Chapter 2 Chapter two

I opened the front door of our house, and my whole body froze.I smell visitors.Ancient parchment, fine wine: there is an aristocratic elegance in the scent of Lumini Nightshade.But her guards filled the house with an unbearable stench of boiling pitch and singed hair. "Calle!" Lumini's voice was as sweet as honey. Embarrassed, I tried to calm myself down and regain my senses before walking into the kitchen without a word.I don't want to taste or smell those creatures. Lumini sat at the table, and across from her was the incumbent of her clan, my father.She sat perfectly still, her posture perfect, her chocolate-colored curls hanging in a bun at the nape of her neck.She was wearing her characteristic, neat jet-black suit and a bright high-collared white shirt.Two ghosts stood by her side, floating like looming shadows on her slender shoulders.

I tightened my cheeks and bit the flesh inside.Only then can I resist showing my teeth to the guards. "Sit down, dear." Lumini pointed to the chair and motioned for me to sit down. I pulled away the chair next to my father and squatted instead of sitting on it.The presence of ghosts is making me restless. Did she already know about my violation of the law?Is she here to order my execution? "Wait another month or so, lovely girl," she said softly, "are you looking forward to your marriage?" I breathed a sigh of relief, I was unaware of my nervousness before.

"Of course." I replied. Lumini gathered her fingertips together and raised them to her face. "Is this the only word you have for your bright future?" My father laughed. "Madam, Calle is not as romantic as her mother." His tone was still confident, but he started looking at me.I licked the still-sharp canine teeth in my mouth with my tongue. "I see." She said, looking my body up and down. I folded my arms across my chest. "Stephen, it might be time for you to teach her some manners. I expect my alpha girl to behave gracefully. Naomi has always been graceful."

She's still looking at me, and as much as I want to show her my fangs, I can't. Manners, to hell, I'm a soldier, not your child bride. "I think you'll be happy with this marriage, sweet girl," she said, "you're a beautiful alpha. The Bane have never had a man like Ryan Neal before, not even Even the emir admitted it. This marriage is good for all of us. You should be grateful to have such a spouse." I tightened my jaw and stared at her without blinking. "I have a lot of respect for Ryan. He's a friend of mine. We're going to have a great time together."

Friends... sort of.In Ryan's eyes, I was like his dying cookie jar.Besides, he won't pay for my theft.Although I've been hooked since the day I got engaged, I never imagined that it would be so difficult to manage our relationship.Ryan, however, is not one to follow the rules.He's charming enough to make me wonder if it's worth the risk to give him a try. "Good life?" Lumini repeated. "But, are you attracted to this boy? Emil is furious at the thought that you might sneer at his heir." She tapped her fingers on the table. I stared at the floor, cursing silently at the anger rising on my cheeks.In this matter, I can only let others arrange it. What the hell is the kind of life I want?I hated her so much at that moment.

Father cleared his throat. "Madam, this marriage has been established since the birth of the children. The Yeying and Bane clans have always kept their promises on this matter. The same is true for my daughter and Emil's son." "I said, we'll have a good time." I whispered, with a bit of roughness in my words. A burst of giggling brought my attention back to the supervisor, and Lumini smiled proudly at my embarrassed look.I stared at her, unable to contain the anger in my heart any longer. "Indeed." She said, turning to my father. "The ceremony must not be interrupted or postponed. Under no circumstances will it be permitted."

She stood up and held out her hand.Father kissed her pale fingers.She turned and faced me.Reluctantly, I touched her parchment skin with my own, trying to put the thought of biting her to the back of my mind. "All good ladies are well behaved, my dear." She stroked my cheek, and the nails made me shudder. My stomach churned. Her stilettos tapped the tiles on the floor as she left the kitchen.Ghosts trailed behind her, their silence more disturbing than the unsettling clattering of her footsteps.I curled my knees up against my chest and rested my face on them.I didn't breathe a sigh of relief until I heard the front door close.

"Why are you so nervous," my father said. "Did something happen on patrol?" I shook my head. "You know I have an aversion to ghosts." "All of us have an aversion to ghosts." I shrugged. "What is she doing here?" "Discuss the marriage." "Are you kidding me?" I frowned, "Isn't that me and Ryan?" His father's weary hand flicked past his eyes. "Karler, it would be a huge help if you didn't make a joke about the marriage. It's so much more than just 'you and Ryan.' There hasn't been a new group in decades. The directors are very nervous."

"I'm sorry." I said duplicity. "No apology. Be serious." I sat up straight. "Emile was here earlier today." He scowled. "What!" I took a breath, "Why?" I can't imagine a calm conversation between Emile LaLoche and his fellow alpha counterpart. My father's voice was cold. "Same reason as Lumini." I covered my face with my hands, and my cheeks started to feel hot again. "Calle?" "I'm sorry, Dad," I said, swallowing the embarrassment. "It's just because Ryan and I get along so well. We're friends, so to speak. We knew we were going to get married. I don't think There's something wrong with it. If Ryan thinks it's wrong, it's the first time I've heard of it. But it would be a lot easier if everyone just got out of it. Pressure just doesn't work. "

He nodded. "Come on to your alpha life. Stress never works, and it never goes away." "Brilliant." I sighed and stood up from my chair. "I still have homework to do." "Good night, then." He said softly. "Good night." "Also, Calle?" "Huh?" I stopped before the first step of the stairs. "Don't be too hard on your mother." I frowned and continued upstairs.I went outside my bedroom door and screamed.My clothes were thrown everywhere, on the bed, on the floor, on the bedside table, on the lamp, scattered all over the floor.

"This is absolutely not acceptable!" Mother pointed at me and condemned. "mom!" In her clenched fist is one of my favorite vintage T-shirts, one I bought when I went to see the Pixies on tour in the eighties. "Do you have any nice clothes?" She shook the offending T-shirt at me. "What is beautiful?" I asked back. I swallowed my anger, looked around for the piece of clothing I particularly wanted to protect, and sat down on my "Republican for Voldemort" hoodie. "Lace? Silk? Cashmere?" Naomi asked. "Is there anything that isn't denim or cotton?" I gasped when I saw the Pixies T-shirt twisted up in her hands. "Did you know that Emil came here today?" She looked at the pile of clothes on the bed with her eyes. "Dad said so." I answered her softly, but at the same time I was screaming inside. I stroked the hair over my shoulders with my fingers, lifted the ends and put them between my teeth. Mother pursed her lips.Grinning, I dropped the T-shirt from my hand and pulled my fingers away from the tangled hair.Sighing, she sat on the bed behind me and removed the scrunchie at the end of my braid. "And this hair." She ran her fingers through my curls. "I don't understand why you keep tying it up." "I have too much hair," I said, "and let it get in the way." I could hear the clink of the dangling earrings as my mother shook her head. "My lovely flower. You can no longer hide your capital. You are a woman now." I snorted in disgust and rolled on the bed, dodging her hand. "I'm not a flower." I pushed a lock of hair behind my shoulders, and the unbraided hair was clumsy and heavy. "But you are," she said with a smile, "my pretty calla lily." "It's just a name, Mom." I started packing my clothes. "It's not the real me." "This is who you really are." I began to detect the warning in her voice. "Stop cleaning up. There's no point in doing this." My hands froze on the T-shirt I had just grabbed.She waited until I put the half-folded shirts on the sheets.I wanted to speak, but my mother raised her hand to signal me not to speak. "A new group will be formed next month. You will be the female alpha." "I know that." I resisted the urge to throw a dirty sock at her, "I've known it since I was five." "It's time to put on a show," she said. "Lumini is worried." "Well, I know. Respect. Respect is what she wants." I wanted to gag. "Emil cares a lot about what Ryan Neil wants," she said. "What does Ryan want?" I asked, shivering at the high-pitched voice. My mother picked up one of my bras from the bed, pure white cotton—the only one I had. "We've got to think about our preparations. Don't you have any decent underwear on?" My cheeks were hot again.I was wondering if I could be permanently discoloring my face from excessive blush. "I don't want to talk about that right now." She ignores me, muttering softly as she arranges my clothes into a pile.She won't let me fold my laundry, and I can only guess that she stacks clothes by "desirable" and "ready to throw away" criteria. "He's an alpha male, and the most popular boy in your school. At least that's all I know privately." Her tone was wistful. Get used to the attention. When your time comes, be ready to please him." I swallowed the bitterness, and then spoke again. "Mom, I'm an alpha too, don't you forget?" I said, "Ryan needs me to be a pack leader. He wants me to be a fighter, not a cheerleader." "Ryan Neal needs you to act like a spouse. Just because you're a fighter doesn't mean you can't be charming." Her words were stinging, and it broke my heart. "Mom, Caller's right," my brother interjected. "Ryan doesn't want a cheerleader. He's dated every cheerleader in the past four years. He's probably bored. At least Big Sister Keep him busy." I turned and saw Ansel leaning against the door frame.He scanned the room. "Wow, Hurricane Naomi hit, no survivors." "Ansel," the mother yelled, arms akimbo, "please give your sister and me some privacy." "I'm so sorry, Mom." Ansel continued grinning, "But Barrett and Sasha are downstairs waiting for you to go with them on night patrol." She blinked her eyelashes in surprise: "Is it that late already?" Ansel shrugged.As soon as she turned around, he winked at me.I covered my mouth, covering my smiling face. She sighed, "Calle, I'm serious. I put some new clothes in your closet and I want you to start wearing them." I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off right away. "Start wearing new clothes tomorrow or I'll throw out all your T-shirts and ripped jeans. That's the end of the discussion." She stood up and left my room, her calf-length skirt swaying as she walked.I heard her footsteps on the stairs, so I sighed and turned over on the bed.That pile of clothes was just right for me to sink my head and sigh.I'd love to turn into a wolf and tear the whole bed to pieces.However, if I do that, I will definitely be grounded.Besides, I love my bed, and at the moment it's one of the few things my mother hasn't threatened to throw away. The mattress was creaking.I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at Ansel.He sat on the corner of the bed. "Another touching mother-daughter meeting?" "You know." I rolled over and lay on my back. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Hmm." I pressed my temples with my hands, trying to calm down the throbbing pain that had just sprouted. "Then—" Ansel began to ask, and I turned to look at him.The playful smile on the younger brother's face disappeared immediately. "So what?" "About Ryan..." His voice grew thick. "Say it straight, Ann." "Do you like him? I mean, really?" he blurted out. I collapsed on the bed, covering my eyes with my arms to block out the light. "You won't do the same thing, will you?" He climbed beside me. "I just wanted to say," he said, "if you don't want to be with him, don't do it." The eyes I covered with my arms opened instantly.For a moment I couldn't breathe. "We can run away together. I'll be with you." Ansel's voice was so soft it was barely audible. I sat up abruptly. "Ansel," I said in a low voice, "don't say anything like that again. You never know what's going to be... don't say it again, okay?" He fiddled with the sheets. "I want to make you happy. Looks like you're mad at Mom." "I'm mad at Mom, but Mom is Mom and Ryan is Ryan." I twirled my fingers through the long, curly hair that fell to my shoulders, thinking it was time for a haircut. "So you have no problem with this matter? To be Ryan's spouse?" "Well, I have no problem." I stretched out my hand and plucked his sandy brown hair, "Besides, you will have joined a new group by then. The same goes for Brin, Mason, and Fay. With your support, we Will put Ryan on the same page as us." "Of course." He grinned. "Also, don't tell anyone about running away. Ann, that's too much. But when did you become so free-thinking?" I narrowed my eyes. He bared his pointed canines at me. "I'm your brother, right?" "So it's my fault for your perfidious nature?" I patted his chest. "Everything I need to know is from Kahler." He stood up and started bouncing on the bed.I was bounced to the edge of the bed, turned over and landed firmly on the soles of my feet.I grabbed the edge of the sheet and shook it violently.Ansel fell on the bed laughing, bounced on the cushions again, and lay motionless. "I mean it, Ansel. Don't say a word." "Don't worry, sister. I'm not that stupid. I will never betray the executives," he said. "Unless you tell me to... Boss." I forced a smile. "Thanks."

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