Page 10 of Claimed By the Wolf
I hurry to keep pace with Nox’s long strides, slightly breathless when I reach the SUV. He opens the passenger door for me, and I slip inside quickly. The silence stretches between us as he rounds the vehicle and slides into the driver’s seat, his jaw set in a hard line.
“What happened?” I breathe, collapsing into the SUV as he starts the vehicle. “That was so weird!”
He glances at me, but he doesn’t speak until he pulls out of the driveway and off the estate. Our entourage follows, and I wait impatiently for Nox to respond.
“Nox!” I grumble, unable to wait in silence any longer. “Did he reject me?”
“No. Not at all.”
That’s not how it looked on the driveway, but I believe him. His blue irises meet mine again before refocusing on the road ahead.
“Then why didn’t he say anything to me?” I’m still vibrating from the insult of Emeric ignoring me.
Nox’s mouth firms. “You have to understand that Emeric wants the union for political reasons,” he explains, and my jaw drops. “So, it’s going to be a bit of a process.”
I stare at him blankly. “What does that mean?”
“This union will just take time. He likes you. He thinks you’ll make an excellent Luna.”
“He likes me?” I can’t keep the disdain from my tone. “He didn’t even speak to me. He thinks I will make an excellent Luna based on my looks?”
Nox remains quiet for a moment. “Well, yes, he thinks you’re very attractive. But that’s hardly surprising. You’re beautiful.”
The unexpected compliment makes me pause, momentarily forgetting my retort. Nox has never told me I’m beautiful before.
“But I told him all about you, all of your best qualities. And that’s why he thinks you’ll make a great Luna.”
He told Emeric all about me? More than anything, I want to know what he said. I’ve wanted Nox to see the good in me for so long. Why am I only now discovering that he’s been paying attention? Even if he could never want me romantically,knowing he had good things to say about me fills me with unexpected warmth.
Nox continues, “But like I said, he’s only doing this for political reasons.”
“If he doesn’t want to do this either, what are we doing?” I demand.
“He’s an Alpha, Brynn! He’ll do what’s best for his pack, just like I will, just like any good Alpha would do!” Nox cuts me off sharply. “That’s also part of being an adult, Brynn. We don’t always do what we want to do, but we do it because we have to.”
That’s Alpha Nox talking now, not the guy I’ve had a crush on since I was a kid.
His tone sets me back against the cool leather, and I clamp my mouth shut, my stare shooting down. I hate how he can make me feel ten years old with a simple flip of his tone.
“He might not want to mate with anyone, but he sees the benefit in unifying our packs, and he’s not opposed to doing that with you,” he continues, his tone softening slightly as if he reads the look on my abashed face.
Again, not the romance I’d hoped for my whole life, but who am I kidding? Nox is right. The chances of me finding my fated mate are rare at best, obsolete at worst. Even so, it would have been nice to feel something for my mate before agreeing to an arrangement like this.
I have to grow up.
“Okay,” I rasp. “I get it. I just want to know what’s going on.”
He drums his fingers over the steering wheel. “That’s fair, but I don’t know when you’ll be moving to his ranch.”
The words fall like a dead weight in the vehicle, and my chin jerks up again.
“What? So hedidreject me?” My confusion flows back in a torrent.
“No. The deal is made. You’re promised to him. But he doesn’t want you moving onto the property… yet.”
“Then when?”
He exhales. “We kind of left things up in the air in that respect. It will happen eventually.”
