Chapter 14
During dinner with the North Pack, Seb could barely taste the food because of the gnawing feeling inside him, a very depressing ache that came from deep within his soul, the sensation of intense heartbreak that choked and suffocated him.
He barely ate more than five bites because of the sickness inside him and skipped dessert entirely before facing Alpha Andrew in a discussion to distract himself, where the man was already talking about expanding his pack once he married Ember and he made her the Luna.
Seb only listened. He had worked and built the Silver Pack for two decades, having become Alpha at the age of ten after losing his parents and was forced into taking the responsibility for over thousand pack members.
He had poured his sweat and blood into his people, and one thing Seb could not tolerate was another Alpha sitting in his fancy chair, letting his Beta do the hard work of keeping the pack thriving, and believing he could gain more security and power simply by marrying off his daughter to Seb and expecting him to be their protector if larger packs attacked their territory.
There was nothing wrong with an alliance marriage; it had happened for centuries between packs to strengthen and secure them. But there was everything wrong with being an opportunist and placing your entire responsibility on another person who already carried so much.
The North Pack was the fourth largest, and they had valuable natural resources on their land that other packs would love to claim and take full control of. Seb knew this was the reason the Elders had picked a bride for him from here, but he wasn’t interested in their natural resources and could get them even without marrying their daughter.
What he needed was a Luna, more than he needed a mate or an ally. If this Alpha expected Seb to take responsibility for protecting and elevating his pack without Alpha Andrew earning it with his own sweat, then fat chance, he would be in for an even bigger disappointment after the marriage, and Seb would blacklist the North Pack.
However, he didn’t tell Alpha Andrew that; he didn’t want to make an enemy of the man now, especially while he was in his territory and when many of the Elders of the Silver Pack were backing Andrew up and urging Seb to make this alliance, so that their heir would be born from someone who came from a land they could profit from in the future.
If his daughter turned out worthy of the position of Luna and earned it by doing her duty to the pack, then Seb wouldn’t have a problem protecting the North Pack’s resources and land.
Which was why, the moment he lost his appetite and couldn’t eat any more, because of his twisted heart and stomach, he got up from his chair and said to Ember,
“Meet me in the drawing room.” He needed to get the meeting, and the getting to know her part of it, over with, and then drown himself in something strong enough to numb the feelings a tiny, skinny little girl had inflicted deep inside him.
He should have just killed her in that forest. Her neck would have been easily ripped off with how skinny she looked. If he had done that, it wouldn’t have been this painful, because he hadn’t marked her. Her death would have hurt a little, yes, but he would have moved on with his life, without this torment. Seb thought as he strode away from the dinner hall.
“Go after him, Ember,” her mother urged as Ember continued to eat her meal, ignoring the command that Seb had just given her to meet him in the drawing room.
Ember flashed her mother a sly smile. “Relax, Mom. If I go after him immediately, it would appear that I am too desperate to be his Luna. But if I take my time, he will know that I am not desperate, nor am I an easy catch.” She whispered so the Alpha’s Beta, who was wolfing down his food, wouldn’t hear.
She was displeased that Seb hadn’t eaten more than four bites of what she had worked so hard to prepare, and he hadn’t even touched the dessert. It would be nice to make him wait, so he would know that after marriage, if he ignored her or made her angry in such a way, he would be the one ignored instead, and he would have to coax and pamper her to make up for his actions.
“Let him wait for a while p>
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Miss Ember,” Matt said as he chewed and filled his plate with more food. Did they think that if they whispered, he wouldn’t hear them? Hmph. He was the Supreme Alpha’s Beta. They really thought little of him, and Miss Ember here had just decreased her chances of being their Luna with her pettiness. Did she honestly think Seb gave a damn about her sulking?
“The Alpha hates when people keep him waiting. If you don’t want to lose your chance, along with your head, I suggest you go now,” he said nonchalantly, still eating and tasting his food, talking about someone losing their head as casually as if he were discussing the weather.
“This is really delicious! If you become our Luna, it will be nice to share these recipes with our cooks. So hurry and meet him, because I would hate for you not to be the Luna,” Matt exclaimed in delight.
Ember’s eyes widened, and she quickly got up from her chair. She had heard so much about the Supreme Alpha, and while she didn’t fully believe he would hurt her for playing a little hard to get, she didn’t want to risk her chance at being his Luna. Before she left, she said to Matt,
“Don’t worry. Once I become Luna, I will cook the meals myself for you. There are more delicacies where that came from.” Her chin rose proudly in the air.
She had been taught by top chefs, and it was good to see that the Beta liked it, even though the Alpha didn’t show any appreciation.
Matt’s eyes rounded in delight, and he gave her a thumbs-up. “I will root for you as our Luna! Good luck,” he said, while silently adding, Keep wasting time, Miss Ember, and your chances are going down. He watched her walk away in her impossibly high heels, swaying her hips. Matt sighed. He was already tired of the Elders, and he hoped Ember would be the one so they wouldn’t have any more pressure.
Ember didn’t go straight to the room where the Alpha was. She first went to her own room to make arrangements for her meeting with him, because they wouldn’t only be having a verbal discussion, but a steamy, body meeting as well. She would make sure he wouldn’t be able to resist her or forget how hot she was. She had spent millions on perfecting her body, and she planned to put it to full use tonight.
She wasn’t some innocent virgin who shied away from desires and lust, men don’t care about virginity anymore than she did, not when she-wolves went into heat that required them to be with a man, and certainly not when men couldn’t control themselves around she-wolves in heat.
Ember took thirty minutes to prepare, arousing her own body by touching herself and imagining riding the Alpha’s cock, ensuring her heat waves would be strong and irresistible. Then, giggling to herself in excitement, she left her room to go to him.