Chapter five

THE DINNER

ANNIE'S POV

The maid’s knock on my bedroom door made my heart stop.

“Miss Annie, Alpha Karin Voss has arrived.”

I stood frozen, staring at the closed door. My legs felt like they were made of stone. My mind raced with a thousand terrifying thoughts all at once. Did Karin come to expose what happened in his office? Did he tell Victor everything? Was barging into his office the biggest mistake of my life? Was he going to humiliate me in front of my entire family?

My wolf, Liera, was strangely excited. Instead of being nervous like me, she kept urging me to go downstairs.

He’s here. Go to him.

I became annoyed and told her silently to stop acting strangely. I already had enough problems without my wolf behaving like this.

I took a deep breath, fixed my dress one last time, and slowly walked downstairs. Every step felt heavier than the last. My legs were shaking. My hands were cold and clammy. I could hear voices coming from the dining room before I even reached the bottom of the stairs. Victor’s deep voice. Lina’s light laugh. And then a calmer, deeper voice that made my stomach flip.

Karin.

When I walked into the dining room, everyone was already seated. Victor sat proudly at the head of the table, looking like the king of the family. Lina sat beside him, smiling confidently in one of her most expensive dresses. Karin sat across from them, looking calm, cold, and impossible to read. His sharp features and piercing gray eyes made him look even more intimidating in the soft lighting of the room.

The moment I walked in, Karin slowly lifted his eyes and looked directly at me.

Our eyes met.

For a brief second, I felt the same strange feeling I had experienced in his office. My heart skipped a beat for reasons I couldn’t explain. Liera immediately became restless, almost excited, pushing against my chest like she wanted to get closer to him. But I ignored the strange reaction and quickly looked away, my cheeks burning.

Victor cleared his throat. “Annie, sit down and behave yourself. We have an important guest tonight.”

I sat down quietly at the far end of the table, trying to make myself as small as possible. My hands were trembling under the table. I couldn’t believe Karin was really here. After what I did in his office, I expected him to send security after me or call Victor to complain. Instead, he was sitting at our dinner table like nothing had happened.

Dinner began.

Victor spent most of the meal praising Lina. He talked about how beautiful, intelligent, and graceful she was. He proudly discussed the upcoming wedding and how the marriage between the Moonbane and Moonfang families would strengthen both packs. Lina happily joined the conversation, speaking as though becoming Karin’s Luna was already guaranteed.

Throughout the entire conversation, Karin barely spoke. He simply watched everyone, occasionally sipping his drink. His silence made me even more nervous because I had no idea what he was thinking. Every time his gray eyes moved toward me, my heart jumped. I kept waiting for him to say something about what happened in his office. I kept waiting for him to expose me.

Trying to impress Karin, Lina reached for his arm and gently wrapped her hand around it.

“Alpha… I hope dinner is to your liking. ”

Without changing his expression, Karin calmly removed her hand.

“I don’t like being touched.”

The room became awkwardly quiet.

Lina forced an embarrassed laugh and apologized, pretending not to be affected. Victor quickly changed the subject, trying to hide the uncomfortable moment. I secretly noticed everything. I couldn’t understand why Karin rejected Lina’s touch so easily, especially when they were supposed to be getting married. Was he always this cold? Or was there something else?

A few moments later, Karin finally spoke.

His voice was calm and low.

“So…”

“Miss Annie.”

I almost dropped my fork.

Victor looked confused. “You know Annie?”

Karin simply replied, “We’ve met.”

I felt my heart stop.

Victor immediately turned toward me. “When?”

I opened my mouth but no words came out. My throat felt completely dry. My face was burning with embarrassment. I could feel Lina staring at me with suspicion.

Before I could answer, Karin calmly said, “Earlier today.”

The room fell silent.

Lina slowly turned toward me. “earlier?”

I could literally feel the blood draining from my face. I was certain Karin was about to expose everything. I was certain he was going to tell them how I barged into his office, kissed his neck, and slipped my panties into his pocket like a desperate fool. My hands were shaking under the table. My wolf Liera was strangely calm, almost curious, but I was panicking inside.

Instead…

He asked innocent questions.

“So…”

“Do you always visit offices like that?”

I forced an awkward smile. “I… I had something important to discuss.”

“Oh?” Karin’s voice was calm, but there was something in his eyes. Something almost amused. “You usually discuss important matters by barging past security?”

Victor frowned. “What exactly is he talking about?”

My face burned with embarrassment. I shot Karin an angry look, silently begging him to stop. For the first time, I noticed the corner of his lips twitch slightly. Not a smile. Almost… amusement. He was enjoying watching me panic.

After several painfully awkward seconds, Victor laughed nervously. “Well… whatever happened, I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.”

Karin nodded. “You have a wonderful daughter.” He said, sitting up in his chair.

Then Victor proudly placed a hand on Lina’s shoulder. “I’m just happy you’ve finally had the opportunity to spend time with my daughter.”

Karin slowly turned toward Victor.

Then toward Lina.

Then…

Toward me.

The room suddenly felt too quiet.

His next words changed everything.

“I wasn’t referring to Lina.”

Nobody breathed.

Victor forced a laugh. “Alpha… that’s not funny.”

Karin didn’t laugh. “I don’t joke.”

He slowly stood from his chair, straightened his suit and looked directly at Victor.

“I’ve made my decision.”

Victor smiled confidently, believing Karin was about to announce the wedding date.

Instead, Karin said,

“I will not be marrying Lina Moonbane.”

Silence crashed over the room.

Lina’s smile disappeared.

Victor slowly stood.

“What…?”

Karin calmly turned toward me.

His piercing gray eyes locked onto mine.

“The woman I’ve chosen…”

“…is Annie Moonbane.”