Chapter Eleven
Claire was led through the bustling dining area to a private room, the guards abandoning her at the door with quick bows.
She stood stiffly there for a few seconds, bracing herself to face Alpha King Lukas. The entirety of the tables behind her had their eyes on her back but it was nothing compared to the man she was about to meet on the other side of the door.
She reached out a hand to knock but the door swung open before she could make contact, causing her to snatch her hand back in shock.
Lukas was standing right in front of her, with an expression that she couldn’t decipher. “Are you just going to keep standing there?” He raised a brow.
Lukas had spoken casually but the entire dining area instantly went quiet like they were listening intently to what he had to say.
Claire didn’t know what to respond so she said nothing and walked inside the room after Lukas. She had her eyes down but she could feel his intense stare burning right through her, and even though she was keeping her attention on the ground, she feared she would stumble and fall.
Lukas pulled out a seat for Claire much to her surprise but she said nothing again, she wasn’t obligated to actively participate in this pretend relationship, she was only interested in plotting her escape.
The private dining room was luxurious; a golden chandelier sat above their table and the decor was a sublime white and gold with gold plates and cutleries to match.
Lukas himself was dressed in a black shirt and tailored suit pants, his suit jacket had been discarded and the top buttons on his black shirt was undone.
Claire had been planning to keep her eyes down the entire time but she couldn’t help but stare at Lukas, he was really handsome in person, too bad he was a total asshole.
Lukas looked unbothered by the silence, he had been sipping on a glass of wine before she showed up. Now he picked it up once more and drained his glass, studying Claire intently.
“Claire, I have something for you.” He finally broke up the silence, picking up a black velvet box on the table that Claire hadn’t noticed before.
Although Lukas had made in clear in many ways how he despised her for being his Fated mate, Claire felt warm and a little giddy when he gracefully opened the velvet box.
He said he had something for her, what could it possibly be? A ring perhaps- Claire’s wild train of thought was cut off when a delicate gold necklace was taken out of the box.
For some reason, the necklace made her feel happier than a ring would have because although Claire wouldn’t hesitate to leave Lukas the moment she got the chance to, she also craved his approval for some sick reason.
So while the last thing she wanted was to get married to him, getting little trinkets from him made her happy, if that even made any sense. Nothing about all this made any sense though.
Claire could only blink in surprise as Lukas walked over to put the necklace on her himself. It was a double layered pearl and gold necklace with a lovely teardrop pearl pendant.
She held her breath when his fingers brushed her collarbones, trailing upwards to her neck and then her nape. The necklace looked expensive, just like everything else.
“There.” Lukas hummed after he did the clasp. “Pretty necks shouldn’t be left bare.” He added, his fingers lingering on Claire’s skin, causing tingles to erupt on her skin.
She could only breathe again after Lukas returned to his seat, keeping her eyes down to hide how warm her cheeks were getting.
If she didn't know just how cruel Lukas could be, she would be swooning right now. He had effortless charm, it made her understand just how her parents could believe him without asking to see her.
Breakfast was brought to their table and they ate in companionable silence. At least Lukas looked like it did, Claire was a tense ball of nerves the entire time.
She could only eat a little and wasn't sure where to look. The necklace around her neck felt like it was made of lead when truly it was very light and comfortable.
Unable to bear it anymore, she shot to her feet, attracting Lukas' attention.
"What?" He asked in clipped tones, all of his previous warmth long gone.
The pressure in Claire’s middle eased a little. This was the Lukas she knew well, she could handle him easily.
"I just need to use the restroom, would you mind pointing me to where it is?"
Lukas studied her for a moment and then got up to open the door.
Claire stood in place and just watched him interact with the guards outside the door, only moving when he gestured her too. And she did so without so much as a second glance at him.
Claire hurried out of the private dining room as fast as she could on stiletto heels, ignoring the crowd who were blantanly staring now. She was led away by two guards and she followed without question, she just wanted some bit of privacy.
The restrooms were just outside the dining area; there were two hallways which led to each seperate restroom and the guard could only wait at the entrance to the hallways while Claire went ahead to the women’s restroom.
There were a group of women already in the restroom when she stepped in and they all fell silent at the same time, staring at her with open curiousity.
“You’re human!” One of the blurted out, earning sharp looks from her friends.
“I’m sorry for intruding.” Claire said sincerely, standing nervously and unsteadily at the entrance to the restroom.
The group of four ladies shared a look and seemed to come to a silent decision.
The tallest out of them stepped forward and took Claire’s hand to pull her forward. “It’s fine, dear.” She said kindly, her dark hair in an elegant chignon. “By the fates, you look so pale and you’re shivering like a leaf.”
Claire let herself be lead, surprised at how kind the werewolves were being. These were the kind of werewolves she grew up with, the kind that never mentioned their differences.
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