Unexpected meeting

Ethan looked around, searching for his Alpha's position. He was on the other side of the room, conversing with two other Alphas. His eyes, however, were directed at Eleanor.

Ethan's brow dipped slightly as a troubling thought crossed his mind. Henry was looking for a red-haired she-wolf he had come across in Blackstorm's territory.

He didn't often ask about she-wolves. Could it be that he had recognised her? Was Eleanor the she-wolf his Alpha had been searching for all along?

"She is the Luna from Blackstorm pack who called wanting to see you," Ethan told him honestly.

Luna from Blackstorm pack? Alpha Henry felt like he had been struck by lightning. The mate he had been waiting for had been marked by another Alpha! But how could he smell her scent?

The moment she had walked into the room, he had recognised her as the red-haired she-wolf he had come across in Blackstorm's territory. But he had assumed she was just a high-ranking she-wolf from Blackstorm, as her partner wasn't Alpha Thomas!

But why wasn't she attending with Thomas? It didn't make sense.

Ethan noticed the strange expression on Henry's face and asked with dismay, "Alpha, is Luna Eleanor the red-haired she-wolf you were looking for?"

Henry didn't respond. His piercing gaze fixed on Ethan. He noticed the way Ethan looked at Eleanor. His Beta was in love with his mate.

Across the room and through their mindlink, Henry could sense Ethan's feelings. Not that he needed to get into his head to realise that. He had seen how he looked at the red-haired woman, totally entranced like many other males in the room. But he was in no hurry to see her at once, for he knew she would never be able to run away again.

However, a bigger shocking fact weighed heavily on his chest. His mate had been marked?! Why hadn't she waited for him?

He had to find out the truth.

"You said she wanted to see me, right? Why?" Henry asked, trying to contain his anger.

"Alpha, you hung up the phone, remember?" Ethan reminded him.

Henry's eyebrows immediately furrowed. "Bring her to me. Now!" he roared.

Ethan immediately realized that his guess was correct. He quickly composed himself and sent Eleanor a message to meet.

Eleanor saw the number of the private room Ethan had sent her. She rechecked her makeup, confirming that she was flawless, and then headed towards the room.

As she was about to step onto the stairs, Thomas grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked angrily.

Eleanor immediately shook off his hand forcefully. "It's none of your business. When you decided to bring your prostitute to the Alpha meeting, you lost the right to command me!"

"Eleanor! You're still my Luna! You can't flirt with other men while still carrying my name! Damn it! How many men have you changed in one night? Do you really think I'll tolerate you continuing to insult me?"

Eleanor was speechless at Thomas' extremely arrogant words. Did he really think her provocation was another way to attract his attention? She didn't want to continue arguing with him. She had to meet Alpha Henry!

But Thomas grabbed her arm harder, even extending his claws!

"Luna Eleanor!" Ethan's voice came in time. "Alpha Henry is waiting for you."

"Alpha Thomas," Ethan nodded at Thomas, his gaze lingering on the claw that Thomas had grasped Eleanor's arm with.

"Alpha Henry wants to see my Luna? Beta Ethan, are you sure you didn't mishear?" Thomas furrowed his brows, confirming again.

"Yes, Alpha Henry has a few things regarding the management of the pack that he would like to discuss with Luna Eleanor. And as we all know, you've had your Luna Eleanor handling the management matters. I believe she would know more about it than you." Ethan deliberately tried to humiliate Thomas. He felt like killing him when he saw how roughly he treated Eleanor.

"Let's go." Eleanor immediately seized the opportunity and pushed Thomas away.

"I'll be waiting for you outside," Thomas warned her quietly as she left.

"Luna Eleanor, is everything okay between you and Alpha Thomas?" Ethan asked after they had walked away.

"No, we're getting a divorce." Eleanor didn't intend to hide it from Ethan. She had saved his life, and she hoped he would realize that she needed help now.

But knowing that her goal today was Alpha Henry, she ignored Ethan's shocked look and headed straight towards the private room where Alpha Henry was.

A while later, Eleanor stood at the top of the wide staircase, looking at the man who stood a few paces away, his eyes on the party below. She had always heard that Darkfall's Alpha, despite being cold and unapproachable, was quite handsome.

The rumours were true. She found herself unable to control the rapid beating of her heart. But why? She had encountered many exceptional Alphas before, but this was the first time her gaze could not be moved away. Even though she had been with Thomas for many years, and she thought she loved him deeply, this was the first time she felt as if the missing piece of her soul had been filled.

No... It couldn't be! It must be her delusion!

As Eleanor stared at Henry, Henry was equally fixated on her. His wolf howled within his mind, both of them yearning to go to her, to hold her in their arms and proclaim to the world that she belonged to them. But they couldn't.

Especially since she still bore the mark of another man.

Then he was walking towards her, his long legs eating up the distance between them in a few strides. When he moved, it was like watching a model on the runway, but also like watching a wolf approaching a prey. Graceful, and yet lethal.

"Need a closer observation?" he asked, coming to a stop right in front of her. A sly smile curved one corner of his lips. He leaned in, and she held her breath. "Or, maybe, you'd like a picture?"

Her face heated up in embarrassment. She swallowed and took an unsteady step back. Damn. Being so close to the man was like standing next to a volcano. Only you'd be the only one blowing up.

She cleared her throat and angled her head to look up at him. "Good evening. My name is Eleanor Lim, Luna of Blackstorm pack. Thank you for meeting me."

If she focused on the task at hand, it wouldn't be so difficult to look at him without making a fool of herself. How was he still unmated?

With his Greek-God looks and physique, she-wolves from all over must be fighting for his attention. Not to mention his reputation as the most powerful Alpha around.

Or, she wondered, was he still waiting for his true mate? Some werewolves preferred to wait for their fated ones even if it took years.

He tilted his head, observing her. "Why did you want to meet me?"

"I'm divorcing my husband and plan to replace him as the Alpha of Blackstorm. I'm hoping to get your support at the upcoming Alpha Council meeting."

Henry's eyes widened again! He had just been forced to digest that his mate had been marked by another Alpha, but now his mate was telling him that she wanted to break the mark!

Now, his wolf, Kai, growled once again in his mind. "Henry! Mark her! Our mate!"