I fisted my hands, trying to remain calm as we drove to the meeting hall
Only the Sovereign Alphas were present for the meeting. If I could have my way, I wouldn’t come to these meetings at all. But what could an aspiring Alpha King do?
Lyric sat beside me, same way the Lunas of the other Alphas sat beside their men.
There were some shitty Alphas I wished I didn’t have to see. People like Zarek and his mate, Chloe.
And of course, Lyric’s shitty ex-Roderick.
He was with another woman-Nora, Lyric’s sister. Looks like they both ended up together.
But it didn’t look like the bastard had moved on yet as he kept glaring at Lyric and !. Like his glares could cause me any harm
My eyes drifted toward Lyric from time to time. Her body was the only thing present. I doubted she could hear a single thing being said in this place or even acknowledge anyone.
She looked pale and a little shaken, her fingers interlocked under the table. Her eyes, they looked distant. I’d never seen Lyric this way before. Who the fuck was this Penelope woman? What did she mean to her?
After an excruciating couple of hours, the meeting finally came to an end. I had this stupid urge to grab Lyric’s arm and pull her to her feet. But like I said, it was stupid. So, I didn’t do it.
She was not a baby. She could very much walk by herself.
I noticed she looked relieved as soon as we reached the car, like she didn’t have to pretend anymore.
*Are you ready to talk now? Can you tell me who this woman is?” I demanded, a little calmer.
I didn’t want to explode on her. She looked too pale, I doubted she’d be able to take any of it.
Yet, she still wouldn’t utter a word. And it was getting on my nerves.
Exhaling a deep breath, I ordered Kael to drive us home.
JARIS
My mother came in not long after I got into my bedroom. I was almost tempted to order her to leave. This woman hardly came with good news.
She asked customary questions like how my day went before dropping the unnerving reason she was there.
“Your sister ran away.”
I was taking off my jacket and paused when her words reached me.
“But they managed to find her,” she adds, calming me the hell down.
For Moon sake, she couldn’t have said that sooner?
“Good,” I mumbled, undoing my buttons next.
“But she wants to come home, and the asylum’s thinking of releasing her.
Like this couldn’t get any worse.
“Mother, please.” I whirled around to face her. “I honestly can’t deal with Maddy right now.”
Remove a ‘d’ and the ‘y’ form her name and you’ll have mad. And it wasn’t even an insult. She really was mad.
“I know, Jaris. But-“
“The last thing I need right now is Maddy on my neck. You know how it is with both of us.”
She never shuts up about our brother. I can’t deal with her.
“But she’s been away for so long. I’ve missed her, Jaris. I want her home.”
“You can visit her anytime you want. There’s no restriction.”
“I know. But it’s not like having her here at home.”
I closed my eyes as I held onto the table for support. I couldn’t do this. I was so close to losing my mind.
“Maddy isn’t coming home. With the Alpha King trials coming up, the last time I need is her kind of distraction. You know what she does to me when she’s around.”
“Oh, Jaris…” She grumbled.
Really, what is so hard to understand?
“She’s not coming home, Mother at least, not now. I have things to do. Please.”
I proceeded to take off my jewelry.
Mother spent a little more time in the room, silent. Then she huffed and left.
I took a shower and had a few more things to cover before retiring to bed. I was in the middle of work when Kael showed up, bringing more work to my table.
“She’s at the bar. Drunk.”
I didn’t even need to ask to know who he was referring to. And it was exhausting that I was already so accustomed to the one person that was a pain in the ass.
“For how long now?” I stared down at the table as I asked.
“Since we got back. She left her room almost immediately and had been there ever since.”
I growled low in the throat. Seriously, what was it with her always getting drunk?
I stood up with a grunt and in a couple of minutes, I was at the entrance of the bar.
The place was a little filled up. It was night, and this was when most people had the time to make merry.
But Lyric was alone, asleep on the counter.
The light chatters of the people died down the moment they saw me. They stood up immediately, some going on their knees.
I strode up to Lyric, getting a clearer view of he like a fucking child. her lips slightly open and drooling. She looked
I huffed. This girl has been a pest from the moment I saw her.
Kael stepped beside me. “Do you want me to carry her? Or should I simply wake her up?”
Huh? Wake a drink Lyric to walk on her own in front of all these people? It’d be beyond embarrassing.
“I’ll do it.” I ground my teeth.
As I gently lifted her head from the table and pulled her backward to my arms, I told myself i was only doing this to create a good impression. I wasn’t the type that gave shit about people’s opinions, but these were my people. A lot of them already thought I was wrong for arriving late to the mating ceremony-so late that all the guests had left, thinking the ceremony was over
Maybe carrying Lyric in my arms would placate their thoughts. Or that’s just what I wanted to beliere,
I glanced at her face as I carried her in bridal style. Her hair was all over her face, further making her look wasted. She mumbled something but didn’t even open her eyes.
She looked so innocent. Like she did most of the time.
Walking out of the bar with her, my mind drifted to the first day I’d seen her. She had been standing right next to her father, having those doe unsullied eyes like she couldn’t hurt a fly and was afraid of getting hurt in return. I could still remember how shocked and nervous she looked when I walked into the room, and the quick disappointment that crossed her face when I walked out on them without uttering a word. She must’ve been really hurt.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.