Chapter 26
A low growl reached my ears and snapped me out of my happy place. I pulled away from kissing Caspian as fear coursed through my body. What have I done? I forgot Riley was here, and he would definitely make a scene now. And the last thing I wanted was to attract attention.
Caspian must have felt my anxiety as he cupped my cheeks, just letting my head face him. “Relax, he can’t do anything.”
“You don’t understand? He can ruin you if he finds out we’re intimate, Caspian.” Tears welled in my eyes as I looked into Caspian.
I didn’t care anymore if my life was going to waste, but I didn’t want Riley to ruin Caspian’s.
He told me if Caspian touched me, he could be stripped off from his position, and that was the only reason I was still holding on to my sanity right now. Because if it were up to me, I would have given my virginity to Caspian on the night of my graduation.
“He can’t do anything to me, Andrea.”
“He said, you can be stripped off of your title if you keep messing with me even after you find out about the contract.” My voice was breaking. I needed to talk with Riley.
“Bullshit, nothing in the contract states you’re not allowed to
have a relationship with anyone before you turn eighteen. He can’t make his own rules just because he wants to.” Caspian hissed. He was controlling his eyes from dilating.
“It didn’t say there that I had to be pure?” I swallowed hard as I asked the question.
“Who the fuck gave you that idea?”
“Riley…”
“He’s a fucking liar. I still don’t get it why do you keep believing anything that’s coming out of his mouth?”
“I just don’t want him to harm you.”
Caspian let out a sigh before taking my hand in his and guiding me out of the dance floor and into the corner of the ballroom with fewer people.
“Listen, Andrea, Riley can never harm me. You’re the one in danger here, so if there’s anything more you need to tell me about this whole ordeal, you need to tell me now.”
“I can’t think of anything more. Except that he told me, I can’t let you touch me because he will let the council now.”
“Well, he’s not the king of everything.” And before I could understand what he meant, Caspian’s hand was already cupping the back of my head as he leaned forward and kissed m y lips again.
This time I just closed my eyes and let his lips brush against
mine, parting my lips open as he thrust his tongue inside my mouth, devouring all of me as we shared a hungry, passionate kiss.
I trusted Caspian. Even if it burns me sooner or later.
CASPIAN.
I sat in one of the rooms of the Pavillion with Alpha Jacob and Beta Gavin while the party was still ongoing at the ballroom.
I had laid out everything I knew about the blood compact and was now asking his advice. I knew Alpha Jacob and Riley had a long history between them as they grew up together and went into Alpha training together at a young age, but Gavin reassured me that Jacob is a fair man, and his wisdom with things sees beyond friendship and alliances.
“Fifty million? Ridiculous! It only meant one thing, they didn’t want Andrea out of that blood pact. Either her mate takes her out of that contract, or you will end up owing every Alpha around this side of the country to come up with that money.”
“You think I didn’t know that? But what choices do I have? I will buy her out if I’m not left with any other option.”
“Have you tried talking with Riley Real talk, no fight, no threats.”
“Man, it’s actually hard to even stay in the same room with
him. I doubt I’ll ever get anything accomplished, even if I try t o be calm.”
“You know, I can lend you some money to help out, but my concern is what will happen to you after you exhaust everything? You have a pack to run, Caspian. You can’t just be impulsive and sell everything to get her.”
“What fucking choice do I have?”
“I will try to talk to Riley, although I’m not sure if it will help. When is she turning eighteen?”
“Six days from now?”
“Fuck! We don’t have time. Have you been training her for her shifting?”
“No.”
“Why not? She needed her wolf so she could scent her mate.”
I rested my elbows on the table in front of me and covered my face with my hands.
“You didn’t want her to find her mate?”
“I don’t know. I fucking don’t know. Because either way, I would be losing her.”
“Caspian. You’re thinking too far ahead. Right now, her mate i s the only one who can save her.”
“And then she’ll be gone too? Look at Jenny. She left Aaron
just seconds after finding her mate.”
“So what are you planning to do? Buy her out and hide her from her mate? Then you’re turning exactly like Riley now. Don’t you trust her that she will choose you even after she finds her mate?”
“I’m not sure about anything anymore.” I thought coming here and talking with Jacob would make it easier for me but his words were digging into my soul. I have a pack to run. I couldn’t just give up everything.
“Man, I know it’s fucking hard, but you need to keep your mind straight. In six days, she will turn eighteen. But in four days, she will be shifting. Your goal is to get her to shift, to let her wolf out. And we can plead with Riley to give us a month or two for her to find her mate. I will talk with Marco at the council to back us up on this. Riley needs to give her a chance t o find her mate because the contract states she can overrule it by finding her mate.
And when she does. We’ll see what happens next. Andrea gets t o decide what she wants to do after that. You can’t tell her to stay if she chooses her mate, Caspian.”
I nodded my head, not taking my hands off my face. My heart was constricting in my chest. The thought of her losing her was killing me inside. “I’m going to lose her either way, right?
I felt hands on my shoulders, squeezing them hard, and I knew it was my brother-in-law. “That is something which we
have no control over,” Gavin said in a low voice.
“Well, find a way, Caspian. I’m not closing my door to buy her out if needed. We just need to be careful because letting out that large amount is a big stake for both our packs.”
*****
I walked out of the meeting room with a heavy heart. I didn’t know what I was expecting when I came here to talk with Jacob. A part of me was hoping he would tell me that buying out Andrea was the best option, but what he told me made sense. Even if I found the money to buy Andrea out, what would happen next? How could I begin to repair my life and m y pack if I didn’t have any money left?
As much as I hated to admit it, Riley and his fucking crazy ways were slowly getting on my nerves. I tried to be calm, especially in front of Andrea, but I knew it wouldn’t take a long time before I would finally snap.
I hope the Goddess was listening and let me hold on to my sanity until I could find a solution to this.
But I guess the Goddess was never on my side from the very beginning. She wanted me to snap, and the view in front of me was just what I needed to ruin everything else for me.
Andrea was in the middle of the dance floor, dancing and holding onto the arms of the very same Alpha that was making my life miserable.
Did I say growling at parties like this was deemed unacceptable?
Well, I fucking don’t care.
I couldn’t stop the growl from vibrating off my chest as I walked out of the ballroom.
‘Alpha, wait. I can explain,’ Beta Paul’s voice rang in my head a s I walked out of the Pavillion with big strides.
‘Save your fucking explanation when I’m about to cut your head off! I gave you one fucking job, and you can’t do it! Take her out of the ballroom now, we’re leaving!’
“Caspian!” I heard Alia’s voice running after me. I stopped on my track and took a deep breath. I knew I should not leave without even talking to my sister.
When I already calmed myself, I turned around, and Alia slammed her body against mine and hugged me tightly.
“Please let Andrea explain. I don’t know what’s going on between you two or what setup you have, but give her time to explain.”
I closed my eyes and kissed her temples before pulling her body away from me. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Tell the Alpha and Luna we headed off already. And apologize on my behalf.”
She nodded her head, crossing her arms across her chest as Gavin walked behind her and pulled her into his chest.
“I love you, Caspian,” Alia said in a low voice.
I would always answer her back when she said those words, but I couldn’t find it in me to say anything above love at the moment. My heart was in pain and I couldn’t think straight, so I just nodded my head and walked straight to my car.
I felt little footsteps running after me and the car beeped. It only meant my Beta had opened the car door with his key.
I went to the passenger side and was about to open the door when a little hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to look at her.
“Caspian!” Andrea’s voice was filled with worries but I wasn’t giving any fuck.
I pulled my hand away from her hold and opened the door.
“Will you listen to me?” Her voice was slightly higher than usual, and it was shaking.
My eyes dilated as I looked back at her, leaning my face forward so our faces were just inches away.
“Listen to what? How you cuddled in his arms while I was racking my brain to get you out of the fucking mess that very same man created?” I was bellowing at her as her body jolted from my voice.
“Fucking tell me if I’m just wasting my time here and to just fucking let you go with him!” I saw her eyes well up with
tears, but I wasn’t backing down. I just told her the truth.
I turned around and slipped inside the seat and shut the door. She was still standing outside.
I tilted my head at my Beta who was already in the driver’s seat. “Drive. If she doesn’t want to come, then leave her here.”
“No fucking way I’m leaving Andrea here.” Beta Paul sneered a t me before going out of the car and letting Andrea go in the backseat.
No one was talking through the whole drive, but I could hear her sniffling in the back seat. A part of me wanted to apologize for shouting at her, but I felt fucking betrayed at the moment.
I was doing everything I could to save her, and yet she had the audacity to dance with Riley when she told me she didn’t want to be alone with him.