Chapter 54: Not a pleasure

Alyssa let out a relieved breath as Dorian closed the distance between them, his massive arm sliding around her waist to anchor her against his side.

The weight of his Alpha aura flooded the dining room, forcing Bethany to take an involuntary step backward and lower her head.

"Dorian..." she began, but the cold authority in his tone cut her off instantly.

​"That is Alpha King Dorian to you," he snarled, his voice vibrating with a dangerous, gravelly edge. "Do not push your luck, Bethany. You are married to my uncle; that does not grant you the right to disrespect me, or my wife."

"I meant no disrespect," Bethany shot back, her jaw tightening as she tried to salvage her pride. "I was merely getting acquainted with your new bride."

"By threatening her?" Dorian stepped forward, his grip on Alyssa tightening possessively. "Are you aware that by sacred pack law, you are now beneath her in rank? Apologize to her this instant."

Bethany’s head snapped up, her brown eyes flashing with disdain as she glared directly at Dorian. Before the argument could escalate, the rhythmic thump of Conri’s cane echoed from the threshold.

He stepped back into the dining area, his dark gaze locking onto his nephew.

"Have some respect for my mate, Dorian," he murmured, his deep voice carrying the weight of his three centuries. "Remember who she is to this family."

"Then put your mate in her place, Uncle Conri," Dorian retorted without a second’s hesitation. "Because I will not tolerate a single drop of disrespect leveled at mine."

For a long moment, the two men held a freezing standoff, neither willing to back off. Conri knew his nephew well; he knew the traumas of the past had molded Dorian into a ruthless, unmerciful monster. He wasn’t foolish enough to cross him out in the open.

But as the oldest living monarch of the Hellborne and Lowell bloodlines, he still had to project his dominance.

The front doors slammed open and shut, breaking the silent battle of wills. Anthony, Jake, and Alec strode into the foyer, their expressions instantly hardening into masks of alert caution as they took in the tension vibrating through the room.

Their presence seemed to shift the leverage of the room entirely. Conri took a measured breath, recognizing the shift, and broke eye contact first.

"Bethany. Apologize to the Luna," he ordered gruffly.

Bethany opened her mouth to protest, her face turning red, but Conri silenced her with a sharp, warning glare.

"Apologize," he grounded out through clenched teeth.

Swallowing her pride, Bethany forced her eyes toward Alyssa. "I apologize, Luna Alyssa." The title tasted like poison in her mouth.

Alyssa met her gaze calmly, her smooth response only fueling the older woman’s internal rage. "Apology accepted, Lady Beth."

A long silence settled over the room before Conri broke it with a cold, sardonic smile. "It has been years since I last saw you, little nephew. Is this truly how you welcome your dear old uncle?"

The air remained thick with flaring dominant energy. Dorian’s frame remained rigid, though the feral gold in his eyes receded slightly back to black.

"You should have sent word before traveling down here," he replied coldly. "I do not tolerate surprise visits, Uncle."

"Still the same overly cautious Dorian," Conri chuckled. "Bethany and I never received an invitation to your wedding. Imagine our surprise when we learned of it through the media. Tell me, what happened to the Bennington girl you were arranged to marry?"

"Uncle!" Dorian snapped, a flicker of pitch-black demon energy dancing across his pupils. "You and your mate are welcome to stay until dusk, until the rest of the family arrives. But make no mistake; you weren’t invited because I did not want you there."

Beside him, a faint, amused smile touched Alyssa’s lips. It was almost word-for-word what she had told Conri minutes ago.

"What I do, and how I rule, is entirely none of your concern," Dorian continued. "You will respect my Luna. You are not just guests in my home; you are in hers. I will not have this conversation with either of you a second time."

Without waiting for a response, he turned his back on them completely. "Come, my love."

Alyssa slipped her small hand into his massive palm. As he led her toward the grand staircase, she offered a polite, parting nod to the furious couple.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Sir Conri, Lady Beth." It was definitely not a pleasure!

At the base of the stairs, Dorian paused, glancing back over his shoulder toward Conri.

"My beta and gamma will escort you to the study, and I will join you shortly. Make yourselves comfortable."

With that, he guided Alyssa up the stairs and out of sight.

Pandora immediately murmured a quiet excuse, slipping down the western corridor toward her own quarters to escape the toxic atmosphere. Anthony walked past the Lowells without offering them a single word or look; he had always despised Conri’s crooked ways since childhood.

Jake and Alec finally led the way to the study, throwing the door open and gesturing for the couple to step inside.

"The servants will bring refreshments shortly, Sir Conri," Jake said flatly before pulling the doors shut, leaving the couple alone.

The moment he left, Bethany let loose her suppressed fury.

"Who does he think he is? Putting a commoner over us just because he slapped a crown on her head? I should have broken her face when I had the chance, Conri! Why did you force me to apologize to her?"

Conri remained silent, pacing toward the far corner of the room, his own pride stinging from Dorian’s blatant indifference.

"Joffrey was right," he said finally, sinking into the leather sofa. "The girl is wolfless. I didn’t smell the slightest hint of a wolf on her."

"Dorian has no regard for the crown, or the Northern customs," Bethany snarled, sitting beside him. "He breaks the laws like he doesn’t care. Joffrey should be the one sitting on that throne!"

"Control your tongue, Beth!" Conri snapped, pulling a polished tobacco pipe from his vest. He lit it, inhaling deeply before exhaling a thick plume of gray smoke into the room. "Joffrey knows exactly what he is doing. He is not stupid."

He puffed again, his dark eyes gleaming with a malicious, calculating light. "Let Dorian have his brief moment of romantic delusion. That we have remained silent in the shadows all these years does not mean we are blind. The day my nephew will fall is approaching, and the Lowell bloodline will inherit the North."

"We need to eliminate that girl first," Bethany urged, leaning in close. "She’s trouble, Conri. I can feel it. With that strange, unnatural hair and those haunting eyes, she reminds me of those deadly creatures that used to plague the territories years ago. What were they called again?

"Hybrids," Conri muttered, his voice dropping an octave.

"Exactly. Though I highly doubt a weak little thing like her could be one. Regardless, we know nothing of her true origin."

"Joffrey is already looking into her background," Conri murmured, staring into the embers of his pipe. "Once we gather enough information, we will make our next move. There are too many eyes watching the crown; we must strike first.

A vicious smile slowly spread across Bethany’s face as a sudden realization hit her.

She sat up straight, her eyes dancing with evil mischief. "I think I know the perfect way to remove the girl. But I will need your help, Conri."

Conri tilted his head. "What are you planning?"

"I want to send for Elvira," she whispered, her smile widening into something truly demonic. "Now that we have returned to the North, it is time to reveal the truth. I would give anything to see the look on Dorian’s face when he realizes his first love isn’t dead like he thought all these years."