Chapter 154
Claire’s POV
In the Royal Pack, Ivan and I met with the Alpha King for brund at his palace. The King had been very nice to me, even greeting me by name. He had been less nice to Ivan, ignoring high entirely and refusing to shake his hand.
Now, as we were sitting around a small table, the brunch items being served, an awkward silence had settled in around us. Neither the Alpha King nor Ivan seemed content to even so much as look at each other. This was particularly frustrating because this entire thing had been Ivan’s idea.
“I trust your travel wasn’t too precarious, Claire,” the Alpha King said. “I know you brought luggage for an overnight trip, but I imagine you will want to return as quickly as possible.”
“I don’t know if that’s necessary…” I said, though I was getting the feeling that Ivan and I weren’t truly welcomed. Perhaps if Ivan put in more effort here, we could turn this exchange around.
I pointedly glanced at Ivan, hoping to give him a hint about what he should do here.
Seeing me, he cleared his throat. “We came here to seek your approval for our engagement. And I don’t intend to leave until we have it.”
That… was probably not the best way to earn the King’s favor. Antagonizing him seemed opposite of our plans and intentions.
The King glowered at Ivan a little. “I’m not sure a lengthy stay will be needed for you to see how I stand on things.” Gods, if I didn’t step in and do something, this was going to go south very fast.
This was supposed to be a jovial occasion, a symbol more than an actually means of cancelling an engagement. But, symbol or not, if the king didn’t approve the match, the engagement wouldn’t move forward.
Ivan and I would be stuck in a kind of limbo, never actually able to become husband and wife, or Alpha and Luna.
I didn’t come this far, determined as I was, to back out now because of some mysterious hostility between the King and Ivan. “Alpha King,” I said in my sweetest, most demure tone of voice.” must admit that I am ignorant for the reasons behind some of the tension at this table, but I am hoping that we can move past whatever this is. I would request if you could see it in your heart to approve this match so we could move forward with our wedding plans.”
The Alpha King frowned a little. “I’m not sure…”
“I was an orphan,” I told him. For some reason, I felt safe to open up to him more than I had to anyone else in years. “As such, I never had a real family of my own. I bounced around from place to place. I made the most of where I was, but it was difficult. More than anything, I just wanted a family of my own.”
His eyes softened. “My dear…”
“I have my children now, and I love them dearly. But those children need a father. And I need a mate.”
The King looked between Ivan and me, back and forth, like he was sizing us both up.
“I find myself wishing for you to have a happy life, my dear,” he said. “But are you certain this man will be the source of that happiness. Are you sure that Ivan is the one you want?”
This was my moment of truth. What I said here, I was certain, would determine everything that happened after. I could sabotage my engagement, and have it end. Or, I could push for it to actually happen, and likely then, it would.
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00:14 Mon, Feb 200
Chapter 154
In a split ment. I made my choice
Loid “Ivan is the one I want
Inside of my heart, a litle voice whispered, Lian
As much as I tried not to, I couldn’t help but think of Gideon. I hated how he invaded my thoughts even here, even now, as I was trying to pledge myself to another man.
It seemed there was no escaping him. At least, when my foolish lieart had it’s way.
All the more reason to push forward with Ivan, I knew. The sooner I became Ivan’s Luna, the sooner my heart could finally forget all about Gideon.
Gideon’s POV
I was merely walking by the dining room while the children were having their afternoon snack when I heard them speaking to one another.
I wasn’t intending to pay it any mind. But then I heard Ivan’s name.
“Mom and Uncle Ivan are going to get married,” Nova said. “Did you see the ring he got her?”
“The square one?” Leo asked.
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t like it,” Leo said.
“Yeah…”
Against my own willpower, my heart started racing in my chest, taking on a quick pace. I had known that Ivan and Claire were in a relationship. That much had been clear, but I didn’t know that they were intending to be married.
I’d been wrong about so many things in the past. I’d made unfair assumptions about Claire and Ivan both. But there was something not right about any and all of this.
Maybe I was just looking for excuses to want to break up this match. I didn’t like it, I couldn’t even lie about that.
But… when Nova had mistakenly believed that Ivan had a picture of Claire on his desk, I had sneaked in and looked. There had been a framed photo of a woman on Ivan’s desk, but it hadn’t been Claire. The resemblance was uncanny though, the woman looking very much like Claire.
Or maybe Claire looked like her.
Remembering that now gave me a strange sort of feeling. I didn’t know who that woman was but I had a strange kind of urge to find out now.
The similarities seemed too close. What if Ivan’s intentions toward Claire weren’t genuine? What if he was just using her to fill the void someone else had left?
Stepping away from the kids, not letting them know of my presence or their having been overheard, I called for Xavier and met him in my office.
The file he had investigated on Ivan was still sitting on my desk. Looking through it once more, I reread some of the details about the rumors that Ivan had been in love with the Luna Queen at the time. The woman who had tragically died.
“Xavier,” I said. “I need a photo of the Luna Queen. The one that Ivan was rumored to have been in love with.”
09:14 Mon, Feb 2
Chapter 154
She would have died when I was young, so I did not remember her. The Alpha King had never remarried.
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All of this could be a coincidence. Maybe I was grasping at straw because I didn’t want Claire to marry someone else. There were many feelings and emotions between us that remained unsorted. I had no idea if she could feel it too, but from my end, it was unbearable.
I was also likely biased against Ivan for his overall standoffish behavior.
And for the way Claire ran to him when she could have come to me.
Yet, even if I was chasing after nothing, I felt I had to.
If Ivan was planning on hurting Claire, I would stop him.
AD
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