Chapter 2

In all my years, this was the first time I had met someone arrogant enough to posture in front of me like that. Amused, I tilted my head and asked evenly, "What was it you wanted me to do? I didn't catch it the first time."

Dorian sneered.

"Deaf too? Fine. I said kneel, lower your head, and admit you overstepped."

I laughed.

"Good. I heard you clearly this time."

I looked him over and smiled.

"Since you're so eager to demonstrate how a beaten cur should behave, why not do it yourself first? Kneel. Lower your head. Maybe then I'll decide whether you're worth answering."

The moment he realized he had been played, his face twisted. With a furious shout, he lunged at me, claws bared.

How pathetic.

I had been trained like a warrior since I was young. Dorian actually thought he could lay a hand on me in a place like this. I did not even need to strike back. The instant he came at me, I merely stepped aside.

He missed completely. His own momentum sent him crashing face-first onto the floor.

The crowd gasped.

"Oh my God! He actually did that to Mr. Wraith?"

"If Lady Seris finds out, she'll tear him apart!"

"He's finished. No one can save him now."

I listened to the whispers without the slightest fear. Fear had never meant much to me. My sister, Evelina Duskbane, the Lycan Chairwoman, stood above every pack in this country. No one alive had the right to make me afraid.

I pulled out the black card she had given me and dropped it onto the counter.

"Prepare the papers."

The clerk's hands shook as he reached for the file, his terrified eyes darting between Dorian and me.

He had barely picked it up when Dorian staggered back to his feet and blocked my path.

"You're not going anywhere," he snapped.

I glanced at the dust on his sleeve and gave a faint smile.

"What is it? Want to taste the floor again?"

He flinched at once, and I let out a short laugh.

I had just stepped past him when the front doors burst open.

A tall figure strode in.

The entire jewelry house fell silent the moment she appeared. A powerful pressure rolled through the room, pressing down on everyone like a sudden storm.

My gaze followed a pair of polished heels upward.

So that was Seris Thornhart in the flesh.

She was tall and striking, dressed in a dark silk dress that skimmed her figure without a single crease. Her makeup was flawless, every detail precise, from the sharp sweep of her eyeliner to the deep color on her lips. Diamonds gleamed at her throat and ears, cold and expensive under the lights.

I had to admit it. My sister knew my taste far too well.

The moment Dorian saw her, all his arrogance changed into grievance. He rushed straight to her side, grabbed her arm, and said with reddened eyes, "Lady Seris, he took the car I wanted and even attacked me!"

So this was the woman I was supposed to mate with.

I looked her over from head to toe, then let a slow smile rise to my lips.

"Nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Caelan Ashford, the man chosen for you."

The werewolves around us broke into shocked whispers at once.

"What? He's Lady Seris's arranged match?"

"No wonder he dared offend Dorian. Seris has to defend the man chosen for her this time, right?"

"You're too naive. That depends on who Lady Seris actually cares about."

Seris's gaze finally settled on me, but there was no warmth in it, only cold dismissal.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said. "That absurd mating contract was my father's decision, not mine. I never agreed to it."

At once, Dorian tightened his grip on her arm and looked at me with open triumph.

"You heard her," he said. "Someone like you will never have the standing to bind yourself to Frostfang's heiress."

A few others immediately joined in.

"That's right. Any wolf tied to Lady Seris should be someone with status and strength, not some nobody from a backwater pack."

"He's not fit to speak in the same room as Mr. Wraith."

I looked at Seris one last time, then shook my head and walked past her.

"Do me a favor," I said. "Tell your father to cancel the arrangement."

I did not bother looking back.

"You're not worthy of me."