CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
"What about my husband?" Avyanna teased. She failed to notice the envious look that formed on Baron's face immediately she mentioned that she had a husband.
"Ericson does not seem smart enough to want you. Besides business between us will be strictly business, so no men, especially Mr. Gift box." Baron made his smirk conspicuous so that it would conceal his jealousy. His eyes stared at Avyanna, not looking away but searching her face for the emotions and thoughts about what she felt of his new mandate. He was unable to read anything from her face because she eas careful to no make her thoughts obvious. Avyanna kept a light smile that made Baron read a million meanings from.
"She is so cute. Imagine having her all to yourself." Roy, Baron's wolf, said as Baron stared.
"Thomas. His name is Thomas." Avyanna said.
"Yes, Thomas." The Lycan Alpha nodded. "Our alliance will bring about change in your kingdom. I believe you want this change, yes?" He raised his eyebrows as he asked the question, waiting for an answer.
"The Moon Goddess has done you a great favour." Roy said. Baron was getting pissed with how his wolf did not want to co-operate with the type of conversation he held with Avyanna. Baron clenched his jaws and grit his teeth, trying to drowse out the voice of Roy.
"Yes. The change is a non-negotiable." Avyanna replied.
"So tell me, what would you change in the kingdom?" Baron focused on Avyanna as he asked and waited for her reply. He knew that Avyanna would give an elaborate answer and he wanted to hear it.
"I would introduce new rules for women. Women will have a say and a place in the kingdom." Avyanna said with anger. She was not angry at Baron but at some of the conditions that women in the pack had to go through, just because of their gender. Right from time, she was not comfortable with the way some women were looked down on.
"That is very thoughtful of you. What else will you do?" Baron wanted to hear more. She was not being very detailed about what she was going to do but he wanted to hear it all.
"I would make rules that will allow the women to protect themselves." Avyanna said staring into the air.
"What do you really want to do Avyanna?" Baron leaned foward, to hear what she was about to say.
"I ... I want to save them." The look on Avyanna' face changed when she said so because she remembered how she failed to save them in her past life. She thought of how Nancy single-handedly bore her way through her kingdom and took it right from under her own watch.
Avyanna didn't want the women to suffer the way she did in her past life when she couldn't have a say after Ericson had rejected her. Women were always feeling overpowered by men and they had a say even when it came to family matters and she wanted to put and end to it. There were a lot of things she wanted to change but that was among the first on her list.
"Save them you will." Baron consoled. He didn't know the true reason for her change in mood. He figured that she was just a Luna who wanted to save her kingdom and get out of an annoying marriage so he pitied her and wished he could hold her. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to hold her tightly to console her and tell her that everything will be alright.
"Tell her!" Roy whispered. "Tell her you're going to save her and everything will be alright!" But Baron was not sure that that was the appropriate thing to do so he just kept smiling at her and making up plans, and mentally strategizing ways to aid her salvation, whatever way she meant.
"With your help, I will." Avyanna regained her original smile.
Just as Baron was about to say something, Ericson walked into her office slowly, moving towards Avyanna and ignoring the presence of the Lycan Alpha.
"Ah, Alpha. I didn't think I would see you again so quickly."
"Oh yes, Alpha. I'm here to check up on my wife." Ericson said respectfully even though he was so aggravated by the presence of the Lycan. He was insecure about the relationship that his wife was forming with the Lycan King. He had imagined things that the Lycan would do to his wife if they ever got into an intimate position and that is what prompted his visit to the office. He had one goal, to terminate the meeting with stirring up trouble or annoying the Lycan.
"It is every responsible man's duty to look over his wife, and check up on her." Baron said so in a way that mocked Ericson for not checking up on Avyanna all the while, and disrespecting her.
"Well, I try my best." Ericson grinned.
"How good enough is it?" Baron taunted, smiling deviously at Avyanna, but he was talking to Ericson.
Avyanna looked at her husband and faked a brief smile at him as he walked towards her.
"My Love, don't you think this discussion has taken an awful lot of your time? You need to do a lot of things in the pack house, like organize the hunting party and oversee that training."
Avyanna looked away and heaved a silent sigh in anger. It was so obvious that Ericson was trying to end the meeting, not because he cared but because he wanted the Lycan away from his wife. Avyanna controlled heranger and replied wittily to Ericson's retort, "Well, My love, It hasn't been up to an hour since I welcomed my guest so I don't think it has taken a lot of my time. And about the hunting party and training, that is to happen in the late afternoon and in the evening."
"Okay. So when will you be done with the meeting?" Ericson moved closer making it seem like he wanted to do nothing more than to console his wife.
"When I leave." Baron replied, smirking darkly.
"I have no idea my love. Probably in an hour or less." Avyanna replied looking at Baron for confirmation.
"Probably." Baron confirmed. He then casted his stare upon Ericson. He recalled that Ericson was Avyanna's husband and he still had the right to love her and be her one and only and it pained the lycan.
"You should rip his head off right now!" Roy said sharply and gruffly.
'Oh, in due time my dear Roy.' Baron pacified himself, maintaining his dark smirk at Ericson.
"So what are you two talking about?" Ericson put his right arm across her shoulder sensually.
"Nothing you don't know about. Just our packs and all." Avyanna didn't want to get into detail because she didn't have the resolve to entertain a conversation with annoying Eric. Plus she could tell that he didn't really care about what she and Baron were talking about; all he cared about was the Lycan's presence.
Ericson wanted nothing more than for the Lycan to vanish from his sight, but he had to be strategic about it. He couldn't show anger at the lycan nor could he bluntly say that he wanted Baron to leave.
"Right, right. What about the packs exactly?" Ericson asked Avyanna but his stare remained on Baron.
"I think the Luna has said exactly what we are talking about." Baron boiled in anger, yet smiled.
His smile infuriated Ericson to the extent that Ericon's inner wolf, Henry, raged. "Okay that's it. I'm coming out now to rip his head off." Ericson's inner wolf almost revealed himself. It could be seen in his molten yellow eyes, the primal urge to lop the Lycan's head off with his claws.
"Calm down. He can't get the better of Us." Ericson spoke telepathically to his wolf. "I know how to get to him."
"Has she now?" Ericson smiled.
Avyanna enjoyed the not so discreet show of power and jealousy from the Alpha males until Ericson took his hands away from her shoulder and moved it to hold her waist tightly in a sexual manner. It annoyed her more when he used his left hand to caress her cheeks, faking a genuine smile of care and affection for his wife.
"Try not to work too hard on yourself Love. I know how tedious the preparations you are making with our dear Lycan is."
"The balls on this guy! After the way he disregarded her at the Feast, he pulls this stunt! I say we rip his head off right now!"
"Oh Roy! I think I'm buying your idea." Baron growled silently. The thing about the conversations the werewolves had with the wolf that resided within them was that no-one else could hear it. If only Ericson could hear what Roy wanted to do to him, he might have fled the room.
"If you knew the kind of work we were about to do, you would know that she will be pleased by the work she is about to do." Baron smiled darkly, his words were meant to aggravate Ericson into thinking that he intended to lay with Avyanna and Ericson fell for the bait.
"Excuse me. What did You just say?" Henry said.
"Uh-oh. I wouldn't do that if I were you Edith."
"It's Eric!" He growled silently, still respecting the Lycan king.
Avyanna was enjoying the show so much, it pained her as she put a stop to it.
"Okay. That's enough!" Katie said. For a brief moment, Avyanna's retina turned into a molten gold.
"Dear moon goddess! Katie was that you?" Avyanna asked telepathically, but heard no response. "Katie!" Her wolf was gone.
Ericson and Baron stared at an immobile and gasping Avyanna. She gasped for breath as her mind searched for Katie, her lost wolf.