Chapter 22
ALEXANDER
I was halfway down the corridor, my mind already shifting to the peace of my chambers, when I heard quick footsteps behind me.
“Alexander!”
I didn’t have to turn to know who it was. My sister’s voice was unmistakable–light, sharp, and carrying the kind of energy that rarely meant anything good for my quiet evenings.
I stopped and waited, turning just enough to see Irene closing the distance. She always walked like she was on a mission, even if that mission was simply to irritate me.
She fell into step beside me. “So… how’d the big meeting go?”
I kept my pace steady, hands clasped behind my back. “It was not bad.”
Her brows arched. “Not bad? That’s a vague answer for you.”
“It’s accurate,” I said. “The members were… not exactly welcoming to Faye, but they weren’t completely hostile either.”
I could feel her eyes on me, waiting for me to elaborate, so I added, “Nothing I wasn’t expecting ahead of time, of course I wasn’t expecting them to open their arms to her immediately.”
We turned a corner. Irene was quiet for about three steps…an impressive restraint for her before she spoke again.
“So,” she said slowly, “those pack members disrespected Faye?”
I stopped walking and looked at her. Was she being serious right now? “Disrespected her? No.”
Her eyes narrowed, like she didn’t believe me for a second.
“Irene,” I said, my voice firm, “they might not be… pleased about Faye. She’s from another pack. And yes, she isn’t the one I was originally meant to be mated to. But that doesn’t mean anyone in that room would dare disrespect my mate in my presence. Unless, of course, they’re ready to lose their heads for it.”
Her lips curved in a faint smile, not because she found me amusing, but because she knew I meant every word. A disrespect to my mate is a disrespect to me, and I don’t take that lightly.
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We reached my chambers, and I pushed the heavy door open. She walked in without waiting for an invitation, heading straight for the couch near the fireplace.
I shut the door behind us, resisting the urge to point out that “entering without being asked” was technically rude. Irene didn’t recognize such boundaries around me.
She sat down, draping one arm over the back of the couch, and gave me a pointed look. “Still
…
poor Faye. I can’t imagine how she must be feeling right now, knowing she wasn’t accepted with open arms.”
I crossed the room to the cabinet, poured myself some water, and took a slow sip before answering. “She seemed fine.”
“Fine?”
“Faye strikes me as the strong type,” I said, leaning against the cabinet. “She wasn’t moved by their attitude. Her confidence was… commendable.”
I meant it. She’d stood there, meeting their cold stares head–on, speaking with poise as if she’d been Luna for years. It had been one of the few moments during the meeting where I’d felt something close to pride…though I hadn’t said so aloud.
Irene tilted her head. “That might be true. But just because she didn’t show it doesn’t mean she wasn’t affected. You know how those kinds of stares feel, Alexander. It’s like being measured and dismissed all at once.”
I took another sip, my jaw tightening.
“And,” she added, her tone sharpening, “it’s not helping that you’re not exactly the caring, supportive mate everyone would want in a situation like that.”
I gave her a flat look. “Why would you assume I’m not supportive?”
She gave a humorless laugh. “Please. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
I didn’t answer right away. She wasn’t entirely wrong, but she made it sound as if I’d stood there like a block of ice for sport.
“I was there,” I said finally. “I spoke for her when I needed to. I made it clear she has my protection.”
“That’s not the same as making her feel like she has you. Maybe it’s time you start to let go of your past and warm up to the present.” Irene said quietly.
I set the glass down on the table with a soft click, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Irene, I’m a bit tired. I’d like to rest for a while.” I knew exactly where this conversation was going, and I
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wasn’t interested in heading there right now…or ever again.
She stared at me for a moment, then sighed. “You’re dismissing me.”
“Correct.”
Her eyes rolled, but she stood anyway. “Fine. But you might want to rest while.
I gave her a look that asked, silently, What now?
She crossed her arms. “Mom called.”
That froze me for a second. “And?”
“She already knows your mate is in Blood Crescent.”
I inhaled slowly. “Of course she does.” She knows everything.
you
can.”
“That means,” Irene went on, “she’ll be showing up to meet Faye. Probably sooner rather than later.”
I leaned back slightly, my mind shifting away from exhaustion to the new problem she’d just dropped at my feet. I had almost forgotten about that part–an oversight that now seemed dangerous.
Dealing with Irene was one thing. She was… a storm, but a manageable one. Our mother, however… she was a hurricane that left nothing untouched.
I exhaled through my nose. “Wonderful.”
Irene smirked knowingly. “I take it you’re thrilled.”
“If ‘thrilled‘ means I’d rather face a dozen political disputes than one of her ‘welcome visits,’ then yes.”
She laughed, heading for the door. “Well, you’d better start preparing. You and Faye both have
work to do.”
She opened the door, glancing over her shoulder with a wicked little grin. “Impressing Mom is a full–time job. Good luck with that.”
The door closed behind her, leaving me in the quiet.
1 sank into my chair, staring into the fire. Irene wasn’t wrong, my mother’s approval was never freely given–it was earned, fought for, and maintained with constant effort. And she’d be coming here with expectations so high even I felt the weight of them.
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I thought of Faye, standing in front of the pack today, refusing to flinch under their stares. She’d handled that well. But my mother? That would be another test entirely.
One we’d both have to pass.
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