"Now you're going too far with this. Watch how you speak to my daughter," Mr. Hawksley warned, his voice low and sharp, carrying the weight of authority as his eyes narrowed at Nevian.
Every person at the table stood, the once calm and relaxing atmosphere now thick with tension, suffocating under the weight of Nevian's biting tone and the elder's rising anger.
Alora's gaze flickered between her soon-to-be husband and the alpha, then to her father. Nevian had never spoken to her like that before, and a nagging curiosity gnawed at her. What could have possibly triggered him so suddenly?
"Father, please. Nevian didn't mean anything he said," she tried to defend him even though she was still hurt by his words. She'd been in love with him since childhood, and he'd been the sweetest person towards her.
"That's not how an alpha should speak to his soon-to-be Luna!" Mr. Hawksley nearly bellowed, his voice booming in the tense room. But Mrs. Hawksley stood by his side, her hand gently patting his shoulder, and with that simple gesture, his anger seemed to melt away.
Nevian's eyes briefly lingered on the couple, but his mind wandered. He couldn't help but imagine Valeska standing by his side in the same way—calm, a silent reassurance. But when he glanced beside him, all he saw was Alora, and an overwhelming sense of disappointment settled in his chest.
Just one night of having everything fall into place—about to marry his childhood friend, with his future seemingly set—yet after meeting his mate, Nevian felt like he'd lost control of his mind and imagination.
"You accuse her of not caring about her people, but you haven't learned how to speak either," the middle-aged man added.
"Please, we all need to calm down now. We're all here to talk about the wedding, remember?" Mr. Ashbourne tried to take control and stir the conversation back to its main purpose.
"I called for this meeting to talk about where we would be spending our honeymoon, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," Nevian said, and he felt Alora's hand on his arm tighten in fear. He could feel her gaze from the corner but he ignored it. "Everything is still in turmoil with Kieran's attacks, together with the rogue werewolves. It's not the perfect time to get married so I'm therefore postponing this wedding."
The waiting room was as silent as a cemetery, each person staring at Nevian as if he'd lost his mind. They blinked at him in disbelief, wondering if it was some sort of joke, but everyone knew Nevian wasn't the type to joke around.
"What nonsense is this? Did you call us here to embarrass us or something?!" Mr. Hawksley thundered, his face flushed with rage as he stood, the tension in the air thick enough to suffocate.
"Forgive me, guardian Hawksley, but I didn't mean any insult at all. This is for the better good for me and my people." Then he turned to Alora whose eyes were already filled with tears. "I'm sorry, but this is the best thing for now."
Without waiting for anyone to say anything anymore, he turned on his heels and left the waiting room with Adris, who'd been standing by the side, following behind him.
As soon as Nevian left the waiting room, the sound of Mr. Hawksley's furious outburst echoed through the walls. Thanks to his heightened hearing as a werewolf, Nevian could make out every word the man spat in anger. He sighed deeply, closing his mind to the relentless tirade, focusing on nothing but the quiet of his own thoughts as he walked away.
"You do realize that this is a mistake right?" Adris asked. "The Hawksley are not the type of people you should be messing with. They might start spreading rumors about you and eventually, a war will arise." Adris was not only Nevian's beta, he was also his best friend, so there was no problem speaking to Nevian as a friend and then addressing him formally while in public.
"That's not any of my business for now. I have to find Kieran and get rid of him as soon as possible," he said through gritted teeth.
Adris studied Nevian for a few seconds, watching how he couldn't stand in one place for even a second. Nevian was usually always calm, even when he was in the pit of hell. However, the Nevian in front of him now was not composed.
"Who was that girl you helped to the healer's chamber earlier? She's not our pack member and you seemed so worried about her?" He questioned.
Nevian was not shocked that Adris noticed all of that. However, he despised the fact that he was worried about Valeska. She was completely useless to him anyway.
He released a deep sigh before replying, "She's my mate."
Everywhere went silent just like back in the waiting room after Nevian had stated his decision.
"Is that why you called off your engagement with Alora? Because you've found your mate?" Adris asked.
"I didn't call off my engagement with her, I only postponed it," he corrected. "Also, it's not because of her. It's because of the—"
"Don't lie to me." Adris cut him off. "Since you've already found your mate, make her your Luna."
"She's wolfless," Nevian replied as soon as those words fell out of Adris' lips.
Adris paused in his tracks. "It's been ages since they had been a wolfless werewolf."
"She is unfit to stand by my side and she would make nothing but a weak Luna. I'll be a laughing stock to people and my pack members will deem me unworthy of my position," he explained but Adris didn't say anything anymore as they reached the healer's chamber.
However, the man was running a helter skelter, probably searching for something.
"What are you looking for?" Nevian questioned him. "And how's Valeska?"
"She's—she's convulsing," said the healer.
Nevian rushed into the room, his heart pounding in his chest. What he saw made his blood run cold. Valeska was convulsing violently, but instead of the usual white foam, blood poured from her mouth. The bed shook beneath her, her eyes shut tight as the crimson liquid dripped from her lips and ran down her neck.
Panic surged through Nevian, the fear gnawing at him like never before. He quickly moved to her side, holding her trembling form, his hands shaking with the intensity of his terror. For the first time in his life, the thought of losing someone gripped him with a suffocating force, and it was more than he could bear.