Aether's Claim | Editing

Chapter 8

"W...what?"

The man in front of me chuckled, flashing a million dollar smile before speaking again.

"I should've introduced myself, I'm Alpha Aether's Beta, Calloway, he wants you to sit with him for dinner tonight." He uttered and I gulped down my nerves and tried not to keel over as he led me to where Alpha Aether was sitting, watching me approach with his emotionless face and unwavering gaze.

"Alpha Aether, your request." Calloway teased, before bowing at me and sauntering away towards the drinks.

I stood awkwardly at Alpha Aether's chair, not wanting to look up for fear of people noticing I was not in the place I was supposed to be.

"Well, aren't you going to sit?" Alpha Aether spoke, his soft voice penetrating the loud buzz of the room.

I looked down at him, slightly shocked about his brash attitude and disregard of pack rules.

"I... don't think I'm allowed to sit here." I answered quietly, wringing the strap of my purse together.

He seemed to outright ignore my words and pulled out the seat next to him, gesturing for me to sit down. I obeyed, not wanting to anger him, and placed my purse on my lap.

"I got you food." He gruffly stated, gesturing to a plate in front of me; a steaming dish of prime cut steak and fresh asparagus.

My mouth watered, but my stomach churned.

"Thank you, Alpha Aether." I muttered, still utterly confused as to why I was sitting there.

"I told you to call me Aether." He corrected, looking at me. He still had that intimidating, emotionless face on so I wasn't sure how to respond and just nodded, opting not to say anything as I tentatively lifted my head to scan the room briefly.

I knew I wouldn't be able to eat; a wolf never ate before their Alpha, even in skin form, but it wasn't as if I would be able to stomach food anyway.

My nerves were on high alert and my wolf too was even more agitated than usual, sizing up the Alpha next to her with hackles raised and lips pulled back.

"Why...am I here?" I muttered, so quiet even I could barely hear myself.

Alpha Aether was about to respond when another set of large double doors opened and Alpha Warren entered, followed closely by Luna Grace, Ares, Drew, and... a female I had scarcely seen before.

She sat directly beside Luna Grace without skipping a beat, and although my wolf perked up with curiosity, I couldn't concentrate too much on her while Aether was beside me.

As Ares entered my palms began to sweat and my breathing quickened. It was as if however, confused or scared I was, the sight of him could change all of that in a second. I clasped a cold glass of water in my hand and gulped down my anxiousness, ignoring how Aether's expression had darkened and downing the glass of water before holding it to my neck to cool me down. I didn't want Ares to see me next to Aether and get the wrong idea but, knowing how strong the mate pull between us was, he most likely already had.

As I placed the glass back on the table, I began to look for my mother amongst the other wolves, wiling her to meet my gaze so she could take the hint and we could leave.

This was my worst nightmare, my deepest, darkest fear come to fruition and there was nothing left in me to put up a fight. I was a passenger in my own body. Half blindfolded, starved, and clawing for the driver's seat once again. Then, in such a short amount of time, I had been reduced to this object others discussed yet blatantly ignored.