Einas~3

As the Lycan Commander of the Pacific Sea, few males dared to confront me, let alone indirectly deride me. Of course, those few just had to include my brother Idris.

"Idris, watch your tongue." I snarled at him.

"I would say the same to you." He flashed me a cocky grin and leaned back in his seat. "Don't forget. The one sitting here is my wife." He said it lightly, but I caught the hidden warning in his tone.

Interesting. It seemed my little brother was smitten with his new wife.

I fought off a chuckle and picked up the glass near my hand, sneaking a glance at the soulmate the Moon Goddess chose for me over the rim. "Oh? Last I heard, this wife of yours was my mate?" I sneered.

Same as earlier, I meant to provoke a reaction from the woman with my crude choice of words. But my rejected mate lived up to her reputation of a standoffish bitch. Not a flicker of distress crossed her features when I associated her with the common whore.

"Was. The moment you chose Caira, you lost the right to call Saira your mate." Idris retorted, leveling me with a challenging glare.

I merely snorted and refrained from commenting on that. Everyone at the table knew, as well as I did, who Saira Malivik was. A delusional, pretentious woman who wasted four years of her life waiting for her goddess chosen mate. A woman who turned down the proposal of numerous alpha heirs with aggression that almost sparked a pack conflict.

In fact, the reason the Pacific Lycans visited the Evergreen Pack was to resolve a dispute over her disregard for other alphas' good will. I abhorred her. Detested her with a repulsive edge, even before meeting her. Her arrogance and sense of superiority, the conviction with which she shamed so many capable men all in the name of a soulmate, disgusted me.

An attention seeking snob. That's what she was. An attention hungry woman who flaunted her beauty and showed off her abilities to play around with the hearts of men. I wanted nothing to do with her, so when the Clan discovered I was the soulmate she had been waiting for, I rejected her without hesitation.

"Alright, guys. Let's calm down and not argue, okay? As future leaders of the Pacific Sea, we should get along with each other." Caira, sweet and kind as always, broke our staring contest with a pleading tone.

I couldn't see her distressed, so I backed down first and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Just for you, love." I whispered in her ear and got rewarded with a charming giggle. My heart tickled, and my body tingled. I cleared my throat and straightened in my seat, then with feigned calmness, shifted my gaze back to Idris. "How are you handling the pack affairs?" I asked.

"Fine, I guess. The Moon Dance..."

As the only festivity every wolf and Lycan looked forward to, invitations to the Moon Dance went out to even the Lycans across the seas. Due to country differences, conflicts over resources became a major topic of debate on this occasion.

Alphas requested more training resources, while Lycans strived to realize their new ambition to form a royal court.

Idris didn't have any interest in a Royal Lycan Court, so before long, our conversation came to an end.

Thankfully, the Omegas began to serve the dishes at this moment, saving me from the awkward tension. A bountiful spread of fried fish, omelets with green onions, sardines in a pot of spicy sauce, a specialty of the east that went with white rice, and fruit salad was set before us.

I helped Caira fill her plate, before stuffing mine with meat dishes and two omelets. As I dug into my dinner, I heard my chosen mate converse with my rejected mate, and pricked my ears in curiosity.

"How are you settling in the clan? I hope the waves don't bother you at night..."  

"They don't. The Evergreen Pack is near a stream."

"That's good to hear. Usually, female wolves that join our clan have trouble adapting..."

Their conversation turned out to be dull, and I soon grew bored. Focusing back on my plate, I finished everything with relish and gestured to the attending Omega. She scurried out of the hall and returned with a bottle of champagne. Filling my glass, the servant went around the table to fill the others cups. When it was Saira Malivik's turn, she raised her hand to stop her.

"Lady Malivik, what's wrong?" The servant stiffened, her expression tense with anxiety. 

"Nothing. You don't need to fill my cup." She said, and waved her away in casual dismissal. The servant hesitated for a second, before bowing and decisively leaving the hall.

I leaned back in my seat and crossed my leg, gently swirling the crimson liquid in my cup as I stared at her with half-lidded eyes. "Lady Malivik, my Luna invited you to dinner tonight to clear the bad air between us. You're refusing my offer of toast. Should I take this as a rejection of her kind gesture?" My voice was cold, so frosty it was a wonder she didn't turn to ice.

The she-wolf visibly stiffened, before raising her head and staring me in the eyes. "Commander Einas, I appreciate your Luna's invitation." She spat out the word Luna, something acrid-anger, rage, resentment or a mixture of all?-oozing from her tone, before continuing in a sombre voice that made me question the acidity I detected.

"I appreciate it, really. But I don't drink. Now, you can't expect me to break my principles just to please your Luna, can you?"

"Principles? A woman like you can make up anything to stoke your ego." I scoffed.

"Einas, stop." Caira sighed and placed her hand on my thigh. "If Saira doesn't want to drink, then don't force her." At her gentle touch, my disgust immediately faded away.

"Alright, love. If you don't mind, I won't either. I only wanted everything to go as you planned." I said, kissing her lips.

A strangled squeak sounded from across the table. I swept a cursor glance, half expecting to see my rejected mate in tears. However, she was leaning over Idris, patting his chest with annoyance, as she raised a cup to his lips.

"Truly a nuisance. Can't you eat slowly?"

"What happened?" I asked, my curbed temper rising again at the sound of her rude voice. Getting out of my seat, I walked to Idris's side and pushed her away. Her eyes widened in surprise, shocked at my aggressive behavior, as her body heavily slammed in the chair, knocking her elbow on a metal vase. 

Almost instantly, the metallic scent of blood drifted in the air. I frowned. Caira leaped out of her seat and rushed to her side. "Saira, are you okay?" She asked, and reached out for her arm to check on her wound.

"I'm not dead. Don't worry about me." 

The she-wolf shook off my mate. Roughly. Caira stumbled back, and I stretched my arm to catch her before she fell. The little bit of guilt I felt upon injuring the bitch immediately disappeared. "You slut! What is your fucking problem? My mate was only worried about you!" I growled, a tick away from clawing her face.

She stared at me, looking as if I've wronged her, without even shedding a tear. I wondered if this was one of her many tricks to worm her way into men's hearts. To appear pitiful and make others feel guilty when she was the guilty one.

"Einas, calm down. Idris looks unwell. Should we call the Clan Doctor?" Biting her lower lip, Caira removed her hand from my grip and stared at Idris's face.

She almost fell on the floor, and yet, she was worried about others. This was why I loved her. No matter how beautiful she was on the surface, Saira Malivik could never have my mate's pure and kind heart.

"Yes, call the Omega..." 

"No need. He only choked." The snob curtly cut me off. My gaze narrowed on her again.

This bitch wasn't delicate or charming at all. Close, but she was also not the innocent or weak type of beauty. No, she was bewitchingly captivating, with an authoritative aura about her that could cow even the strongest alphas. Though seated, the pressure she exuded rivaled my own. 

"I don't trust you, why would I listen to you?" I coldly snorted and turned to my chosen mate. "Caira, call the Clan Doctor." I told her. She nodded and hurried out of the hall.

Saira Malivik laughed. "As you wish." She said and sat with her palm supporting her chin.

Her attitude irritated me. This was why I abhorred this woman. Even if she didn't like him, Idris was still her husband. Shouldn't she at least pretend to be concerned at this moment? What was up with her indifferent expression?

I turned to support Idris. But before I could get him out of his seat, he shook me off and grabbed the glass the bitch had been holding to his lips. After a few gulps, he set the cup down, and exaggeratedly patted his chest.

"Damn it! I almost died! Einas Raed, were you trying to kill me?" 

"Einas, I brought the Clan Doctor..." Caira burst into the hall at this moment and stopped mid-speech when she saw Idris on his feet. Breaking into a smile, she walked to my side, and asked. "Idris, are you feeling better?" 

"There was nothing wrong with me to begin with. Didn't my wife say I choked?" Idris scoffed and shot me a dark glare. I frowned and glanced at Saira Malivik. It seemed the bitch had already worked her spell on my brother, trapping him in her web of deception.

I sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Idris, can we talk?" I asked. 

He ignored me and held his hand out to his new wife. 

"Saira, let's go home. We need to treat your injury." He whispered. When she didn't move to take his hand, he grabbed hers, and guided her out of the dining hall without sparing me a backward glance.

"What the hell? I was worried about him." I ran a hand through my hair, frustration lacing my voice. Though Idris and I never got along, we never reached the point of glaring daggers at each other before.

Caira came to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Einas, don't mind Idris's attitude. He's only worried about Saira."

I nodded my head, but this dinner made my impression of the loathsome bitch drop to the bottom. Forget delusional. She was everything that led a man astray. A pretentious, standoffish and arrogant bitch. Though the goddess chose her for me, she wasn't the type I would make my Luna. A mistress, maybe. But definitely not a Luna.

I had my Caira. My heart belonged to her, and I was determined to keep it that way. She wasn't breathtaking. But she was everything I wanted and everything I needed in my future Luna.