Adea
We walked side by side down the stairs. Our gowns trailed behind us as we faced today and what it’d bring.
I pushed the thought of Shane to the back of my mind. If I focused on him today I’d cry and lose my composure. I needed to wear another mask today. One of indifference and obedience. Two guards led the way in front of us and two more followed close behind. The handmaiden wasn’t dismissed. She followed the guards behind us with her head bowed low.
Today was a busy day and Ava insisted that we keep her by us. We’d need help from someone who wasn’t a man.
When we reached the bottom, Ava took a step closer and linked her arm with mine. When I looked at her in question, she didn't return my gaze. She took another step and pulled me along with her. It annoyed me, but I didn’t let my mask slip.
I kept my mask in place and followed her to the front of the packhouse. We were to wait here until our father and his Beta showed up. The guests would be arriving soon and breakfast wasn’t on the schedule for today.
The heat from the sun glared down on us, and I was already ready for this day to end.
My father, his Beta, and his Gamma showed up and stood a few feet in front of us. Ava and I stand here as decoration. The Alphas that arrived look upon us and complimented my father on how beautiful we were. We bowed to them and their wives and smiled at their children before they were assigned a guard. We repeated this process over and over again until every Alpha of importance was greeted.
The last alpha to show up was Ethan. We stood and waited as the sweat began to slowly slide down the side of my face. I wiped it away and glanced at Ava. She stared out towards the gate the guests came in through. The look on her face is hopeful, and I knew she was waiting for him.
I shook my head. I didn’t feel bad for her. If anything, it was disgust. She was pathetic.
As if sensing my thoughts, she turned to look at me.When she saw the look on my face she turned from me and lifted her chin like she had something to be high and mighty about.
When his carriage pulled up I wanted to roll my eyes. He’d chosen the largest, most grand one to arrive in.
I didn’t know how I was going to stomach being near him. I didn’t know if we were going to leave tonight, or if he was going to let me have a few more days here. I couldn’t help but hope he’d stay the rest of the weekend.
His carriage and his men came to a stop in front of the packhouse. One of his guards ran to open the door and out stepped Ethan. Slowly he made his way down until his feet were on solid ground. His eyes searched and found me right away. He didn’t even hesitate as his eyes roamed past my sister. She was nothing to him as his gaze locked on me. The corner of his lip twitched and there was a flicker of darkness in his gaze. I saw it flash before it was gone.
“Greetings, Alpha Ethan,” Eduard said.
“Greetings, Alpha Eduard,” Ethan said.
“How was the trip?” Eduard asked.
“It was long, but worth it. My Luna is as beautiful as ever,” Ethan said. He walked around my father and stopped in front of me and Ava. He still hadn’t looked at her, and I could feel her frosty gaze on me.
“Good afternoon, My Queen,” Ethan said. He reached out, but I didn’t wait for him to offer me his hand. I dropped low in a curtsy, bowing low and lowering my chin. I waited a few seconds before I straightened.
“Good afternoon, Alpha Ethan,” I said in a painfully polite voice.
My sister copied me, but still Ethan didn’t look at her. My father started to assign a guard to him, but Ethan waved the man away.
“That isn’t necessary. Tonight we become family. I don’t need one of your men tailing me, do I?” Ethan asked.
My father stared at him and a smile spread across his lips. It made me uneasy seeing their exchange.
“Of course,” Eduard said. He waved the guard away and the man backed away until he disappeared. “Feel free to roam around the pack territory. We are family.”
Ethan took a step toward me, but Father was by his side in a flash. “I would suggest waiting until the celebration. She has a few things to do and get ready before tonight.”
“Mmm, I was hoping to spend the day with my bride, but I can wait a few more hours,” Ethan mused.
His gaze trailed down my body, and I didn’t miss the hunger in his eyes. It caused a shiver to run down my spine. Ethan reached for my hand, and this time I couldn’t shy away from it. His touch felt wrong, and I screamed internally for him to get away from me. Ethan lowered his head and pressed his lips to the back of my hand.
“Tonight,” he promised.
“Tonight,” I agreed in a hoarse whisper.
As soon as he dropped my hand, he turned on his heel and walked off. My father and his men walked away from us.
I was ready to move on to the next thing on the list.
My sister was in front of me, anger in her eyes.“Don’t take all day. We have things to do. Can you be any Goddess-damned slower?” Ava shrieked.
I didn’t have to ask her what crawled up her ass and died. I already knew what soured her mood. She was angry, bitter, and jealous. Why? Because of Ethan and the lack of interest he showed her. He didn’t even look her away and I could feel the venom in her words. I should be angry at her tone of voice, but I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing her mask slip was priceless.