Souls Entwined

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen
Kaden's POV

My attention, as always, was on Elle. It was hopeless trying to push her from my thoughts. She was there in some way or another. A welcomed distraction. It had become as natural as breathing, considering her with every thought I had. Everything I did was for her, every decision, every word, every breath. I dedicated them to her.

Would Elle believe this agreement to be as beneficial as I did?

Would she have done things differently?

Could she have gotten better results?

Did she think I would be a good alpha?

It was the only opinion that mattered. The world could sing my praises, but if she told me I was wrong, I would believe her.

She was the reason I spoke to Peter Cutler, the Alpha of the Pecus pack, and why he had even agreed to come. But she wasn't by my side as we discussed contracts between our packs, an injustice I hoped to right as time passed. She deserved to be here, and if it had been within pack regulations, I would have had her sign the contract upon its finalisation.

I had never considered what an asset the Pecus Pack presented, but Elle had seen past the stigmatism and noticed their true worth in only a week of interaction. If I were to ask, I did not doubt that her suspicions wouldn't have taken nearly so long.

As Peter and I shook hands, agreeing to meet in the morning before he returned to his pack, I glanced across the clearing, finding Elle in the crowd.

She wasn't hard to find. She was a bright star in the night sky as she mingled with guests. She had been making her way around the clearing. Her attention heightened around our pack, and she listened with growing interest as people gravitated towards her. She was enchanting, enamouring everyone she met, but something wasn't right. She forced her lips into a bright smile, which didn't quite reach her eyes. Her fingers fluttered over her dress, smoothing out non-existent creases, ruffling the skirt between harried fingers. She hadn't looked my way throughout the night, the erratic beat of her heart a drum in my ears as I tried to understand what had happened.

Peter melted into the crowd, and it would be the last I saw of him till morning. I thought I had a moment of quiet to make a choice. Go to Elle or continue to take her lead and talk to those who had travelled far distances to see me.

I thought I had decided, but a hand clapped on my shoulder. As I almost stumbled into a Japanese dignitary, someone's fingers caught my sweater, righting my balance.

Abel didn't seem upset that he'd almost caused an international incident. He had a boyish grin which was a strange sight on the face of a forty-three-year-old man. 'Already signing contracts?'

I righted myself, straightening my sweater before gripping his hand in a warm embrace. 'It was Elle's idea.' I nodded sharply, 'She can't sign her own contracts yet, so I'm guaranteeing for her.' I offered a friendly smile to the man by his side. 'I'm surprised you're both here.'

Abel huffed indigently as though the idea of staying behind had been obscure. 'And miss the ceremony of the greatest Alpha to ever come from the Southern Hemisphere.' He knocked shoulders with his father, provoking a weary smile. 'We wouldn't have missed it for the world.'

Rickson waved a hand of dismissal, respectfully tilting his head downwards as he addressed me for the first time. 'While my son may have you believe that his intentions are purely that of friendship, I must inform you that not even four hours ago, he was confessing his reason for coming was to keep our most reliable ally content.'

Abel reared back with an overdramatised look of aghast, making the whole motion comical. 'Shh,' he covered his father's ears like a child, 'he's old. You've got to understand. I'm sure he's delusional, so you cannot believe everything he says.'