Chapter 22
“I’ve built my own alliances without the need for such ceremonies, Nelfas.” I let the words hang, hoping he’d take the hint and leave. But something about the way he hesitated told me there was more he hadn’t said yet.
He cleared his throat, shifting slightly as a sly smile spread across his lips. “Alpha Colleen
will be there.”
I felt my muscles tighten at the name. Alpha Colleen. Now that… that was interesting.
I leaned forward slightly, my eyes narrowing. “Colleen, you say?”
Nelfas nodded, his expression hopeful, sensing a shift in my interest. “Yes, he rarely makes appearances at these things, but word is, he’s coming this time. Rumors say he’s been seeking new alliances as well, after some… upheavals in his territory.”
Alpha Colleen is one Alpha who I could say can compare to me in a way or two. He is one
who doesn’t seek alliance, just like me.
His pack was powerful–ruthless in battle, feared even among the strongest. An alliance
with him could tilt the balance in more ways than one. And if he was in a vulnerable
position… all the more reason to exploit it.
“Go on,” I said, finally uncrossing my arms and sitting up straighter. Nelfas smiled, encouraged, but I wasn’t focused on him anymore. The gears were turning in my mind. Alpha Colleen is actually the key to something far greater.
Nelfas went on, his voice filled with excitement now. “With Colleen there, everyone will
be vying for his attention. But your reputation precedes you, Parthe. You could very well
be the one he looks to for an alliance. It’s an opportunity to strengthen your position among the Alphas.”
Alpha Nelfas’s words were still sinking in when the heavy doors of the courtroom creaked
open, interrupting the conversation. It was Nevada. The head of the maids and mother to
one of my mistresses, Zendaya.
She led the maids in with some refreshments for our guest.
Nevada was such a hardworking woman. Too bad her daughter didn’t take over from her.
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Chapter 22
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Her daughter, Zendaya, is quite the opposite of her too weak and fragile.
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I noticed something wrong the moment Nevada stepped into the courtroom. She froze the
moment she laid eyes on Nelfas.
Her face paled, her lips parting ever so slightly as though the air had been knocked out of her. The tray in her hands wobbled precariously, but she managed to steady it before any disaster struck. Nelfas, too, froze in place, his previous enthusiasm draining from his face.
I narrowed my eyes, watching the two of them with keen interest. This was no coincidence. I might not keep friends, but I knew when there was something more beneath the surface. And this… this was something.
I let the silence linger, letting the discomfort settle in before I spoke. “Do you two know
each other?”
Nelfas was the first to move, too quick, too eager to speak. “No!” His voice was louder than it needed to be, and his eyes darted from Nevada to me, clearly hoping to quash the question before it could gain any traction. “I don’t know her.”
His words were sharp, but there was something in them that didn’t sit right. The way his eyes lingered on Nevada, filled with something that looked suspiciously like regret… or guilt.
I glanced at Nevada, who stood frozen, her eyes wide and glassy as though she were holding back something dangerous. Her lips pressed together, and after a heartbeat of hesitation, she nodded slowly, her face carefully blank.
“Of course not, Alpha,” she said, her voice steady, but her eyes betrayed her. Hurt flickered in their depths before she masked it again, lowering her head as she turned away.
I leaned back in my chair, steepling my fingers together, my eyes never leaving Nelfas. “This meeting is over, Nelfas. You may leave.”
I saw the shock and embarrassment in his eyes, but I didn’t give a fuck about it.
C
