Chapter 9 - Shush!
1255 Words
The dinner with the pack that evening was quite informal and pleasant - the atmosphere was cheerful, and the conversations flowed effortlessly. Chloe couldn't help but compare it with her own pack, realizing that being a smaller pack had its advantages... Everyone appeared comfortable in each other's company, and even though she was seated at the Alpha family's table, surrounded by the highest-ranked members of the pack, she could sense that the hierarchical structures were less rigid.
It could, of course, be partly due to the fact that the Alpha of the Emerald pack was nothing like her own father, Warren. Compared to Warren, who was fierce and intimidating, and the very epitome of an Alpha wolf, Chloe found Eyvind to be more like a walrus.
Nevertheless, the relaxed atmosphere was inviting for joking and poking around, and just as Chloe dreaded, her recent adventure quickly became the main topic of conversation. She squirmed in her seat as the Emerald Pack fighters brought up her daring icy escapade, noticing how Freya became beside herself with worry.
“You did what?” Freya gasped, her bright blue eyes widening in disbelief. “Chloe, what were you thinking?”
"I... I don't know," Chloe admitted, hiding her face in her hands. "I've never taken a plunge into an ice hole before."
“What?!” one of the fighters at the table suddenly burst into laughter, unable to contain himself. “Did you just say you took a plunge into an asshole?” he cackled as he struggled to breath in between his laughters.
Chloe nearly choked on her steak, mortified.
"No, no, no!” she protested, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I said 'ice hole', not 'asshole'!"
The whole table erupted with laughter.
Maeve chimed in, “I’ve never heard anyone mistaking an ice pool for an asshole before,” she giggled.
Marcus struggled to contain his laughter as well, , wiping away tears from his eyes as he chuckled. "Well, well, well," he snorted. "You do surprise us, Princess."
Chloe decided to turn the story around. "Oh, come on, Marcus," she rolled her eyes, a mischievous smirk on her lips. "Let's not forget your face-first plunge into the snow... I got a good look at you when you did," she teased.
Laughter exploded around the table at Chloe’s comeback, and Marcus flashed a wide grin. "Well, I hope you enjoyed the view," he retorted, earning himself another round of giggles.
“And I bet Marcus enjoyed the lap dance she gave you afterward!” Maeve chimed in, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“Maeve!” Chloe gasped. That was clearly over the line... She quickly sent Freya an apologetic glance, whose eyebrows had shot up so high they were practically touching her hairline.
“I did no such thing!” Chloe continued. “It was Marcus who tricked me into falling into his lap.”
Marcus let out a gleeful laugh, seemingly enjoying the moment. "Oh, come on, Chloe," he teased. "You know you loved it."
Eyvind and Astrid shifted uncomfortably in their seats, clearly feeling a bit out of place. "Well," Eyvind cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's good to see you all having fun. It reminds me of my younger days when I would run wild in the forests without a care in the world."
“Before he turned fat,” Chloe’s wolf snickered inside.
“Shhh!” Chloe shushed. Her wolf was unusually snappish these days...
However, a little too late, she realized she had shushed out loud! The room fell silent as all eyes turned to her, and she could sense the collective confusion and offense in the air. Had she really just shushed the Alpha?
Even though Eyvind was not overly strict, he certainly wouldn't appreciate being silenced! Oh, help me Goddess, Chloe thought, as she desperately tried to come up with a reasonable explanation.
“I… I thought I heard something,” she stammered, nervously fidgeting with a strand of her long black hair.
“What did you hear, dear?” Astrid asked gently, glancing at Eyvind who had his brows worryingly deeply furrowed.
Chloe’s mind raced as she tried to think of something. "I thought I heard footsteps and a woman's voice," she improvised, feeling her palms sweat with nervousness.
Great, now everyone stared at her as if she had completely lost her mind...
She continued nevertheless. “You don’t happen to have any ghosts here, do you? I felt the presence of a woman last night in my room, but when I turned on the lights, there was no one there.” She thought a half-truth would be the best.
“Ghosts?” Eyvind’s frown deepened until he burst out into a rumbling laugh that made everyone around the table relax again. “There are no such things!”
"It was probably just a bad dream, my dear," Astrid patted her hand reassuringly. "I promise you, there are no ghosts or strange women walking around here,” she soothed with a gracious smile.
Maeve leaned in to Freya, conspiratorially whispering, “Maybe it was Juliette haunting Chloe’s room!”
Freya stifled a laugh, discreetly nudging Maeve to be quiet.
“Oh, thank Goddess, what a relief!” Chloe let out a dramatic sigh, thankful for getting off the hook so easily. "I'm not sure I believe in ghosts, but last night was terrifying. I’m sorry I interrupted you, Alpha Eyvind."
"No worries at all, dear," Eyvind grinned and waved a dismissive hand. "You always bring a smile to our faces, Chloe. I love how you lift the spirits around this house! I really do hope we’ll see more of you in the future.”
“Speaking of visiting,” Freya interrupted, giving Chloe a meaningful stare. “We're leaving in a few days for the Winter's ball. We can’t wait to go, right Chloe?”
"Absolutely!" Chloe exclaimed, grateful for Freya’s rescue.
The last thing she wanted was to entertain Eyvind's constant hints about Marcus and her becoming mates. Why was he so determined to play matchmaker? Marcus clearly already had a girlfriend who would be his future Luna.
“Are you done?” Freya looked at her quizzically. “I need you to help me pick out outfits for our trip.”
“But you haven’t had your dessert yet!” Astrid exclaimed, looking stressed.
“We’ll have it in my quarters,” Freya shrugged casually. “Chloe, are you ready to go?”
Chloe nodded and pushed her almost empty plate away. "Sure, I'm ready." The food was delicious, but she couldn't eat another bite.
“Great, let’s go,” Freya stood up and with an effortless twist, she quickly turned her red locks into a messy bun.
Chloe raised as well, flipping her own long, sleek black hair over her shoulder. How she wished she had soft and bouncing curls like Freya! Her own hair was straight as an arrow…
As they left the dining hall, Chloe couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching her...
Gazing over her shoulder, she met with Marcus’ gaze, and she lost her breath seeing his facial expression. His eyes were fixed on her with such intensity that her heart skipped a beat, the heat of his stare giving her goosebumps. She quickly looked away and hurried up her steps.
He had a girlfriend, she reminded herself firmly. He had a girlfriend! She had to set some boundaries. He couldn’t look at her like that… It was getting unbearable.
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