Chapter 7

Cliff's POV

A wave of annoyance surged within me, my brows furrowing tightly.

I snapped at Elliot, "I explicitly told you to inform her not to come today. What exactly happened?"

Elliot's gaze shifted between Melinda and me.

Melinda, startled by the suffocating tension, immediately had her eyes rimmed with a circle of redness.

She hurriedly explained, her voice on the verge of tears, "This isn't Beta Elliot's fault. I told him to notify Luna Vanya... I'm aware of my status, and I don't want to cause you any trouble, so... I thought it would be more appropriate for Luna Vanya to accompany you inside..."

With that, she lowered her head, her vulnerable and helpless appearance unconsciously stirring a hint of pity in my heart.

I raised my hand to rub my temple, internally caught in a very dilemma.

On one hand, I really didn't want Vanya to appear here, fearing various unexpected situations.

On the other hand, I couldn't ignore Melinda's terrified state.

Melinda gently bit her lower lip, leaving a faint imprint on the tender lip.

She looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with dependence and anxiety. She softly called out, "Alpha Cliff..."

That soft call was like a spring breeze, quietly brushing across my heart.

I let out a long sigh, slowly extending my hand to gently stroke her head, as if this could dispel her fear and give her enough reassurance.

Then, I turned to Elliot. "You go to the door immediately and wait. If you see Vanya, send someone to escort her back immediately. No mistakes allowed."

However, just as I finished speaking, the crowd suddenly burst into exclamations of amazement.

Elliot looked in the direction of the sound.

In an instant, his face was filled with shock, his mouth slightly open in astonishment, "It's probably too late."

My heart sank, and I followed his gaze.

That red was very conspicuous in the crowd.

A burgundy mermaid dress perfectly outlined her elegant and charming figure, and her smooth, long hair, under the light, made her exude a breathtaking charm.

'Vanya?'

I was dazed for a moment before recognizing Vanya.

Vanya used to like light makeup and simple dresses. This was the first time I'd seen her dressed like this.

A slight pain came from my arm, and I turned to see Melinda's face was not looking good.

Compared to Vanya's sexy beauty, Melinda appeared too plain, like an immature student.

"Luna Vanya looks really stunning."

Melinda's tone was laced with imperceptible jealousy.

In this situation, I felt my wolf becoming restless.

Vanya's POV

After getting out of the car, I walked to the entrance of the dinner venue, feeling the scrutinizing gazes and faint discussions around me.

I looked up and quickly spotted Cliff and Melinda.

Thus, I strode firmly toward their direction.

I was well aware that Melinda thought I was oblivious to the current situation.

She believed that seeing her and Cliff appear so intimately here would leave me extremely embarrassed and surprised.

But she couldn't have imagined that I had already seen through everything.

Therefore, my face only wore a smile.

As expected, I heard other pack members whispering, "Luna Vanya is here. Then who is the female companion beside Alpha Cliff?"

Their murmurs reached my ears, but I completely ignored them, as if I hadn't heard at all.

I stepped forward steadily and linked my arm with Cliff's elegantly.

Then, with a generous and appropriate gesture, I extended my hand towards Melinda and softly said, "Melinda, you look very beautiful today."

Melinda's expression instantly became somewhat uncomfortable.

She awkwardly withdrew her hand that was originally linked with Cliff's.

She briefly shook mine, and the words "Hello, Luna Vanya," from her mouth sounded particularly forced.

I could truly feel the inner torment when she uttered those words.

I still wore a smile.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Melinda secretly looking up at Cliff, a gaze seeking help.

Cliff nodded slightly and explained, "Melinda is quite excellent in her studies and plans to study abroad this year. She's just a bit timid, so I brought her here today mainly to let her see more and broaden her horizons."

I sneered inwardly.

'Is this the reason for his lie? It's too clumsy.'

I clearly remembered Melinda leaving the Silver Moon Pack to study abroad.

After that, Cliff's wolf began to become restless, and he started to crave his true mate.

So, when Melinda returned, Cliff completely fell.

But even now, Cliff attended various events with Melinda.

He was making everyone in Seattle know that he had a special favor for a female rogue.

However, all of this was no longer important to me.

I came to this dinner not to compete with Melinda for Cliff. Such childish jealousy is no longer something I would do.

I had a more critical goal.