Alarick's POV
After working in my suite, I showered and got dressed for dinner. The conversation I dread so much was fast approaching. Erik, one of the family's oldest loyal servants, who works in the pack house all year round, found me and announced, "The dinner is ready, and Mr. Lowell and Mr. Shaw are waiting for you." I made my way to the dining hall expecting the worst since things mostly don't work my way when Seth is involved. Judging by my last encounter with Seth, I could imagine it had something to do with Lina since he saw both of us in the restaurant. But I can't make up my mind what he could have up his sleeves against me this time. To my knowledge, it is not forbidden for me to engage in a relationship with a human as long as I don't plan to marry one, which I most certainly didn't. Even though I only met Lina for one day, our meeting was already inconveniencing me. I made the right choice by breaking up all my connections with her. Here I am, involuntarily thinking about her again due to the situation, though I came here to get her out of my mind.
My father and Seth sat at the dining table, their faces filled with excitement and pride. As always, they looked dignified.
The table was set with fine china and crystal glasses, a symbol of the family's wealth and status. Seth had a smug look on his face, his suit perfectly pressed and his hair slicked back. My father had a calculating expression, his expensive suit tailored to perfection. As I took my seat at the table, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about what they wanted to discuss.
"Alarick, your timing was perfect. It can't almost be a coincidence that you arrived here today. It must be fate. How long are you planning on staying?" Seth explained before I had the chance to sit down. I made my way to my place at the table and sat down. "Well, I was planning on staying for the whole week," I replied, still trying to figure out what they wanted.
"Seth has informed me that he saw you at the restaurant with a girl yesterday. I was very pleased since it's the first time you showed interest in a girl since you came back." My father announced, full of pride. I was surprised by his reaction, but I still wanted to clarify, "This must have been a misunderstanding, as I already tried to explain to Seth that I was there for a business lunch." "If that's the case, then it's even better. It would be unfortunate if you would have to break up with your new girlfriend," he explains, feigning actually to care about me or my feelings. The first course is, fortunately, being served, and our conversation is interrupted, and we start eating quietly. From my father's last statement, I assume they finally found a fiancé for me. That's what they wanted to talk about.
Just when I was thinking about throwing myself into the single pool again, they want me to settle down. As expected, their plans never seem to align with my plans and desires, but since I had already decided to abide by their wishes, I didn't oppose them. Even though my marriage should be of interest to me, it truthfully isn't, and I didn't ask any further questions and decided to enjoy the meal in front of me. My father and Seth were a bit surprised by my behavior and also at a loss for words. They obviously expected a reaction, but I wasn't going to give them what they wanted. I was taught to keep my emotions to myself, be brave and unapproachable and that's what they're going to get. They exchanged glances until Seth decided to take action, "Well, coincidentally, on the day I met you at the restaurant. I was there discussing your engagement. Through your uncle, we received word that the daughter of the alpha from Sage City is studying at Wolfsville University at the moment, and by chance, she also hasn't found her mate yet and is just at the right age to get married. Sage is not as organized and developed as Wolfsville, but it surely has potential due to the number of wolves in their pack and their magical skills. A union between the Sage pack and Wolfsville would benefit us all."
There it is again, the reminder that my responsibility as the alpha and as a CEO will always outweigh my own wishes. A reality I already accepted a long time ago, but deep inside of me, I always knew I wanted more but the truth is that there is nothing more to gain than power and status for the members of the Full Moon pack. "So, what would be the next step?" I asked barely in order to know what I had to prepare myself for. "We wanted to call you to the family residence this weekend in order to hold a party for your future fiancé. We were informed that your future wife loves parties; therefore, a party would be the perfect event for you to get acquainted with her," Seth explains. "Furthermore, this would be the perfect occasion to get warm with the pack members and some of the important humans that are around your age. We already informed everyone, and your fiancé already accepted, but she requested to come with some of her friends. All that is left to do is for you to arrange the party according to your needs and also for you to be present," my father added with a slightly demanding tone. "Leon already started planning the party, so if you need to make changes, you can contact him," Seth continues.
We were so consumed by the conversation that we were a bit surprised by the servants bringing the next course. We silently proceeded with our meal for a short amount of time, but the topic soon changed to politics and business. I tried not to engage too much in their conversation in order not to start a further discussion. After all, I still have to digest the news about my sudden engagement, and I wouldn't be surprised if they would press me to marry as soon as possible. After all, as soon as my fiancé finds her mate, she is of no use to us anymore. Though our pack lost our mating ability, we still acknowledge it as the natural course of a wolf's life, and we respect it. For an unknown reason, all the members of our pack are unable to find or don't have mates. If a wolf marries into our pack before they find their mate, they also seem to lose their mates. I don't know who my fiancé is, but now I ask myself what she thinks about our marriage but I might soon find out. After that I finish dinner quickly and excuse myself, "I have some matters regarding the party that I need to attend to, so I will leave you both alone." "We'll be leaving tomorrow in the afternoon, we will see each other for breakfast," my father states as I walk away. "Till then," I leave quietly with the intent to have a late breakfast tomorrow in order to avoid further conversations.