IV: Pride and Pretence

Dorian lightly drummed his thigh as they rode home. There was a song in his throat, some light cheery thing he had heard over the radio and had stuck to his head for some reason. Ryker eyed his father, it was weird seeing him this excited over something, but he didn’t want to ask. He didn’t want to find out why he was excited.

“Melissa!” Dorian entered the pack house with a sing-song voice, a proud smirk on his face. His aura was welcoming and enchanting, the wide smile on his face making some of the staff smile a bit.

“Good day, Alpha,” the maids lining the entrance greeted Dorian.

“Yes, how are you?” He smiled at them and they looked among themselves, confused and unsure if they should respond to him. It was rare for him to be this happy, other days, he would come home with a sore face and hunched back like the weight of the world had been shoved on his shoulder.

“Melis- where’s my Luna?” He asked another maid who was closer to the stairs.

“Alpha, she’s -”

“Honey?” Melissa stepped out of the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist. Dorian sighed and whipped her into his arms.

“I told you to leave the kitchen duties for the maids, hm?” he looked into her eyes, then his eyes flickered to her lips and placed a quick kiss on it. She gasped and sucked in breath when he finally let her go.

“What happened? Why are you so excited?”

“You should have seen the way our son decked the fuck out of that stupid Magnus’ boy. Turns out, they raised a pussy,” he chuckled like a pre-schooler.

“Dad, you weren’t even there,” he muttered and shoved past the couple. All this was a facade to him, he knew they weren't happy with each other, he saw them when they were alone, no chemistry, not even a reaction. It felt like they had been forced to be together for some reason.

“Doesn’t mean I’m not proud of you, son!” Magnus shouted after his son who walked up the stairs, unbothered.

“Dinner will be ready in an hour!” Melissa called after him and he shrugged.

An hour later, Ryker trod down the stairs for dinner, he fingered the phone in his hand scrolling through his social media feeds as he made his way toward the dining table. There was a subtle chatter coming from the table from his parents.

“Champ, how are you feeling?” His father asked him, the excitement of the afternoon still lingering around his aura.

“I’m good,” Ryker grunted, not in the mood to match the energy of his father.

“Babe, the meal is so good,” Dorian complimented as he placed another muscle in his mouth, then leaned and pecked her cheek. Ryker rolled his eyes, he just wanted to be in the comfort of his room.

“So, I talked to Brie earlier today,” Dorian stared at his son through the hood of his eyes, eyeing every reaction he made. Ryker tensed and placed the utensil calmly on the plate.

“Yeah, what did she say?” He asked, disinterested in what his father wanted to say. He didn’t truly care for Brie or how she was doing, it was his father who cared about her.

“She misses you, and she says you haven’t called her back since the last time you went out with her,” the excitement slowly dwindled.

Ryker sighed and folded his hands, “she should take the hint and know when she is wanted,” he muttered.

“Ryker,” his father’s tone was clipped and had dropped into its firm one, warning him. Ryker sighed again, and picked up the utensil, “I will call her back.”

“When?”

“Honey, can we talk after dinner? The food is getting cold,” Melissa placed a hand over his arm and he cast a sharp glare at her. She calmly took her hands off and continued eating.

“I don’t know, Dad, soon.”

“Do you understand how important this union is for our pack?” Dorian sat upright, his face now grim and annoyed.

“Yes,” Ryker spoke through gritted teeth.

“I don’t think you do. Do you enjoy the fact that we are perpetually dependent on that stupid pack Magnus runs for resources? Do you like the fact that they have their thumbs over our heads and can quash us at any time?”

“If they are that important to us, why the fuck aren’t we playing nice?”

“Language, boy,” the words came out of Dorian’s mouth with great effort. Ryker fell back into his chair, using every effort to keep his mouth shut.

“After dinner, you will go upstairs and call that girl, fix a date and ensure you give her a good time. We need this union so we can become the strongest pack, and not rely on Obsidian any longer.”

Ryker ground his teeth in annoyance, gripping the edge of the table with firmness, then breathed out gently.

“What if I find my mate?” Ryker asked softly. He had always harbored the thought: what if he found his mate? He would have to end whatever sexual rubbish he had with Caelan and he would have a shield against Brie. His father had to respect that.

Dorian bent his head and guffawed, the sound of the laughter ricocheting in the empty room.

“You fucking reject her, that’s what you do. Unless your mate is Brie…then it’s sealed.”

Ryker didn’t respond, he just stared at his food while the sound of cutlery scrapping the plates filled the room. This was why he hated dinner with his family, the façade would break and his father would want to use him.

“Do you have any Intel about their pack?” Dorian asked offhandedly. Ryker didn’t even care about Intel, he couldn’t be within a few meters of Caelan, talking more than listening to gossip about his pack.

“No.” He pushed the chair backward, “Thank you for the amazing food, Mom, but I’ve lost my appetite.” He left the dining. His mother gave a tight-lipped smile, afraid that she would say the wrong thing that would put them at loggerheads once more.

“Make sure you call Brie!” Dorian shouted after him as he climbed the stairs.