Chapter 21 My Choice

**Valerie**

I froze at the Alpha’s callous stare of inspection. He was obviously skeptical about of the two masters’ reaction to me.

Rubbing my hands together anxiously, I swallowed the lump in my throat before stuttering, “I…I’m s…sorry, Alpha Felix—”

“It’s not your turn to speak with an Alpha!” His tone hardened, as he cut me off, turned to Xavier and said in provocation, “Am I right, Alpha Xavier? I have never known that humans in the South would be so boorish.”

The Alpha was apparently trying to sound Xavier out about his excessive attention on me. He switched his gaze between Xavier and me.

Xavier frowned at his question. His lips pursed into a thin line as he looked at the Alpha through ice hooded eyes. His chest heaved violently in a concealed rage that was about erupt out of his control.

I bit my lower lip nails scratching my palm anxiously as I stiffened my back, waiting for the storm.

Mr. Lang cleared his throat, giving a signal to stop Xavier before he could made any hasty reactions in rashness. He quickly exchanged a glance with Xavier, being aware that any of Xavier’s replies could possibly exacerbate the tension hanging between the two Alphas, he broke the silence firstly in his cavalier tone.

“Oh really? Alpha Felix.” He chuckled as he casually stroll to me, holding up my hand softly before placing a kiss on my fingers.

“Humans are cute, don’t you think?” He said as he pulled me closer and pressed my back against his chest tightly, back-hugging me in an intimate and sexual way.

Then he kissed my neck, nibbled teasingly on the crook.

Beholding our intimacy, Xavier darkened his stare at me, hands clenching into fists. I quickly switched my sight, avoiding any eye contact with him.

I was afraid of being betrayed by the eyes that they would exude my real emotions to him now, my baffling compassion for him, my mystifying reliance on him and my ridiculous possessiveness over him. I was sure that any of those emotions would only aggravate the situation, leading to dreaded consequences both for him and for me.

As I changed my gaze to the Alpha and his daughter Alyssa, I was abashed. The Alpha glanced away from us with a dismissive countenance and contemptuous snort, while Alyssa gawped dumbly with a pink blush on her small face.

“Sorry for the fuss.” Mr. Lang said carelessly, “please excuse me, my naughty little bird needs a lesson for her misbehavior.”

Mr. Lang held my waist, making a farewell obeisance to the Alpha before taking me to leave the dining room.

I panted as he grabbed my hand, bringing me into one of the pantries. I would have to trot to catch him up.

The door slammed close loudly behind us.

My heart flinched and before I could make any movement, he pushed me against the wooden board and leant forward to obstruct my every way. His stare focused on my face intensively, not willing to miss one tiny detail of my expressions. His eyes were flaring with anger, disappointment and an inscrutable light that I had never seen before.

“You really liked him that much, do you?” His muffled voice sounded like a growl.

I recoiled timidly, clinging my back tightly against the door and shaking my head lightly.

“You lied to me, Valerie.” He huffed, “You don’t want Xavier to get married with that Alpha’s daughter, do you?”

I had nothing to reply but pursing my lips and staring at him silently.

“Why did you lie to me, Valerie? I can’t believe you are his mate…mate…” He dropped his head to rest on my chest and mumbled in a mournful tone.

I wanted to say something but he cut me off abruptly with a scornful sneer. He wasn’t actually sneering at me, but himself.

“I’m a nut. I should have known that.” He laughed bitterly while stumbling back for a few step and releasing the restrain on me. “I should have known,” he repeated with a downcast voice, “you’re special enough for Xavier to openly go against his father.”

My feet were glued to the floor.

A sharp pain stroke my head as he calmed down, beholding down to me with those cold eyes. There’s something changed subtly there. He still smiled to me, but the smile was nothing to do with adoration or dalliance, nor with a trace of the emotions had I once seen on his stunning face.

“Go back to your room.” He said plainly, with an aloofness, “I’ll tell Mrs. Manson that you cannot make it for the celebration dinner.”

I goggled at him.

“Xavier will like this decision,” he scoffed, “Or you can wait him in his bedroom.”

I was pretty sure my cheek reddened instantly, not because I was shy or abashed, but because I was agitated.

“Mr. Lang, thanks for your consideration. But I can manage the dinner. There’s no need to bother Mrs. Manson.” I blurted out, heaving in anger.

Mr. Lang raised his eyebrow, squinting at me with an indifferent attitude. He reminded dominantly, “It’s not a suggestion, Valerie.”

“I understand, Mr. Lang. But you said I was Alpha Xavier’s ‘mate’, so I suppose it’s up to Alpha Xavier to decide what I should do.” I stared up at him and replied.

His eyes darkened with his brows furrowed deeply. His countenance had never been so severe like this. I even had an anticipation that he was likely to break my neck and drain me up in a second.

Bewilderingly enough, I wasn’t frightened this time. Maybe it’s because I was too furious to care about anything else, or the smothered pain in my heart was too strong to bear with in silence.

I was lost in a frenzy of bitter revolt.

“You think I am not going to kill you, don’t you?” He bellowed.

“I believe you’ll not, Mr. Lang, if I’m truly Alpha Xavier’s mate. You don’t want to raise an uproar between werewolves and vampires.” I raised my chin and stated.

My cynical retort provoked him even further. Grabbing my jaw tightly in his palm, he snarled lowly against my neck, “You don’t know me.”

My heartbeat started racing. I took a deep breath and managed to steady my breath. I didn’t reply to him this time but closed my eyes, waiting for his next move.

It’s a gamble, and if I lost, I’d have to pay my life as price.

I never liked gambling because I had always been the bad-luck loser. But this time, I had a faith in wining, so I bet my whole life on a vampire’s empathy.

Things had been clear enough now. I had to join the celebration night, because it’s the only chance I could steal a glance of the Red Moon pack with a possibility to find something behind the veil, something about Mrs. Johnson, the mysterious woman, my parents and me.

I couldn’t lose it.

Mr. Lang laughed sarcastically, before holding my face tightly in his palms and attacking me with a wet kiss.

Making a nip on my lip corner, he forced me to part my lips in a moan, allowing his tongue to slip into my mouth and leading mine to dance with his rhythm. He caressed the tip of my tongue with such a gentle suck that my soul was likely to escape from the flesh, roaming up into the air.

I breathed heavily while he let go of me, stepping aback to behold my clumsy reactions.

“If you ask me, I can take you to leave here,” He gazed at me seriously and said in a sincere tone, “Forever.”

It would be pretended if I said I hadn’t been moved at all, but the generosity he offered was meaningless to me. Though I didn’t hate him or disgust him and I might even felt attached to him, it wouldn’t make out. I don’t want to be his mistress or spend the rest of my life living somewhere in the darkness as accused criminals’ offspring.

I wanted to make my own path.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lang. Am I allowed to serve the dinner now?” I ignored what he just said with a question, staring back at him placidly.

His face became dark and sullen, jawline tightened. Dropping his eyelids to the floor, he snorted. He stepped aside to get across me, grabbed the knob and rotated to open the door before taking one last glance at me.

“Not my business.” He answered icily, striding out of the pantry.