Chapter 29
FAYE
I could tell the moment Irene and I stepped into Alexander’s office that we were in trouble. Of course the plan was to make him mad, but not this level of mad.
I know it sounds childish, but the only way I can handle coexisting with him is by making him see that he can’t control me. But I knew this was about to backfire.
He was behind his desk, shoulders squared, jaw tight, eyes locked on us in that way that made the air in the room feel heavier. His hands were flat on the desk, as though he was trying to anchor himself in place so he didn’t leap across it and throttle us both.
It’s not that serious for goodness sake.
The door clicked shut behind us. The sound was far too loud for my liking.
Irene walked in like she didn’t notice, or maybe didn’t care that the Alpha of the Blood Crescent Pack looked ready to explode. She even sat down with a small, polite smile. I followed her lead, but my stomach was a knot.
As we settled into the chairs opposite him, Irene leaned slightly toward me, her voice barely a whisper.
“He’s mad,” she murmured, her lips twitching like she was suppressing a grin.
“Stop it,” I said quietly. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop my own laugh. Great. Exactly the kind of attitude that would keep this meeting short… and by short, I meant ending
with the both of us storming out.
Alexander took a slow, deliberate breath, the kind you take when you’re clinging to your temper by the thinnest thread. His eyes flicked between us, cold and assessing like he was about to scold some teenagers.
“What,” he began, each word clipped, “were the two of you thinking…going out without telling
me? ”
I straightened slightly, opening my mouth to explain…well, maybe not explain so much as defend…but he lifted a hand, palm out, cutting me off before I could get a single word out.
That little gesture burned more than I wanted to admit. My mouth snapped shut, but something inside me tightened. He didn’t even want to hear me out? Not even a token attempt at letting me speak? That was disrespectful to me, but I forced my expression to be neutral and swallowed the sting. Fine.
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His gaze shifted to Irene like I wasn’t even in the room.
+25 Points
“Faye is new here,” he said, voice lower now but still sharp enough to cut, “and she doesn’t understand certain things about our pack yet. I can understand that. But you, Irene…” His tone hardened. “You should know better. Leaving the pack house without telling me or taking precautions is reckless. We have enemies, and you know that.”
Irene blinked, caught off guard for maybe half a second before her eyebrows rose.
“Enemies?” she repeated. “You’re acting like I went out in the middle of a war. Alex, there hasn’t been a single serious security issue in Blood Crescent territory for years–years–even before Father died. What exactly are you so worried about?”
Her casual tone was like tossing oil onto an open flame. I watched Alexander’s nostrils flare just slightly, his grip on his desk tightening, still, he didn’t raise his voice. He ran a hand through his hair.
He leaned back in his chair. “Listen to me, Irene…whether or not there’s a threat right now isn’t the point. The point is, I want to know where you are at all times. If you don’t want to tell me directly, fine, tell someone. Or take a bodyguard with you.”
His voice was even, but there was an edge of steel under it that made the room feel smaller. I wonder if there’s something else behind his paranoia, because it didn’t seem normal.
I sat there, silent, weighing my options. Part of me wanted to stand up and leave–make it clear I didn’t appreciate being dismissed earlier. But that would have been a spectacularly bad move.
He wasn’t just my mate, he was the Alpha, and I was in his pack house. If my mother had taught me anything, it was to hold your tongue until you could speak without making a fool of yourself.
Irene gave a soft scoff. “I’m a wolf, Alex. You expect me to walk around with a bodyguard every time I leave the house?” She gestured vaguely toward the door. “Like some fragile
human who can’t cross the street alone?”
“That’s not what I mean, Alexander replied, calm. “I’m not going to insist on the bodyguard if you hate the idea so much. But you will inform me before you go anywhere henceforth. That is not up for debate.”
His words landed like stones.
Irene tilted her head, one brow arching in challenge. “And if I don’t?”
His eyes darkened just slightly, the faintest sign of the Alpha pushing to the surface. “I wasn’t
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asking, that’s an order.”
23 points
Irene’s lips pressed into a line. For once, she seemed to realize this wasn’t a game she could win by being clever. After a moment, she sighed, throwing up her hands.
“Fine. If it’ll help you sleep better at night, I’ll let you know.”
Alexander didn’t look relieved, but frustrated, like this whole thing was beneath him but he couldn’t let it go. His jaw worked for a moment before he finally said, “Good.”
The tension in the room didn’t ease, but at least it didn’t get worse.
Irene leaned back, her posture all nonchalance again. “Is that all?”
“Yes,” Alexander said after a pause. “You can go.”
She stood, brushing invisible lint from her clothes. I got to my feet as well, ready to escape this suffocating room, but before I could take a single step, his voice stopped me.
“Not you, Faye.”
The words froze me in place.
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