Her expression shifted again as she continued.
"The annoying part? His reason for finally deciding to do it was to make sure that if I ever got exposed, his precious Matriarch wouldn't strip him of his Alpha title."
She let out a derisive snort. "Tch. That old she-wolf sure is lucky."
Slap!
My palm connected with Selene's face before she could react.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she shrieked.
Her drink went flying, spilling everywhere across the polished wood of the waystation's upper tier. An Omega aide rushed over to help clean up the mess, her movements quick and nervous.
Selene was seething. "Are you insane?!"
"Being a shadow mate and still acting this arrogant?" I shot back, my voice shaking with fury. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, hackles raised.
The Omega aide quickly stepped between us, pulling us apart with surprising strength for her rank. She guided Selene to an empty seat farther away from me, speaking to her in soothing tones until her temper finally cooled.
Selene dabbed at her hands with the cloth the attendant had given her, then cast me a contemptuous glance. I could smell the bitter tang of her anger mixing with something else—smug satisfaction.
"Moon above, I can't stand self-righteous females like you. 'Shadow mate' this, 'bond-breaker' that—let's be honest here."
Her lips curled into a sneer. "You're just bitter because your scent has gone stale and you can't hold your Alpha's attention anymore. Back when you were freshly bonded? I bet you threw yourself at dominant wolves harder than anyone."
"You—!"
The Omega aide grabbed my arm before I could lunge, her grip firm despite her trembling.
I didn't want to make their duties harder. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself back into my seat, my claws retracting slowly.
Selene looked me up and down with undisguised disdain, her nostrils flaring as she scented my distress.
"Let me give you some real talk. You're not a fresh-bonded Omega anymore. Your Alpha definitely has someone warming his den on the side." She tilted her head, feigning sympathy. "Go home and check his scent trail if you don't believe me. I mean, looking like that? Smelling that desperate? No wonder he doesn't want to return to your den."
Splash!
The fresh drink the attendant had just brought me hit Selene square in the face.
She screamed, the sound piercing enough to make several wolves in the passage wince.
The waystation attendants scrambled to get between us again.
Senior Pack Liaison Corvin approached with an apologetic smile plastered on his face. "Ms. Ashvale, this traveler holds rank-protected status. Please, let's all calm down. How about I bring you some fresh-caught game? Help you relax?"
"Rank-protected?" I bit out through clenched teeth.
The Senior Liaison leaned in close, lowering his voice. "She's claimed by Alpha Nightthorn—the rising power of the Nightthorn Pack. I'm telling you to keep your distance for your own good. He's very protective of her. His territory influence extends even here."
I laughed bitterly. Of course it did.
The transport vessel docked at the transfer waystation.
Neither Selene nor I departed.
I pulled out my communication crystal and sent a message to Fenris.
[Where are you?]
He sent back an image of his command chamber desk.
[Securing territory resources for my mate]
[For me? Or for someone else?]
No reply.
I sent a single question mark.
The next second, a familiar voice drifted over from Selene's seat. The sound made my stomach turn—I knew that warm, indulgent tone. I'd once believed it was reserved only for me.
"Someone threw juice on you? Who dares treat my little Selene like that?"
"Some dried-up she-wolf!" Selene whined. "Hmph, this is all your fault! If you'd been here, she never would've had the guts!"
"Okay, okay... it's your Alpha's fault."
Ding.
The soft chime of a vault transfer notification sounded from Selene's crystal.
[Territory resource transfer received: 500,000 gold marks]
Fenris's voice was warm, indulgent. "Go acquire yourself something nice from the trading posts."
My fingers dug into the fabric of my sleeve, claws threatening to pierce through.
The smile on Selene's face vanished as quickly as it appeared. She pouted dramatically.
"Hmph! That won't work. You're the one who said you missed my scent, that you wanted to spend the Winter Moon celebration together! Otherwise, I never would've gotten on this stupid transport and run into that crazy she-wolf!"
Her voice pitched higher. "No amount of resources can make me feel better now! Hmph!"
Fenris didn't get angry. If anything, his tone grew lighter, amused.
"What about the new den estate your Alpha secured for you? The one by the northern hunting grounds?"
Selene's eyes widened slightly, and I caught the spike of greedy excitement in her scent.
"There it is. My little Selene's smiling now. Happy?"
"I am not!" She puffed out her cheeks again. "But... hmph, fine. I'll give you a chance. Only because I'm devoted to you."
"Good girl. Your Alpha will make it up to you properly tonight, okay? I'll worship every inch of you."
"Three hours. Not one second less!"
"You can have the whole night. Until the moon sets."
