05. You Are My Woman.

Esme’s POV

Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that Silvan would request a union between us.

When Papa had informed me about his plans to have me wed Silvan, I not only refused Papa and rejected Silvan, I lied and said I already had a mate. Then I had Calvin pretend we were fated mates and write a letter to Silvan.

Why would he want me after all that?

I stared at him. As much as I regretted my relationship with Calvin, I was still scared of Silvan, just as scared as I had been back then.

He kept his eyes locked on mine for one second. Two. Three. Then disappointment flashed across his face, and he turned to leave.

One look at the silent but curious crowd had me gritting my teeth. In desperation, I quickly said, “I agree.” After we got away from the crowd, I would make him see reason, make him see I wasn’t the right person for him. Somehow.

Silvan turned, and his eyes curved upwards in a smile. “The man in the picture is me,” he declared.

The crowd broke into even more whispers.

“However,” he said, then waited until the crowd grew silent once more, “this photo has been taken from an angle that was meant to deceive viewers.” He turned and sought someone in the audience. When he found the man, he said, “Jones, show the surveillance video and let everyone see what happened that day.”

Jones stood and rushed to the equipment at the side of the stage. A couple of uneasy minutes later, a brief clip played where Silvan approached me in the garage. It showed him leaning in and trapping me for only a few seconds, just long enough to tell me my presentation was too weak to win the project.

The audience grew silent, and Silvan spoke again. “Not only was that not a human man, but there was nothing between Miss Esme and I at that moment.”

Miss? And that was a lot of emphasis on the word “moment.” My heart thumped as he shot me a look out of the corner of his eye.

“And in regard to the project, I encouraged all the packs here to vie for it because it would have allowed one of your packs to work with my Lycian Empire.”

A din rose from the crowd.

“Huh?”

“What’s he talking about?”

“The humans are growing stronger, and you werewolves have been dwindling in power. With all the rogues and battles reducing your strength and numbers, you’ve never been weaker.” He glanced my way for a fraction of a second before he went on. “I moved here from the Lycian Empire to create a pack that would take in properly screened rogues in this region.”

He what? He was a Lycan from the Lycian Empire? The crowd looked just as stunned as I was.

Every conversation we had where I’d had been rude, if not outright mean, rushed through my mind—and fear rushed through my body.

Was this why he wanted me to be his woman? To enslave me? To pay me back for how horribly I had treated him?

“How dare you all still stand before him?” a man shouted as he stepped out from the far end of the crowd. At first, it looked like he was in his middle age, but his waist-long, snow white hair said he had centuries on him. “Pay your respects to the Royal Lycan Prince!”

What? Was Silvan the Royal Prince of the Lycian Empire?

The man pulled out the Lycian Empire’s Royal Seal, a seal every shifter learned as soon as they became of age.

Everyone fell to their knees. With great reluctance, I looked at the man next to me and bent my knees toward him as well. He grabbed my arms and held me up. Face to face, I met his piercing blue eyes.

“You are my woman. You shouldn’t kneel.”

My body trembled as he reminded me of what I had just agreed to. “About that—”

He placed his finger on my lips. “Even if you didn’t agree, I would have still made you my woman, Esme… one way or the other.”

While his voice was low, a few nearby people gave us some pointed looks. I could feel Stella and Calvin’s gazes on us as well.

Silvan released me and turned to face Calvin. “Initially, this project would have been left to this pack, and you would have had a chance to work with me. However, since you rejected your luna, who worked so hard to get this project, the project no longer belongs to your pack.”

His words reminded me that my own pack had just rejected me, a pack my forefathers had labored so hard for and then passed to me. I couldn’t help but feel like I had disappointed Papa.

Maybe, if I hadn’t worked too hard, they would have trusted me more.

Silvan’s voice drew my attention. “From this point forth, the Vicious Canine Pack will control the Howell Pack.” He turned to Calvin and Stella. “As for the two of you, you will be punished appropriately by the new alpha of the Vicious Canine Pack. Also, you will not be allowed to raise the child inside you, as you have shown you don’t have the capacity to do so.”

Child? I looked at Stella and saw her grab her stomach in fear.

“You can’t take our child from us!” she yelled.

Calvin grabbed her, pulled her backward, and then bowed until his forehead hit the floor. “Forgive us, Your Highness. We will do as you have said.”

Coward. I couldn’t help but pity Stella for birthing a child with him. However, I agreed with Silvan in a way. They didn’t deserve to raise a child as both of them were too lacking morally.

But I hadn’t even known they were sleeping together, let alone that she was with child. Yet, somehow, Silvan knew. Just the thought sent shivers down my spine. To think I had feared him when I believed he was nothing more than a powerful alpha. I risked a quick look at him.

He smiled, then grabbed my hand. “And with that business settled, the New Moon Festival will now begin!” He held my arm up with his, and the crowd let out a cheer. A moment later, Silvan led me off the stage, not stopping until we reached a quiet and remote part of my pack.

Once he looked at me, I cleared my throat. “Can you forgive my pack? I don’t want it to—”

“There’s no one other than you who’s capable of ruling this pack. Even your dad knew that, Esme.”

My dad? What was he talking about?