Run! The Lost Princess of the Black Wolves

Chapter 25 - A modern man

The atmosphere was charged with tension as Marcus glared at Iron Praetor, however, the latter only seemed amused by Marcus' silent threats.

"Do you have something to say, Marcus?" Iron raised a brow, daring him to speak up.

“She already has a mate,” Marcus gritted his teeth.

"Of course," Iron spun Chloe into her chair and pushed it in. "But I'll take care of that. Consider him gone, princess. I won't let that scum have you."

“You know him?” Chloe looked at him in surprise.

Iron let out a dry laugh. "No, I don't. But I've heard of him. He won't be a match for us."

Wow, Iron was cocky! He really thought it would be that easy to get rid of Nolan? Her father and brother had been trying to track him down for months, but he always managed to slip away.

"He's good at hiding," she scoffed.

Iron shrugged. "You'll be safe here until we find him. And once we do, he won't be a problem anymore."

Chloe sipped her champagne, her gaze meeting Marcus'. His eyes still gleamed, and it looked like he was about to say something but Freya nudged him with her elbow, mouthing, "Behave," and he kept quiet, pressing his lips together into a thin line.

As everyone settled into their seats, Chloe found herself sandwiched in between Iron and Arnulf, with Freya and Marcus on the opposite side of the table. She couldn't shake the feeling that this seating arrangement was intentional. But by whom and why?

To her right, Iron sat tall and imposing, his muscular frame taking up most of the space. His radiating Alpha aura was hard to ignore, and Chloe found his commanding presence a bit overwhelming. He, on the other hand, seemed equally absorbed by her as he was annoyed with Marcus, and the tension between the three of them was palpable.

To her left, Arnulf sat with his broad shoulders squared, his gaze fixed on Freya, who seemed more than a little flattered by his attention. Chloe couldn't help but notice the way Freya leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

As for Marcus, he felt like a ticking bomb. Chloe could feel his eyes on her, burning into her skin, and she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. She tried to focus on the conversation, but the tension in the air was too thick to ignore.

"So, Iron," Freya spoke up, breaking the silence. "I hear that you are interested in Chloe, my gorgeous friend by your side, and apparently, you’re willing to do anything for her." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "How romantic! But, aren't you interested in meeting your own fated mate before taking a chosen one?"

Iron leaned back in his chair, a smug grin on his face. "I already met her," he said, waving his hand dismissively, making both Chloe and Freya's jaws drop. "But she happened to be Arnulf's bed warmer for quite some time before our paths crossed," he continued, ripping a piece of bread into crumbs. "So, I decided that rejecting her was the only decent thing to do."

“Oh…” Freya’s cheeks turned red.

"Yes, what can I say? My brother's appetite knows no limits," Iron looked at Arnulf with a cold stare.

Cassiopeia began coughing, her face turning a deep shade of pink. The embarrassment was written all over her features, and Chloe couldn't help but feel sorry for her. These two brothers were her possible mates? Poor girl.

Arnulf only looked pleased, though, and not at all intimidated by his brother. "Still, I don't stand a chance against you, brother," he teased. "Your bed is on constant fire. How many women did you sleep with last night? Five?"

Iron’s wry smile didn't leave his lips as he casually shrugged, seemingly unfazed by his brother's teasing. "They were three," he said, causing Cassiopeia to cough even harder. "And I didn't sleep with them. I don't sleep with women," he explained matter-of-factly to Chloe. "I will only sleep with my mate."

"Oh, how comforting," Chloe’s wolf huffed sarcastically. "Such a gentleman."

Chloe looked around the table, wondering how the others were taking the conversation. She expected to see disapproval on Argen's face, but to her surprise, he only looked amused by the scene played out in front of him. Shifting her attention to Marcus, who clearly had been upset just a moment ago, she noticed he now had a small smile playing on his lips. What did he find so amusing?

Locking gazes with her, he sent her a message through mindlink, his eyes sparkling. "Real Prince Charming, don't you think?"

Oh, so that explained why Marcus all of a sudden had that smirk on his face! He knew her well enough to know that a man who slept around with several women simultaneously would not sit well with her.

"Very," she mindlinked back with a wink.

Anyhow, she couldn’t resist teasing the men by the table a little. It was a very low hanging fruit... "So, Iron, you have a lot of experience with women, right?" She toyed with her napkin, trying to sound casual.

"I guess one could say that," Iron grinned widely. "I have to take my opportunities now to practice before I'm a mated man. I consider it a field trip, getting to know the landscape, so to speak. I want to make sure I'll be a pro at pleasing my future mate."

Freya's eyes widened at the other end of the table, practically drooling as she heard his words.

Chloe leaned back in her chair. "But wouldn't your future mate be put off by your... extensive history?" she peered at him.

“No, why?” He chuckled as if the mere thought was ridiculous. "Experience is great. We live in a modern world, right? And I’m a modern man," he boasted.

Chloe smiled innocently. "It's so refreshing to hear! So then you wouldn't mind..." She bit her lip, giving him a mischievous glance.

"Wouldn't mind what?" he stared at her lip, looking like he was going to devour her any second.

"You wouldn't mind ... if your mate is as experienced as you are?" she smiled. "You'll be fine with her also having a long list of past lovers?"

"Uh, well," he swallowed. "I guess… It depends..." he trailed off, suddenly looking uncertain.

Chloe beamed. "Oh, it's wonderful that you're so open-minded,” she rested her hand on his arm, squeezing it.

Iron went pale. “Ummmm,” he seemed to frantically search for the words. “I guess,” he grimaced, looking at her dubiously.

“That’s great! I was bit worried this would be a problem, but now I feel so much better, ” she grinned, noticing how Marcus tried to stifle a laugh.

“Touché!” her wolf congratulated her. “So much for being liberal.”

Chloe was pleased with herself, feeling like she had had a little victory as she noticed how Iron looked at her with bewilderment. However, Argen gave her a disapproving look, his brow arched in displeasure.

Suddenly, she felt a hand caressing her thigh underneath the table. "I would be happy to experience your expertise," Arnulf leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

What the f**k? Chloe's skin crawled at his touch, and she swiftly stood up, distancing herself from the two brothers. "Excuse me," she gave Arnulf a cold stare. "I felt something creeping on my leg."

Iron immediately growled, his eyes gleaming as he looked at his brother. "Arnulf!" he snarled. "Could you please swap seats with Theo?" he gritted his teeth, gesturing towards Theodor, who was seated between Freya and Cassiopeia.

"Why? I'm just getting to know our new friend here," Arnulf sneered back.

"Yeah right," Iron scoffed. "No need, though. Theo needs to get to know her more than you do."

It was dead silent around the table. Everyone held their breaths, waiting for Arnulf's reply.

"This is like a bad soap opera," Chloes wolf snickered.

"Yes, a very bad one," Chloe rolled her eyes, ready to leave the room. No way she was going to sit next to that creep.

However, before Arnulf got to respond, Thora interjected, "Arnulf, my dear boy. Will you do us the favor? I'm sure Cassie would love to hear about your last hunt."

Arnulf glared at Iron, but then he stood up with a groan. "Whatever," he said and switched seats with Theo.

"Chloe, please," Argen suddenly spoke up, gesturing towards her chair and urging her to sit down.

Hesitantly, she regained her seat. Goddess, this dinner was a nightmare! If she had thought the first night with the Emerald Pack hade been tough, it had been nothing compared to this... She was of course relieved now that Arnulf was far away on the other side of the table, however, Cassiopeia's sour glances still made her feel uncomfortable and Iron's proximity only added to her nerves.

Iron leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. “SO…” he cleared his throat. “It sounds like you’ve had a bit of... adventures... yourself?” he looked at Chloe with interest.

“I’m sure our dear Lovi… I mean, Chloe, was only speaking hypothetically,” Thora interjected. “Let’s talk about something more suitable for a dinner gathering, shall we? Something more appropriate for a lady of my age,” she snickered.

“Yes, of course,” Argen rumbled. “I think we all would like to hear more about your father's work with the East, Iron.”

As the dinner went on, Chloe was constantly reminded of Iron's closeness. He was so intense, and it was hard to not be flattered by his unwavering attention. She was even starting to feel that something was brewing between them... Was it attraction? Or was it just the tension of Marcus' envious glares every time she spoke to him? She couldn't deny the possessive way Iron hovered over her, making her heart race and her palms sweat.

“Marcus,” Suddenly, Iron turned to Marcus, his casual tone belying the charged tension in his words. "I heard a rumor of you having a new girlfriend... Where is she?"

Marcus shrugged nonchalantly, "We broke up," his eyes flickered towards Chloe. "But I've got someone else in mind."

Iron's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and as he laid down his fork, he fixed his gaze on Marcus with an intense stare. "Really?" he said, his voice low and dangerous. "And who might that lucky lady be?"

Chloe's heart skipped a beat as Marcus frowned, looking Iron straight in the eye. “She’s seated right next to you.”