Chapter 4

Emily

My father was impressed, and Hannah and Chloe crowded in to see more.

Hannah pulled me back and tried to force me down the hallway to my room. I refused. We had a conversation to continue, and this was only a momentary interruption. I won’t be pushed aside this time.

“What is all this for?” he asked.

“My Alpha is offering these gifts to the family. I also must speak to the young lady of the house, your daughter.”

“Excellent! Come on in, everyone,” my father said. Several Omegas entered, each carrying an armful of gifts. They were fine items from expensive shops from all around the capital. And there were a lot of them.

I’d never imagined so many designer items. They were always out of my reach. I can’t imagine why the Alpha of Titanfang would want them delivered to our little pack.

“I’d like to speak to your daughter,” answered Beta Anthony. Seeing the gifts, Chloe was quick to step forward.

“I’m his daughter!”

“Were you at the capital yesterday?” the Beta asked.

“Yes, I was.”

“And which hotel were you at?”

“The Gold Sun.”

“Congratulations, my lady. It seems as though the Alpha has fallen in love at first sight. How would you like to be Luna?” Chloe squealed so loud, I had to turn down the volume on my phone.

I wanted to puke. How can Chloe, with her awful personality, be so popular?

Titanfang was one of the largest packs in the area, if not the largest. Its power was immense, and the Alpha was rumored to be running for Alpha King in the near future. It was no shock to me that Chloe would leap on the opportunity to be with him.

Michael, apparently, did not feel the same.

“Hold on, just a second…” he started, but Chloe put her hand on his arm.

“This is an excellent opportunity, Michael. Don’t ruin this for me,” she said. I watched as she squeezed Michael’s arm, and he winced.

Chloe never cared about Michael. All she cared about was getting the highest position possible. Bringing me down at the same time was a bonus for her.

Luna of the Titanfang Pack was an honor. With the Alpha promising to run for King, his Luna would be Queen. It was a title anyone would be envious of.

“If you accept, there will be an engagement party in three days. We will take care of all the details, so all you have to do is show up with your family,” said Beta Anthony. Chloe was beaming from ear to ear.

“That’s fast,” said my father.

“It may be fast, but the Alpha feels strongly about making his relationship official now.”

“Of course. I will definitely be seeing him soon,” Chloe said sweetly.

My father didn’t seem as sure, but a look at the boxes of gifts Beta Anthony brought in seemed to change his opinion.

“What will your answer be?” asked Beta Anthony.

“I’d like to tell the Alpha myself, but I will wholeheartedly accept the proposal.” The forced sweetness in her voice made me sick to my stomach.

Chloe had to have everything. First, she takes my man, and now she is hopping off to the next one at the promise of riches and power.

“Now hold on,” Michael said. He didn’t manage to get Chloe’s attention, so he turned to my father. “We had a deal.”

“There isn’t much I can do, Michael. There is another Alpha involved, and his pack is more powerful. We can’t go against his wishes,” said my father. I shook my head.

They were all just as greedy as the next. It made me worry about the future of the pack. This kind of selfishness would be our downfall.

“That absolutely can’t be true,” said Michael, this time to Beta Anthony, “Last night, I was…” Chloe interrupted him by grabbing his arm and squeezing.

“Come on, Michael, we all know we were playing around,” she said. That sickeningly sweet tone was back in her voice. It made my teeth hurt.

“Playing around?” said Michael’s mother, looking to her husband.

“We already had a deal,” said he.

“Nothing has been made official yet. If this is what Chloe wants, then I won’t stop her,” answered my father. I bit my lip.

Once again, Chloe was lying. How did the Alpha of Titanfang even manage to see her?

“Will you all be there in three days?” asked Beta Anthony. For a moment, I thought he caught me, but it was so fast that I wasn’t sure.

What was that? Why did he look at me?

“Yes!” Chloe promised.

“Thank you. I will report back to the Alpha. Thank you for your time.” Beta Anthony bowed his head, then he and all the Omegas filed out of the room.

“What is going on?” Michael asked Chole as soon as the door was shut.

“Sorry Michael, but this is an opportunity I can’t pass up. It was fun while it lasted, though,” she said, giving him a little tap on the shoulder. His jaw clenched.

“I knew something was wrong!” Michael’s mother suddenly chipped in. “It seems the Alpha was spotted at the hotel with a fling. Now that a rumor has started, he has decided to take action.”Michael’s mother was searching on her phone while the Beta was talking, and now she clearly found something.

Michael’s mother showed my family a picture. Everyone crowded around to take a look at it. I was at the back of everyone, and I stood up on my tip-toes to try and get a look at it.

The picture looked awfully familiar.

It was of a man and a woman, their backs to the camera. They were walking down a hallway in the hotel, arms linked.

Before I had a chance to see any more details though, Chloe put it down.

“As long as I’m marrying the Titanfang Alpha, it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Uh..I’m done with all the humiliation!” Said Michael’s mother.

“Let’s leave! But remember, this won’t be the end of this,” Michael’s father said. He and his wife exited the house, but Michael hesitated. He looked over his shoulder at Chloe, and she smiled at him. He then turned his eyes to me, and I made sure to look away.

I’m not about to go running back to him, if that was what he was expecting.

“This is unacceptable,” grumbled Michael, then he stormed out after his parents.

“Everything is going perfectly!” said Hannah immediately after Michael left, hugging Chloe tight.

“Excuse me,” I said, “what about me? I haven’t gotten so much as an apology.” I’ve been wronged, didn’t I deserve that much?

“Why would anyone apologize to you?” Chloe said with a smirk. “No one but you has done anything wrong.”

“That’s right. Emily, you are going to marry Mr. Baron since you messed everything up,” said my father.

“No, I won’t,” I answered. All anyone ever did to me was use me.

All Gregory Baron wanted was a wife young enough to bear him children. For Michael, it was a pack alliance that would allow Blackwood to grow enough to rival Titanfang.

Then there was Chloe. She’d been bullying me ever since my father married her mother. She had always felt superior than me and prettier than me, and the fact that my wolf was dormant only made her feel better about herself.

“Young lady,” said my father, “if you don’t marry him, you will be punished.”

“Fine, then punish me!”

“You are confined to your room. Think about your future, and the future of the pack. You’ll stay in there until you agree to marry Gregory Baron!”