Dinner

~Alayasia~

It took everything in my power to keep my face neutral and my body from reacting to him and the bond. The moment he got out of the car, his scent wrapped around me. I’ve always loved the smell of pine and rain. Those scents always calmed me and made me feel immense comfort. To have my fated mate smell like that is amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. There’s no way I can claim my fated mate, and it hurts. 

Clover has taken to whining in my mind as I try to keep myself composed. I can’t show any interest in front of Maxim because he will destroy me and my mate. I’m already dreading what will come when we are alone, and my choice in outfit isn’t even as serious as this is.  

Maxim grips my arm and pulls me away. I was lost in thought and didn’t even realize that it was time to move. We head into the packhouse, and dread starts to set in. “Don’t even think of locking her up, Maxim. I need her to be at dinner.” His fingers dig into my elbow, and I swallow my whimper. Maxim turns to Luna Olivia with a smile. 

“I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing. I’m sure Alayasia wants to check on Zara before dinner.” He turns to me, and I can’t miss the warning in his eyes. I swallow and hope my voice comes out as steady as I need it to be. 

“Of course, Luna. I will just make sure Zara is okay and then join you all for dinner.” She nods and pulls the Alpha along. 

“Hopefully, you find the meal hearty. I swear you lose more and more weight every time I see you.” I watch the Alpha couple slip away and am left with Maxim. My eyes land on him, and I immediately wish I hadn’t. 

“You will do what’s expected of you and act appropriately during this dinner.” I nod swiftly, wanting to be free as soon as possible. “If you do ANYTHING that makes me angry, you will answer for more than that slutty outfit you have on. Do you understand me?” I gulp and nod my head. I should have known better, and after all of these years, you’d think that I’d learn. He yanks my arm back, and I want to cry out at the pain. “Use your fucking words!”

“Yyyyyyes.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, I understand, Maxim.” His gaze slices through mine for a beat before he lets me go with a push. 

“Hurry up and check on your child.” Maxim turns on his heel and walks away. The tears are threatening to spill out, but I can’t afford for that to happen right now. I look up and blink my eyes repeatedly untime the tears fall back. I shake myself off and walk off in the direction of the kitchen. I need to check on Zara. 

~Houston~

I’ve been pacing in this room for a bit now. Something about that woman has stuck in my craw, and I can’t shake it loose. Colby hasn’t claimed her as his mate, but he’s super focused on her. I’m extremely confused and don’t like how this feels. 

My door opens, and Tyrice strides inside. “Hey, are you ready for dinner?” I shrug and push my phone into my pocket. “We don’t have to stay the entire gathering. We just need to stay long enough so we don’t look bad when we dip out. I know you didn’t want to come here, but we’re here now, so we should make the best of it.” I look at Tyrice and roll my eyes. I say nothing because I have nothing to say. My mind is caught in the uncertainty I feel right now. 

I walk toward Tyrice, ready to get this dinner over with. “Let’s go.” I walk past him and into the hall. An Omega appears to lead us to the dining room. I don’t miss the glances that she’s giving us as we walk, but I’m really not interested. I vaguely catch Tyrice making small talk with the Omega, but I don’t care to hear what they are saying. 

Colby starts to prance around in my head the closer we get to the dining room. I’m almost certain that he’s responding to the presence of the Beta female, but I hope that I’m wrong. She’s mated, married, whatever; I have no business even feigning interest in her. 

We walk through double doors to the dining room, and it’s a sight to behold. There are circular tables set up all over with six chairs at each table. There’s a long, rectangular table off to the right side of the room. That’s the ranked table, with the members we met already seated. At the back of the room, there are buffet tables set up, but there’s no food on them at the moment. Maybe they are planning ot serve our meal tonight. 

I follow Tyrice and take a seat next to him at the ranked table. I notice other Alphas are sitting with their Betas at the table, so we aren’t the only ones who decided to arrive early. I have to have the worst luck, because the only seat available to me is right in front of the Beta female. 

I sit across from her and glance up quickly. Her head is down, and her hands are in her lap. She looks defeated, detached from reality. I focus on the empty spot in front of me instead. Whatever’s going on with her is none of my concern.

Dinner is brought to us: sirloin steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rice pilaf. Everything smells good, but I can’t really concentrate on the meal. Too many thoughts are running through my head, thoughts of her. I try to push them away, but I’m failing, and Colby isn’t helping either. 

I keep stealing glances at her throughout the meal. She’s barely eating, mostly pushing the food around on her plate. The Beta isn’t interacting with her or even acknowledging her existence. The Luna is the only one really speaking to her, but it isn’t a flowing conversation. 

Something about this setup doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t know what’s going on in this pack or what’s going on with her, but I want to know. I want answers to my questions before we leave this place.