Vivian examined Alicia's face, neck, and legs as if searching for some intriguing marks, but to her disappointment, she found nothing.
"I was telling Ellis that you might be late today. Glad to see you're on time!" Vivian remarked, pulling Alicia in for a warm hug.
"Late? Did you think I'd be hungover from the wine?" Alicia asked, wary of Vivian's intentions. She wanted to push away this dangerous she-wolf who reeked of strong perfume. Who knew if Vivian was putting some sinister chemicals in the perfume to hurt her?
"It seems like the new product's side effects didn't affect you at all. You were lucky to escape last night," Vivian said with a sigh. "Otherwise, do you think you would still be talking to me today as a member of the Wilton Family?"
Alicia realized that Vivian was unaware of what happened to her last night. So it wasn't Vivian who had arranged for Alpha Damian Howard to show up.
"I won't let you hurt me again," Alicia said, her voice low.
"We'll see you try! Sooner or later I'll kick you out of the pack and turn you into a rogue," Vivian threatened her, still wearing her perfect smile.
"If you threaten me after you become Luna of the Golden Moon Pack, I might actually feel scared." With that, Alicia turned and walked briskly toward the meeting room. Only the moon god knew how worried Alicia was that Vivian would not be able to resist tearing her apart as she turned around.
Luna Ceremony was a forbidden term for Vivian, as everyone in the pack knew.
Vivian was Alpha Ellis' mate as well as his fiancée. However, it was said that there was no mate pull between Alpha Ellis and Vivian, which meant that Alpha Ellis had no feelings for his mate. Despite their two-year engagement, Alpha Ellis hadn't specified when the Luna Ceremony would take place.
Alicia wondered if Vivian was targeting her because of her suspicion that something was going on between her and Alpha Ellis. They were just friends, but Vivian seemed to be imagining things.
Regardless of the reason, Alicia couldn't let the pack know what had happened to her last night. Her father worked hard for his company and the Scarlett Pack. He couldn't afford the consequences of her affair.
As Alicia stepped into the meeting room, the scent of lavender instantly captivated her senses.
Her eyes widened as she recognized the source to her right - Damian Howard? What was he doing here? He wasn't from the Golden Moon Pack. Was he a friend of Alpha Ellis? Did he come to divulge what had occurred last night after learning she was with the Golden Moon Pack? Alicia wondered as her heart began to race.
Carefully stepping behind a marble column about 25 feet away, she attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation to find out what they were discussing.
"It's a little rushed. I've only been back in L.A. a short while and I'm here to discuss our cooperation. I didn't know you were having a pack meeting today," Damian said, as Alicia tried to keep her breathing steady.
"Mr. Howard, you're too kind. I'm delighted to have the chance to work with you. If you have some free time, why don't you stay for lunch and try the chef's braised beef?" Alpha Ellis invited, causing Alicia's heartbeat to return to normal.
She realized that Damian was probably unaware that she was related to Alpha Ellis.
But Damian had caught a whiff of red wine as soon as Alicia had entered the room. While he spoke to Alpha Ellis about their cooperation, his gaze was fixed on his mate's direction. Eventually, he noticed Alicia standing behind the pillar to their left. Ellis also noticed Damian's lack of attention and followed his gaze to see Alicia.
"Alicia, there you are," Ellis said, calling out to her.
As she stepped out from behind the column, Damian surprisingly greeted her with a smile, apparently not taken aback by her appearance.
"Mr. Howard, this is Alicia, my sister-in-law," Ellis introduced, watching Damian's expression with a complicated look before turning to Alicia. "Alicia, this is Mr. Howard, Alpha of the Moon Halo Pack."
"Pleasure to meet you, Alicia," Damian smiled as he extended his right hand.
"Alicia Wilton, nice to meet you too, Mr. Howard," Alicia replied by extending her own hand to shake his, but she pulled it back as soon as their palms touched. She didn't want any more physical contact with him, but as he was a guest of the Golden Moon Pack, she had to tolerate his presence.
"Alicia, if you're free, why don't you take Mr. Howard to the rose garden in the courtyard? He's looking for a landscaper, and since you work in landscaping, perhaps you could chat," Ellis suggested.
Oh! No! Alicia's heart sank.
Although her job involved landscaping, she was just a junior designer in the company and wasn't allowed to handle the entire project on her own. Furthermore, she didn't want to stay with Damian.
"Thanks, Ellis, I'd love to. But I am really sorry. But I can't handle the client independently yet. So..." Alicia said with a smile that had absolutely nothing to be sorry for.
"That's okay, you guys talk first. You can listen to Mr. Howard's ideas and give some opinions." Ellis said and turned towards other guests, not giving Alicia a chance to refuse.
Alicia put on a smile, but her heart sank. She wished Ellis hadn't pushed her into this conversation. She didn't want to talk to Damian, let alone listen to his ideas. As she took a step back, her mind raced, trying to come up with a way to get out of this situation.
But Damian beat her to it. "I didn't expect to see you so soon, Mrs. Wilton," he said with a smile that sounded like a deep cello.
Alicia tensed up at the sound of his voice. She turned to face him, her expression guarded. "I don't think it's anything to be happy about. What do you want?" she asked.
"Are you still angry about last night? Or..." Damian took a step forward, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Because I left in such a hurry this morning and didn't have sex with you again, so you think I'm no good? You want to dump me?"
Alicia recoiled, taking a step back. Her cheeks burned with anger and embarrassment. "How dare you say that to me!" she hissed.
Damian smirked, looking unconcerned. "What? Are you worried the others will know what happened last night? I'd be interested to see their reaction," he said with a wry smile. Alicia sensed the threat in his words and her heart pounded in her chest.
"Please don't say another word about what happened last night! You know if I get in trouble, you won't have a smooth day either," Alicia warned, turning to leave the room.
But Damian wasn't done. "Emm... I'm very, very scared!" he said sarcastically, deliberately crossing his arms and pretending to be scared as he caught up with her.
When they reached the front patio, Alicia held out her finger and pointed to a spot ten feet away from them. "There is a rose garden. Please make yourself comfortable. I have things to do, bye." She hadn't planned to visit the rose garden with this man who smelled of her favorite lavender.
"You've married Tobias Wilton if I remember correctly. " Damian said. His words managed to stop Alicia in her tracks.
"So what?" Alicia asked.
"Alpha Ellis requested your company for a stroll in the garden just five minutes ago. Are you planning to go against his wishes? I overheard someone mentioning that her husband is Alpha's brother, making her a member of this pack. It seems that certain members don't feel the need to abide by Alpha's commands," Damian remarked with a hint of amusement in his voice.Alicia hesitated, feeling conflicted. "It's only a suggestion from Alpha, Mr. Howard," she muttered, unsure of how to proceed."Can I assume that leaving a guest alone on the patio is the Golden Moon Pack member's way of treating guests?" Damian still maintained his friendly grin.Alicia sighed, sensing that Damian would not let her leave without a chat. "I apologize, Mr. Howard. Please allow me to show you the garden," she relented."Thank you, Allie," Damian said with a grin, earning a disapproving look from Alicia."Don't call me that, please. These are the Summer Damasks on the left," Alicia pointed out, introducing Dami
Alpha Ellis didn't pry into Alicia's personal affairs and instead asked the butler to arrange for a driver to take her back to downtown. Alicia knew she could always count on Alpha Ellis to look out for her like family. In fact, she considered him to be part of her inner circle.Alicia suspected that Alpha Ellis was taking care of her on behalf of his brother Tobias. She was grateful for his kindness, but deep down, she couldn't shake off her reservations about the Wilton family, particularly Tobias.When Alicia had first joined the pack, she had asked Tobias about her husband, only to be met with vague responses. On the other hand, Alpha Ellis had always been approachable and easy to talk to.FLASHBACKOne year ago."How are you settling into the new apartment?" Alpha Ellis asked as he handed Alicia a steaming cup of coffee."It's great, thank you," Alicia replied, taking a sip.She should have asked Alpha Ellis about Tobias earlier, but with her busy schedule and the chaos of moving
"Remember the designer evaluation a month ago? Mr. Howard saw your design work and said he really liked it. So he came here today to ask you to design his villa's courtyard. Go meet him in the first conference room," Nadia said in a rush."Allie, this is a great opportunity. You should take it," one of her colleagues said."Absolutely. And once you seal the deal, Alpha Rhett can take you out to dinner," another colleague added, sounding envious.Alicia tried to hide her surprise. She knew Mr. Howard wouldn't have come to her directly, considering her boss Mr. Rhett was even better than her. and an Alpha of the King of Rogues level should be in charge of the boss himself in Shinfancy.However, she was shocked that Mr. Howard had found her workplace so quickly. Perhaps Alpha Ellis had something to do with it.When Alicia entered the conference room, she caught a whiff of lavender emanating from Damian's skin.Damian was already seated and flipping through the studio's design magazine. H
"Of course not," Rhett said and scanned Alicia and Mr. Howard, his eyes flickering back and forth between them. Finally, he fixed his gaze on Alicia, drinking in the deep olive green of her eyes. "Allie, since Mr. Howard trusts you, this time the project will be yours," he said in a soft yet firm voice."Thank you, Mr. Rhett. I won't let you down," Alicia replied, her heart pounding with excitement."Excellent," Damian interjected, though he thought Alicia should have thanked him first. Still, seeing the radiant smile on her face made the few hours he'd wasted here worthwhile.Lilith, however, was less enthusiastic. "Congratulations, Alicia," she said, her words squeezed out through gritted teeth.Rhett placed a reassuring hand on Alicia's shoulder. "You have a talent for design, Allie. My colleagues and I, even members of my pack, will support and assist you in any way we can. Make the most of your talents," he said, his gray-blue eyes full of admiration.Damian noticed Rhett's hand
From: DamianSubject: Your ProgressHi Beautiful.Just in case you miss me while you're designing my courtyard for me, I thought it necessary to send this email to check on your progress.How is the design coming? I have no doubt it's going to be amazing, given your talent.I do have a few requests though. I'm a fan of simple, elegant designs. Think of lots of greenery and water features. And if you could add a spot for stargazing, that would be fantastic.I can't wait to invite you to a wine tasting in the new courtyard you designed for me.By the way, do you ever miss that one night we spent together? Because I sure do...Regards,Damian HowardWithout noticing the corners of her lips turning up, Alicia quickly read through Damian's email.She had to admit his email was perfectly timed, although the flirtatious tone made her heart beat faster. If she hadn't been married, she might have been thrilled to accept Mr. Howard's offer of a drink with him in the first courtyard she'd ever d
"I'm Tobias Wilton," said the voice on the phone.Alicia's hand trembled as she lifted the phone to her ear. Was this a dream, or some kind of fraud? "I'm sorry, who did you say you are?" she asked, her voice quivering."It's Tobias, your husband. Ellis gave me your number," the voice replied calmly.Alicia's heart skipped a beat. Her husband? Could this really be him? "Are you... are you really him?" she stammered."I understand your suspicion, Alicia. We've never met before, and it makes sense that you would suspect me of being a fake or a fraud. [COUGHING]" Tobias replied, his voice tinged with a cough. "I just heard Ellis mention you, so [COUGHING] I suddenly wanted to talk to you and wonder about you."Alicia couldn't believe it. Her husband was calling her out of the blue. "Are you okay? Are you sick?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice as she heard Tobias coughing."I'm fine, don't worry. It's an old problem," Tobias replied. "So, how are things with you? How's life in
Ellis raised an eyebrow, "Honestly, I was shocked when you told me Alicia was your mate. From what I've observed this year, she seems like a kind and simple girl, but I don't have the luxury of keeping an eye on her 24/7," he said, taking a sip of his black tea and continued, "I'm not sure if she's behaving as she usually does. So, perhaps there's no need for you to contact her in two identities.""But neither of us truly knows her," Damian retorted, brandishing his smartphone at Ellis. "That's why I tested her in the other identity. You see? She wasn't the least bit suspicious and even responded to my message. She's quite an interesting she-wolf."Ellis sighed. "As long as your mate doesn't interfere with our revenge plans, I don't mind staying your business partner," he said, setting down his teacup and preparing to leave."Speaking of mates, Ellis, keep an eye on yours. I don't want another accident to befall Alicia," Damian warned and his expression darkened.Ellis hung his head a
"Hey guys," Rhett began, addressing the group of designers in the conference room."As you all know, Alpha Damian Howard appointed Allie as his landscape designer, but Lily expressed some concerns about this decision, given Alpha Damian's identity and background. So I gave her the chance to be part of the project if she had any good suggestions." He turned his gaze to Lilith and Alicia, who were sitting across from him.Lilith was beaming with confidence, while Alicia appeared to be lost in thought, preoccupied with something else entirely."Thus far, I've received drafts of Lily and Allie's designs. However, I've found a serious problem," Rhett announced, turning on the projector. On the screen appeared two general outlines of designs that looked eerily similar. Rhett flipped through slides, showcasing the garden, pool, and sculpture designs. They were almost identical.Alicia stared at the screen in disbelief. How could Lilith's design be almost identical to hers? She felt like her