He simply continued playing the perfect Alpha host, as if defending me had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
I hated him.
When the music ended, Draven finally stood. Without a word, without so much as a glance in my direction, he turned and walked away.
His Beta, Jeffery followed him, along with another man I hadn’t seen before.
The moment Draven left, the whispers began.
“He’s not spending the night with her?”
“So, it’s true. The Alpha doesn’t care for his new Luna.”
“Maybe he regrets taking her.”
“If he doesn’t respect her, why should we?”
I curled my fingers, my chest tightening with discomfort.
I didn’t care what Draven did. I didn’t care that he left me alone in that hall, surrounded by my enemies. But I hated being the center of their scrutiny. I hated that they enjoyed my humiliation.
Draven’s absence was a ticket to their continued abuse, and I wasn’t about to subject myself to their ridicule.
I needed to leave.
Just as I was thinking of slipping away unnoticed, Madame Beatrice approached my table.
“If you are done with your meal, Luna, I will escort you.”
I exhaled in relief. I didn’t care if Draven had sent her or not-I just wanted to get out of there.
I stood immediately. The whispers and stares followed me, but they faded as I stepped out of the hall.
Finally, I could breathe.
But as I walked down the hallway, a firm familiar voice called out behind me.
“Meredith!”
Meredith.
I stopped, my stomach twisting. Slowly, I turned to see my older brother, Gary. It seemed like he had followed me out of the hall.
Gary strode toward me, his face set in a sneer. His eyes flickered briefly to Madame Beatrice, but then he focused entirely on me.
“I need a moment with my sister,” he said.
I understood the threat beneath his words, and immediately, I glanced at Madame Beatrice and gave her a small nod. “It’s alright. I will speak with him.”
She hesitated, her gaze shifting between us. “I will give you a moment then,” she said to me before finally walking ahead.
The moment she turned the corner, Gary grabbed me. His fingers wrapped around my throat, and he shoved me against the cold stone wall.
I gasped in pain as my hands instinctively rose to pry his fingers away, but I didn’t struggle. Not yet.
My cloud veil shifted slightly but didn’t fall.
Gary’s breath was hot against my cheek. “You good-for-nothing bitch!”
I froze, my nails digging into his wrist. I wonder what I had done to anger him today.
“You think you’re safe here?” His grip tightened slightly. “I saw how those mutts treated you tonight. Even the servants don’t respect you. You don’t have any dignity, Meredith.”
I clenched my teeth.
Then, his voice dropped lower. “Bear a son for Alpha Draven and send the good news home soon. Otherwise…” His fingers squeezed harder. “I will make your life a living hell.”
“Are you two playing some kind of game over there?”
Gary and I both whipped our heads toward the voice.
Draven.
He stood at the end of the hall, his hands clasped behind his back, his golden eyes locked on us.
I stiffened. I had thought he had left.
Gary quickly released me, stepping back before offering Draven a polite nod.
“Alpha Draven,” he greeted smoothly. “I was simply teaching my little sister some manners.”
Draven’s lips curled slightly. Then, he started walking towards us at a steady pace. “You have no right to teach anyone manners in my territory. Especially not my wife.”
I frowned.
He had called me his wife twice now. Once to the servant and now in front of Gary. But this time, there was something different in the way he said it. Something sharp. Something final. As if daring anyone to question it.
Draven stopped right in front of us. His voice dropped, deadly and cold.
“The next time you lay a hand on my wife…” His golden eyes darkened. “I will cut it off and keep it as a keepsake. Is that clear?”
*******
Draven.
Silence settled between us, heavy and charged.
Gary was stiff for a moment before forcing a tight smile. “Naturally, Alpha,” he said smoothly. But his gaze flickered to Meredith one last time, cold and unreadable before he turned on his heel and walked away.
My fingers twitched with the urge to break something. But I let him walk away.
The doors shut behind him, sealing him back in the noise and drunken revelry of the banquet.
Then I turned my gaze to Meredith. She had turned fully to face me now. The fear in her eyes was completely gone.
Interesting.
“You seem to fear your family more than you fear me,” I mused. “Why is that?”
Meredith didn’t answer.
I tilted my head slightly, considering her silence. “I would think I’m far more terrifying than your entire family combined. And yet, you don’t seem to perceive me as dangerous.”
Her lips parted slightly before she closed them again. Then, after a pause, she finally spoke.
“There is nothing to fear about you.”
I let out a quiet chuckle, the sound low and edged with amusement.
Nothing to fear?
Leaning toward her, I let my height tower over her, watching as her scowl deepened. “Little wolf,” I murmured, my voice smooth as silk. “In time, you will see.”
Her jaw tightened.
I pulled back, and my amusement faded just as quickly as it had come. My expression hardened, turning sharp and unreadable.
“What was that back there?” I asked, voice flat. “At the banquet table. What were you doing?”
Meredith frowned, feigning confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I scoffed lightly. “Of course you don’t.”
She really thought I was a fool.
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