Chapter 34: Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate By A E Randell Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34 None Of Your Business The best way that she could do that was by dressing not in the reds and golds of the royal family, but instead wearing the traditional colors of royal blue and silver that were prominent in Alpha Nocturne’s Pack.

After all, she was Alpha Nocturne’s Luna now and as far as everyone else was concerned she was his true mate and he, against all odds, her second chance mate.

‘Ha! They know! Look how pi*sed the wh*res’ expressions are!’?Maeve shouted gleefully.

She was right. Her stepmother looked as if she wanted to murder her where she stood, Ada’s face was set in the familiar fake mask of smiles but her Jaw was clenched tightly and her stare unbroken as A*n approached.

A*n’s father just looked confused at her choice of outfit as his eyes swept over her in a cursory glance.

A*n beamed widely as she ascended the stairs and greeted them all courteously but with no warmth in her words.

“Did you forget the dress code for official functions?” Her father asked with a slight frown of displeasure as he embraced her stiffly.

“Not at all, father. As I am no longer living here and representing another pack as their Luna as well as the heir to the throne, I have two roles to fulfill now.” A*n answered smoothly.

Ada almost choked on te air that she was breathing “What do you mean Luna? Of whose Pack? Where?” she spluttered furiously.

For once A*n’s stepmother had the decency and decorum to shush her daughter and remind her that these issues were best discussed inside and away from prying eyes.

With a furious glare from behind her mother’s back, Ada was ushered inside by her mother, as A*n walked side by side with her father.

They walked in uncomfortable silence for a while before he finally spoke.

“You found a second chance mate?” He murmured as casually as possible, although A*n could feel the pained expression in his tone of voice without even looking at him “I did.” She replied shortly as she kept her eyes focused forwards in the direction of the ballroom.

“And you accepted?” He tried again, not hiding the disappointment in his voice.

“What would you have me do, father? Bring him home for you to approve of so that Ada can sleep with him? I think not.”

He grabbed her wrist suddenly and they paused in the corridor, with the eyes of several of the s*rvants on them both, looking busy so as not to intrude.

“I’m still your father, A*n…” he answered, the hurt clear in his voice.

A*n turned to stare at him c8olly and her heart hurt too at the expression on his face, but he had made his choice already.

“A father that loved his daughters equally would not allow this charade to continue,” A*n replied icily.

“A*n…”

“A father that had any love for his daughter would not force the victim in this s*it show to attend and play happy families. You’re a disgrace as a father… to me at least. I’m sure Ada feels differently. If I am not a priority for you, father, then don’t expect to be a priority for me.” A*n interrupted, her voice slightly louder and unafraid of being overheard.

She turned and continued on her way to the ballroom and after a slight pause, her father hurried to catch up and took his place at her side again.

“Who is he?” he asked gruffly, clearly displeased at A*n’s change in character.

“That’s none of your business at the minute. I’ll decide*when and if you meet him in person. For now, I’d rather wait until this whole debacle is over.”

“The least you could do is tell me which Pack.” He replied, the irritation in his voice starting to rise the longer that A*n refused to roll over and tell him what he wanted to know.

“I said no, father!” She hissed furiously.

A*n was struggling to contain the irritation herself, although she was grateful that Maeve had at least settled down and had been quiet for now. Perhaps it was the aura of her father keeping her in check.

“Then what the f*ck am I supposed to tell people if they ask?”

“Figure it out for yourself, father… just like I had to when I realized that my father couldn’t give two sh*ts about the daughter he had with his fated mate. After all, why would he? If he was willing to destroy the bond that the goddess was gracious enough to gift him with, why would he possibly give a sh*t about a child that he fathered with her.” A*n said as she whirled furiously. 1 Her father’s face paled in the face of her fury and he swallowed nervously, a flicker of regret in his eyes. A*n’s heart lurched painfully as she stared at him angrily. The man before her no longer looked like her father anymore. He looked old…almost weak.

When had he become so old?

A*n sighed heavily and looked away, her heart full of pity for the old man standing before her.

“We’re going to end up arriving separately from your wife and daughter. Let’s go, father, before the gossipers get even more out of control.”

A*n stood at the newly erected dais at the forefront of the ballroom with her parents as Ada fussed anxiously at Brad’s late arrival.

The press and socialites had previously been whispering behind their hands regarding A*n’s choice of outfit and many had already correctly identified the colors as belonging to Alpha Nocturne’s Pack.

Not that she told them whether they were right in their assumptions or not. She would leave that to their detective work. It would give them something to do to fill their time anyway. A*n smirked to herself as the whispers now turned to Brad’s lateness to the engagement.

They critiqued his lack of respect for the accepted procedure and Ada’s lack of decorum with her stamping and wailing.