You don’t even know what you want. You only think you do. Do you see me? She touched her arm. I will not vanish. I will stand beside you. You don’t have to love me; I don’t need it. Just don’t fight me.”
I stared at her, then gave a small nod.
“That’s what I thought,” she said, turning back to the crowd with a smile of victory.
Later that night, I sat alone in my study. A fire burning low. The council had left. My father had said nothing; his silence was always more dangerous than words. Rolled the rim of a glass between my fingers. Amber liquid shimmered inside. I hated my room; I hated this life itself.
- Writer
