ETHAN
I do not like Alpha Lucien. Iâm doing my best to remain cordial and professional because this alliance would be very beneficial for us, but this guy is getting on my last nerve. Not to mention his immediate flirtations with my mate upon meeting her.
Now, every time I spot him, heâs either eyeing her or talking to her. Heâs even touched her multiple times. Maybe Iâm being possessiveâafter all, itâs only been her hand or backâbut in the werewolf community, most know itâs in bad taste to touch someone elseâs mate.
Werewolves are inherently territorial and possessive over their mates, especially those that have alpha blood in them.
I pull out the chair that is seated to the right of the head of the table for Scarlet.
She smiles at me gratefully and slides a hand down to smooth out her dress as she sits down, and I push her in. Lucien approaches as Iâm taking my seat and remarks, âAlpha Ethan, you have outdone yourself. The food smells divine. I canât wait to dig in.â
I force a smile at him as he sits in the chair to my left. âOnly the best for our guests,â I assure as plates are set before us with small portions of several of the restaurantâs best sellers.
âOh yes! I find that the Crescent Moon Pack has been quite welcoming. Going above and beyond to please me and my pack. I do look forward to negotiating new terms with you for our alliance,â he gushes before taking a bite of his grilled beef filet.
He lets out an exaggerated moan as he looks at me and then Scarlet. âAbsolutely delicious!â
âIâm glad youâve found everything to your liking,â I remark as calmly as I can, even though Iâm getting more and more agitated.
âMost definitely. Even the lovely Scarlet has been most gracious,â he replies before shooting her a toothy grin that makes me want to punch him in the face. I canât decide if heâs simply trying to make friendly conversation or if heâs trying to stir up trouble.
â~I think heâs putting on an act. I think he wants our mate,~â my wolf insists with a growl.
I look over at Scarlet who seems to be oblivious to the heinous undertone that Iâm picking up from our illustrious guest. Unless sheâs just better at faking her dislike than I am. If thatâs the case, sheâll certainly make an excellent partner in pack negotiations.
â~Even if sheâs buying this shit, she wonât do anything with him. We can trust her,~â I insist to my wolf.
â~Itâs not her that I donât trust. Itâs him,~â my wolf answers back grimly. I only smile and nod at Alpha Lucienâs comment, not wanting to fuel whatever heâs trying to accomplish.
Iâm only half listening while having a conversation with my wolf anyway. Unfortunately, he takes this as an opportunity to continue.
âYes, she has agreed to pose for me so that I can have a featured piece for my art exhibit.â
That instantly draws my attention back to him. My hands clench the utensils Iâm holding as though they are his scrawny neck. I struggle to keep my composure as I turn to look at Scarlet with narrowed eyes.
Her magnificent violet orbs are wide, and her red lips hang agape like she has just been caught doing something she knew I wouldnât like.
âOh, did she now?â I ask, my gaze not leaving her face and my voice coming out in a harsh, even tone.
She quickly closes her mouth and smiles tightly as she reaches out a hand to place over mine to reassure me.
She turns to face me and uses a sugary sweet voice as she responds, âYes. He was worried that he didnât have anything that would work for Saturdayâs gala and asked me if I would be his next subject. Heâs even letting me have sixty percent of the profit for whatever it sells for.â
âAnd why do you need that kind of money?â I question, continuing to control my anger to the best of my ability. If she thinks Iâm going to let her pose for the kind of paintings this guy is known for, then sheâs dead wrong.
âIâm going to donate it to the shelter. There are so many things the packless could do with that kind of money,â she insists.
âYou already bring them all of our leftovers. What else do they need?â
âWell, itâs starting to get cold. I could buy them new blankets and coats. I could get them more food and drinks. Maybe I can even get them a working heating and cooling system,â Scarlet continues excitedly.
âI donât like the idea of some other wolf having a picture of you,â I state, trying to keep my composure, but it comes out more like a growl.
âThen I guess youâll just have to buy it yourself,â she remarks playfully with a wink.
âIf thatâs the case, then I can just give you the money for what you need, no posing necessary. Youâre not doing it,â I finally say in a low voice through gritted teeth, no longer willing to try to reason with her.
She looks at me, shocked for a moment before her brows furrow at me, and her expression turns into a glare.
âThatâs not your decision,â she remarks. âLucien has assured me that I can remain fully clothed if thatâs what youâre worried about.â
Well, at least thereâs that, but âLucien?â ~When did she start referring to him so informally?~ This time, Alpha Lucien chimes in, âMost definitely. We will not do anything that Scarlet is not comfortable with.â
I look between Scarlet and Lucien, placing my hands on the table as I inhale slowly. âIâd assume Levi and Tony will remain with you?â I ask my mate. Despite their assurances, I still donât like it, and I donât trust Lucien.
However, I donât think Iâll be able to continue to argue on this, especially if I want to be able to pursue negotiations with the Silver Shadow Pack, which is more important now that witches are after my packâ¦and Scarlet.
As much as I donât like Alpha Lucien, I canât afford to have him as an enemy. My pack is known for having the best fighters in the country, but Silver Shadow Pack is almost ten times larger and is the closest werewolf pack outside of our surrounding allied packs. If anything explodes with the witches, I need them by my side.
âOf course,â Scarlet replies before Alpha Lucien speaks up.
âThey can certainly wait outside, but I donât want anyone seeing the painting before itâs finished,â he insists.
I hold back a scowl and sigh. âFine. They can wait outside.â
â~NO! What are you doing? You canât let her be alone with him!~â my wolf yells in my head, clearly furious.
â~Itâs not worth the fight right now. Her guards will be right outside the door. If Lucien tries anything then it will be the last thing he does.~â
My wolf growls ferociously, clearly not happy with my argument.
Unfortunately, I donât see any other options. Maybe Iâll decide to stop by for a surprise visit.
The rest of dinner goes by smoothly aside from both Nicole and Lucien eyeing Scarlet and me. Nicole looks like she wants to jump my bones and strangle Scarlet.
Whereas Lucien seems to be undressing Scarlet with his eyes and looking at me with a smirk like he thinks heâs somehow won.
When I catch Xanderâs eyes he gives me a questioning look, and I shake my head almost imperceptibly. â~Iâll tell you and Alex about it when we get back to my penthouse.â~
He nods and returns to his conversation with the alphas sitting around him. This dinner canât get over fast enough.
***
The next morning, I begin getting calls from other alphas from all over the country. They have all heard about the art gala and auction that we are holding and want to partake. So now Iâm scrambling around trying to make accommodations to house all our unexpected guests.
But the more support our pack has, the better. We will have security bumped up for the night, so if witches try to attack, theyâll be in for a nasty surprise.
I have people preparing more food and ordering additional supplies. Others are reworking the seating and layout of the gallery.
Everyone is running around, and the entire pack house is in chaos. This is not what I wanted to be dealing with right now. I donât even know how all these alphas found out about this.
I havenât seen Scarlet all morning which bothers me. She had her meeting with Alpha Lucien this morning to pose for his painting. Levi informed me when they got to his floor, but other than that I havenât heard anything else.
I checked in a couple of times, but all they could tell me was that she was still with him. I found the whole thing to be infuriating. Something about that guy really rubs me the wrong way.
Suddenly a panicked voice enters my head, â~Alpha, get to the penthouse immediately. Itâs an emergency. Itâs Scarlet.~â
I drop everything and rush out the door. If that asshole alpha touched a single hair on her head, Iâll kill him.