CHAPTER FOUR

Alex's POV 

(...a princess from Spain)

He scoffed angrily and took his seat. He still couldn't imagine beginning a life with another woman. Worst of it all—for the sake of benefits.

 “I don't care how much power you've acquired over the years. I remain the Alpha and you must respect that.”, the Alpha scolded. 

His mother wore a frown, 

“You don't think an apology is necessary?”, She demanded. 

“Sorry, Father”, Alex mumbled under his breath. 

“Oh! Here she comes”, the Alpha interjected, disregarding his apology. Alex reluctantly looked up at the object of admiration, but was stunned by her radiance. His lower jaw fell slightly open as she walked towards them. Boy! they nagged about a Princess but no one deemed it right to speak of her beauty. How negligent? he thought as he responded to his reflex by acknowledging her presence with a standing ovation, without an applause. She wore a purple sleeveless flower embroidery. A white glove concealed most part of her arms exposing only her fleshy upper arms. Her blonde hair fell elegantly on her exposed shoulders with a flimsy view of her cleavage dangling above the breast pad of her dress. An emerald necklace sat comfortably at the parting of her cleavage and moved in the rhythm of her cautious steps—her legs were submerged under the dress that swept the lawn. Her skin was spotless and silky like the drop of pure honey from a beehive. Her eyes were almond-shaped with a light shade of green sparkling at the center. She looked up at Alex, flaunting her long lustrous lashes as her heart-shaped lips—painted in blood red, parted to speak, 

“May I join you?”

 Alex was snapped back to the present by her soft voice. He blushed in embarrassment— his parents smiled at each other in a whisper. 

“Most certainly, Princess. “, the Alpha gestured for her to sit. “Now if you'll excuse us, we've an important meeting”. 

He watched as his parents gave an excuse to keep him alone with his soon-to-be mate. Alex, for the first time, searched eagerly for the right words. The thoughts of Sherlyn slipped to the background. A new spotlight had taken over the stage. “Xander Will”, he managed to speak, stretching a hand towards her, trying to distract his eyes from admiring her breasts. She took his hands—a soft and cottony texture. 

“Lucia Mendez”, she responded. 

A perfect name to match such beauty, he thought, before assuming his seat. He pretended to be consumed by the dish in front of him as he pushed his cutlery into the grilled juicy venison. 

“My father speaks so highly of You. I must say, I find no exaggeration in his words” Alex responded with a cold smile, with a quick glance at her. 

“So, tell me about you”, she pressed on. Now Alex had no choice but to speak. 

“It depends on what you want to know”, he responded in a flat tone. 

“Everything. Anything”, her red lips gleaming with a wide smile.

 “There's nothing worth telling.”, he replied. 

“Well then. Show me around. It's my first time in this region. You've a lovely scenery” Alex subconsciously dropped his fork at her words but apologized immediately,

“Sorry. You might want to finish up your food first.” The only sounds left were the cling of their cutlery on ceramic plates.

 ***

 “How was your first date with her?”, the Luna asked. 

“There was no date, Mother. I showed her around town, that's all.” 

“Keep those hard exterior in your breast pocket. You love her, don't you?”

 Alex raised his brows and turned to leave without a reply. He didn't know what he felt but it certainly was nothing close to love. That part of him still belonged to Sherlyn.

 “So much like your father”, her voice faded into the hall as Alex approached the practice area. He sharpened old stunts and discovered new strategies to block an attack projected from above. The few hours of training helped distract his thoughts from Lucia and the impending marriage. He was back to his room, all sweaty. It was as though the large painting on his wall reminded him of the times with Sherlyn. He remembered how he first met her, the innocence in her eyes when he saw her in a bar, on one of the nights Charles forced him to have some fun. They spent most of their private times at the sea shore, where the possibility of finding a pack member was slim, even Charles knew nothing of their bond. The ocean tides and the golden skylines in the painting, brought back bittersweet memories. He came out from the shower with low spirits. He dabbed his wet body with a white towel hanging around his neck while he pulled the silver receiver on his work desk and dialed a number, he took out from the first drawer. There was no answer. He punched the buttons again. A woman answered,

 “Blake's residence. Who's on the line?”

 “Charlotte?“, Alex guessed. 

“Oh, Mr Wills!. Good to hear from you again” 

“How's She?“, he asked, discarding her surprise. 

“Very healthy, but still has no memory of her past. She thinks I’m her mother, but she keeps asking of the child’s father. She'll be due in two months time” 

“Is she within earshot?” 

“No, Mr. Wills. She's fast asleep”, Charlotte whispered into the receiver. 

“Good. Bye for now, Charlotte. Be sure to delete this call history, just in case”. The telephone beeped. He craved for her voice again, but it would ruin all his previous moves. Thankfully, she was asleep but a deep part of him wanted to hear her reaction, at least. He slipped into his grey loungewear and tucked himself in bed. He had a lavish dinner with Lucia at the best restaurants—a very expensive date. It was time for a nice rest. A day had gone by without mishaps. His cell phone vibrated. He had no friends, aside for business meetings with delegates and Charles, who knows better than to call him at night. Who could it be? He picked up the phone and waited for a response. 

“I don't want to believe you're asleep already”, she teased. 

“Lucia?”, he sat up to stay fully awake. “I had a great time today. I think we'll be seeing more often. Have you heard yet?” 

“I've no idea of what you're talking about”, Alex sounded puzzled.

 “Oh! Never mind then. I'm not in the right position to break such news.” 

“I don't mind, really, if it pleases you, of course” 

“No. I Insist. Goodnight, Xander”. She hung up. If there was something Alex couldn't tolerate, it was suspense. He slid out of bed immediately and adjusted his robe. He headed straight to the Alpha's study on the second floor. He tapped the metal knocker on the golden door, twice. 

“Come in, son”, the Alpha called out from within. He must have picked Alex's scent. 

Alex walked into the large room, with stacks of books and two lamps by the edges of the center table where the Alpha sat.

 “Good you're here. I've been wanting to speak to You”, the Alpha continued. “What brings you here, by the way?” he adjusted his square-framed glasses to get a clear view of Alex. 

“I presumed a nice chat with my father would be nice”, he lied. He didn't want to give a clue about Lucia's call. The Alpha threw a suspicious look at him, before closing the book in front of him. 

“Have a seat”, he continued. “The Alpha of Alvarez Kingdom has agreed on the union. We're making arrangements. Your wedding is in two months. Congratulations son.”

 The sudden shock that gripped his heart was close to the feel of electrocution.