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LIVIA

“That’s enough,” Caelan finally said. “I have to be up early tomorrow.”

I hid underneath his desk, fuming at him and the rest of the pack’s elders. I wanted them all to leave, especially him. Because once I was alone with him, I would flip the fuck out. Him with someone else? Someone fucking else?!

After biting my tongue, I balled my hands into fists so tight that my nails sliced through the skin on my palms. Caelan didn’t mean anything to me. He couldn’t. My throat closed, and I tried to swallow. I tried to calm myself down.

Because a she-wolf who couldn’t even shift was nothing to this pack.

I was nothing, and that was blatantly clear.

Caelan stood up and ushered everyone to the door, saying his last goodbyes before he left with me and Dad tomorrow morning for the Capital. I didn’t want to go, but Caelan said he wasn’t going to leave me here alone.

I’d have to dress in those frumpy ball gowns and pretend I was a wolf who could shift, one who could be strong, one who could fight. I had beta-blood running through my body after all. But right now, that blood was hot. Simmering .

What made this all worse was that I would see all those filthy little whores with their grimy little hands all over Caelan. All those royal women would want to talk to him because he was a single, hot bachelor.

Once the door finally closed, I crawled out.

“You good?” Caelan asked.

“Am I good?” I asked back, trying to stay composed, but it was harder every single fucking second I looked at him. My blood was boiling, and I could see red in my peripheral vision. “Yeah, I’m good. I’m so fucking good.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t start.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought it up. All I said was that I’m good.”

“Are you seriously mad?”

“No.” I held my hands up. “I said that I was good. And I’m good.”

A long, heavy sigh left his mouth, and he ran a hand over his face. “I don’t have time for this. We have to be up in three fucking hours, Livia. Please, get some sleep. I don’t want to be carrying your ass tomorrow. It was nothing.”

“I never said it was anything,” I said, though my feet didn’t move toward the door. I glared up at him, nostrils flaring. “I said that I’m good, and I’m good. I don’t know how many times I have to repeat it for you.”

“You’re not good. I can see it on your fucking face. So don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying.”

“You’re lying straight to my fucking face. To your alpha.”

“Oh? You’re my alpha?”

I wanted to scream at him, because if he really was a truly strong alpha, he would’ve chosen me a long fucking time ago. But we both knew that wasn’t going to happen. So he could fuck off.

“I have to get some sleep before we leave tomorrow,” I said, hands trembling. “We have a wedding to attend, don’t we? And there’s gonna be a lot of single men there. Maybe I’ll find a mate.”

“Maybe you’ll find a mate?” he snarled.

“Yeah. A strong alpha from another pack, maybe.”

Another growl left his mouth, making me warm in all the places it shouldn’t.

“You’re going to find another fucking mate? An alpha? Good fucking luck.”

“Oh? Are you good?” I asked with fake sympathy. “I didn’t think that’d have much effect on you, seeing as you don’t care for me as a mate, as you would rather flirt with other girls at this wedding that you’re forcing me to attend.”

“What the fuck do you mean? Don’t play these stupid little games with me, Livia. You know you mean more to me than that.”

“Hm, sure.”

“Livia,” he growled.

“Is me doing exactly what you were planning on doing a problem for you?”

“I was not planning on doing anything,” he said between his teeth, stepping toward me. “I agreed to get them out of my office, so you didn’t have to hide underneath my desk anymore. I’m not going to fucking flirt with any other woman. Have I ever done that?”

I pressed my lips together. “Doesn’t matter if you have or not.”

He still refused to mate me.

“And you know what? Maybe if you were to fucking obey me, I wouldn’t have a problem.”

“Obey you? Lunas don’t obey. They challenge. If you want someone who obeys, then you’re not as strong as everyone thinks you are,” I growled. “And if you’re not as strong as everyone thinks you are, then this pack is going to crumble.”

He exhaled and grabbed my hand. “Livia, I’m trying to protect you. If you value your freedom, maybe you’ll start listening to me rather than charging into danger every single fucking time you can. Do you want your father suspecting anything?”

“Of course not,” I spat out, yanking my arm free of his hold. “But don’t stand there and tell me to ‘obey’ you. I’m not your servant. And if you think that’s how this is going to go, you’re in for a rude awakening.”

“Watch your tone,” he growled, eyes glowing. “No one else speaks to me that way.”

I stomped toward the door, the blood boiling inside me. “Well, I do.”

“We leave bright and early tomorrow morning,” he said. “Be here in three hours, or I’ll drag you out of your bed myself.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Livia,” he growled. “Don’t test me.”

“No promises,” I called over my shoulder. “No freaking promises.”

Wedding this and wedding that. I didn’t want to go at all, and I hadn’t been planning on it anyway. I’d go for the politics of it all, but as soon as I had a chance to slip away, I was going to watch the games at the festival.

Not just any games, but Mortal Combat.

Because seeing two competitors fight to the death was way better than some boring wedding.