“Let me be the one to decide that. Let me meet her first, let her tell me herself about her deficiency, and then let me decide if I will accept her or not. You have no right at all to come in here and offer me someone else!”
“Please sir. I know that what I did was wrong, but it will be worth it once you realize the trouble I saved you from. Edwina would not have even told you the truth. She might have wickedly kept it and let you enter a union with her disabilities.”
“How do you know that? Has she done such a thing before?”
“She is my daughter, sir. I know very well the kind of things she’s capable of.”
“Nonetheless, that does not excuse the fact that you should have let me meet her before coming here to say all this.”
“I apologize once again sir, and of course you will meet Edwina after this but please, consider what I said, and also consider the offer I give you to marry my first daughter, Sonia instead. She will make a much finer bride and you will have no fears of your cubs inheriting any such deficiencies. Imagine if you’d marry Edwina, and it turns out that the heir to this seat does not carry the mark of his pack. What would happen then?”
A gasp was heard amongst those seated in the court as the conversation between John and Xander continued. The old man was taking a wrong approach with his actions, but he was making a valid point.
“It took a moment for Xander to see reason before he shook his head, “Enough of this. Please, get out of my court, John Sinclair, and bring Edwina for me.”
John got up from his knees before exiting as he spoke, “your wish is my command, sir. I will send Edwina here right away as I have done my part in letting you know what you’re getting into. It is now left for you to decide the best course that will favor your people in the future.”
***END OF FLASHBACK***
His mind seeped back to the present as he saw his mate, the one he’d longed for that time, the one he’d sadly had to reject to marry her sister. Edwina Sinclair in his office.
He wondered how things would have turned out if he’d chosen to ignore the words of the pack’s circle, if he’d chosen to ignore the words of John Sinclair and just follow his heart instead. Perhaps he wouldn’t have had so much regret. John’s so-called befitting Luna not only hurt him, but had to humiliate him in front of the whole pack, giving his disability and insolvency as an excuse for her foolish pursuits with his beta.
He wasn’t in the marriage for love or anything of the sort, he’d always put his people first in all of his decisions and that’s why he’d taken Sonia instead of her sister. All he wanted was a Luna without any shortcomings, but at the end, he got the worst form of betrayal in a dish served cold.
Sonia was more than happy to take the place of her sister and become Luna. They both had a happy marriage until the worst tragedy befell the pack.
One day, their greatest enemy, the sizzlers attacked with full force that the night howlers never expected, leading them to almost lose everything, but for the inner strength of the pack and the mighty resistance from their best soldiers. Their pack was saved and the remaining sizzlers retreated, but all didn’t end well. Not only did a great number of night howler soldiers die, but the great alpha Alexander lost his ability to walk in battle, leaving him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
He saw his wife’s true colors after this time, as Sonia never failed to hide her despite for him. Xander needed help with a lot of things after the accident, especially feeding and clothing, but not only did Sonia spit at his face when he asked for help, she also swore never to lift a finger for him. He didn’t retaliate to any of her nasty behaviors, he chose not to all those times, but there’s always a limit to how much one can take. Sonia not only hurt his pride deeply as an alpha, but still chose to cross the line by pursuing affairs with his beta, one of his most trusted followers.
The lies, the betrayal, the hurt, they all came from the ones he trusted the most, they all came at his lowest point in life.
“Sir?”
“He rose his head to meet her gaze. She was still standing in front of him in his office. He looked at her deeply this time, her auburn eyes, her dark brown hair, her body, she was so beautiful.”
Edwina had started getting impatient standing there, watching him. What was he thinking about and why hadn’t he said anything for so long?
“Sir?” She called again.
“Yes, Edwina Sinclair. So, you were the one. It took so long for me to recognize you.”
Of course, he would have had difficulty marking out her face, as they had only met once in the past.
“I understand sir, an alpha is so busy with a lot of things. I didn’t expect you to recognize someone like me at all.”
“What happened? You disappeared after that time. I married your sister, and I never even saw you once since after the rejection.”
“I hardly come out much sir, my abilities are limited.”
“So, you went on to marry Benedict, and now here we are, two victims of heartbreak and betrayal. He and your sister sure did a fine job of making a big joke of us.”
“I am sure that if Ben and Sonia knew how much their actions would hurt us, they wouldn’t have done what they did, sir.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just know, sir.”
He sighed, “hmmm. You seem to have a good heart, Miss Sinclair. Maybe things would have turned out better if I’d chosen you instead.”
Edwina didn’t expect those words, she didn’t know how to respond, “I’m…”
“You’re what?”
“I’m sure you did what you thought was best then sir, you are a great alpha, and your people always respect your decisions.”
“Not this one. Marrying your sister is one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made.”
“I am sorry that things didn’t turn out the way you wished for, sir.” She bowed. “We can only hope for better things in the future.”
This is the first time that Xander is getting to meet Edwina Sinclair through the way she speaks, as the people surrounding them both didn’t make room for that five years ago. Some part of him wants to see more, but he doesn’t know if he should take that path yet. She seems very different from how her father described her that time. In fact, she does not seem that bad at all.
“Miss Sinclair?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Thank you very much for your time. I must admit I enjoyed this talk with you. You may leave my office now if there’s nothing left for you to say.”
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