Jack's POV
"Where's the surveillance?" I lowered my eyes, staring intently at the black pen spinning rapidly on my fingertips.
"I'm sorry, Alpha. The surveillance… it broke down yesterday." The hotel manager stood before me, panic evident as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Such a large hotel has never experienced a problem before; how is it that the surveillance failed just yesterday? Do you think I'm easily fooled?"
I scoffed and threw the pen onto the desk, exuding pressure, causing the anxious hotel manager to kneel on the ground with a loud thud.
"Alpha, please spare me! The surveillance really broke down; I checked it before the banquet, and it was working fine. But today, all the footage from that time is blank—it must have been deliberately tampered with."
"Then find someone to fix it. If I don't have a reasonable explanation within three days, then..."
I intensified my pressure slightly, and the manager's body nearly collapsed to the floor.
"Yes, yes." The hotel manager nodded frantically.
"Get out."
I released the pressure, and the hotel manager rushed to the door, shutting it quickly behind him.
"Jack, what on earth happened to you yesterday that you fainted on the ground? I'm so curious about what kind of jerk could defeat you. Maybe the next time you try to push me around, I could hire him to vent my frustrations."
Dante, the strongest bate of the Chi Shui tribe besides me, was my good friend since childhood, notorious for being a playboy, attracting both werewolves and humans. His girlfriends could change daily without repetition.
I tossed a book from the table toward him. As expected, he effortlessly dodged it and even caught it, placing it back on the table.
"You refused to marry Sally, and the Loulan tribe definitely won't let it go so easily. Over the past few years, their power has risen. They wanted to use this marriage to become the strongest wolf tribe. If you think about it, you're not losing anything; after all, you haven't found your partner yet, so it doesn't matter who you marry."
"Dante, I give you three seconds. If I see you in this room again, you'll be spending the day with the dungeon."
"You're really irritable. I'm just trying to give you friendly advice."
"3, 2—"
"Goodbye."
Finally getting rid of that annoying guy, I summoned Julia, who unsurprisingly was asleep.
"That's not her." I chuckled softly, mocking the wolf who couldn't even recognize the scent of his own partner.
"I'm sure I smelled our partner's scent on her." Julia shook his head and glared at me.
"Old buddy, didn't you notice? That's a witch, and our partner is just an ordinary human; they cannot be the same person. Moreover, we must eradicate the evil and vicious witches; that's the tribe's rule."
Julia fell silent again.
I often felt helpless when communicating with Julia. He didn't like to talk, and sometimes even if you spoke to him, he wouldn't respond.
"Alpha, your father is waiting for you in the living room. He wants you to come down and see him immediately." A servant knocked on the door from outside.
"Understood. You all go prepare coffee, according to my father's preferences."
I stood up from my chair, ready to retract my wolf, but then he spoke up suddenly, "If you trust your instincts, then believe what I say. After all, if it weren't for that sense of familiarity you felt yesterday, you wouldn't have shown such restraint."
After saying this, Julia returned without me needing to tell him.
Familiarity? There's no denying that I felt that woman was familiar yesterday, but I was sure she was just a human and couldn't possibly be a witch. After all, the witch clan raises their offspring from a young age and is quite hostile toward outsiders.
Anyway, I'll wait to deal with that woman once I capture her.
As I reached the top of the stairs, I saw Osiris, the leader of the Loulan tribe, conversing happily with Sally on the sofa.
Why are they here? I frowned, suppressing my urge to go down and decided to return to my study.
"Jack." Sally had already called my name.
I shot her a disdainful glance before heading down the stairs; my upbringing made it impossible for me to ignore a guest's rudeness and just walk away.
"Good morning, Mr. Osiris," I slightly nodded toward the leader of the Loulan tribe.
"Hello, Jack. Please, sit down and relax. We're just here to discuss when you and Sally plan to hold your wedding." The leader, Osiris, spoke in a calm, aged voice that showed no sign of hesitation.
"I don't think we need to discuss this any further." I wanted to refuse with a neutral expression, but suddenly, Sally rushed over from the other end of the sofa and threw herself into my arms. I quickly stepped aside to dodge her "attack" and continued, "I can't marry her."
"Jack." Sally fell to the floor, propping herself up on one side, tears streaming down her face as she grasped my pant leg with a hoarse voice.
"Unacceptable. Jack, if you don't marry Sally, I won't allow you to become the leader of the Chishui tribe. There are plenty of people who want that position."
The Loulan tribe leader calmly sipped his coffee, as if he already had the upper hand, while my father suddenly banged his cane on the ground and pointed a finger at my nose. He had always believed he could control my life.
But I had grown up; I was about to disappoint them.
"Father, do you really think those bastards you had with your mistress can compete with me for the position of leader? Even if I give them a hand, the fact that they will fall won't change."
"Y-you..." My father's eyes widened, and his finger trembled uncontrollably.
"Jack, can we not rush to refuse? Someone in our tribe has prophesied that Sally will be the mate of the strongest werewolf in the entire wolf tribe. Marrying her would elevate the prestige of both our tribes, and you could even become the king of the wolf tribe."
The wolf tribe had been divided since the death of the king long ago, with various factions vying for that position. There was now a trend toward merging, just as the Loulan leader said. The only tribes left competing for that position besides the Chishui tribe were Loulan, Silver Moon, White Feather, and Blue Silver. If we formed an alliance through marriage, our chances would indeed increase significantly.
However, "I don't need a woman to help me achieve that position." With that, I kicked Sally's hand away, ignoring the shouts of the people behind me, and walked out with my suit jacket.
"Let's go grab a drink." I called Dante.
The Amelia's POV,
Dave dropped me off at the door but was called away by a patient's phone call. I got out of the car and first washed the medication and prosthetics off my face in the creek before heading home.
"Faolan, my dear little wolf, did you miss me?" Returning to my familiar home, I felt my heart melt at the sight of my son quietly reading at the table.
Faolan had golden hair like the sun, crystal-clear blue eyes, and snow-white skin, looking just like a cute doll.
"Mommy, did you find me a new daddy?" Faolan ran over, his little hands opening wide as he hung onto my leg like a small ornament.
Hearing my son's words, I initially wanted to embrace him, but my hand paused in mid-air. I helplessly curled my fingers and flicked his forehead.
"Sweetheart, who's been talking nonsense?"
"Sun sister told me."
"Don't listen to her; she's joking. Do you really want a daddy?" I bit my lip, feeling a pang of sadness. I didn't want my child to be upset because he didn't have a father, but I wouldn't let them meet his despicable father.
"No, I have Mommy, and that's enough. Xiao Ba's daddy always hits him; I don't want a daddy."
Xiao Ba was a puppy that Sun had raised, which she gave to Faolan as a gift for his first birthday. I hadn't expected Faolan to compare himself to a little dog.
Though Faolan didn't say it, the sadness that flashed across his face couldn't be hidden. I had to help him shift his focus.
"Faolan, do you know how old you are now?"
"Three years old." Faolan let go of my leg and held up his fingers, one by one, until three fingers were raised, shaking them happily in front of me.
"That's right, sweetie! Great job! At three years old, Faolan, it's time for you to start preschool."
"Really? Mom, can I go to preschool? Will there be other kids there to play with me?"
Because Faolan is an outsider and has werewolf blood, he isn't very popular in the witch tribe. The other kids have been warned by their parents to stay away from him. Thankfully, he has Sun and Xiao Ba to keep him company, or I can't imagine how lonely he would be.
"Of course, we'll have lots and lots of friends, Faolan, but before that, we need to do one thing."
"What is it?"
"We're moving, little wolf. We're going to a new home." I rubbed my son's adorable face, grateful that I used to sell potions at the underground auction, so I still have some resources.
"Ah!" Faolan joyfully danced around, excitedly starting to pack up his things.
"Xiao Ba, Xiao Ba, we're moving! Mommy, we're bringing Xiao Ba with us, right?" Faolan looked at me longingly while hugging Xiao Ba at his feet.
"Of course." I wouldn't refuse such a small request.