Chapter 42
-Maya’s POV-
My head snapped towards Ivan, surprise coursing through me. His declaration hung in the air, a bombshell that left the room stunned. A low murmur eru
Petrov, his face contorted in disbelief, sputtered, “What are you talking about, Ivan? You can’t just waltz in and declare yourself Alpha. There are rules, tr
“Traditions? Yes, there are traditions, Petrov. And one of those traditions is respecting the wishes of the Alpha, especially when those wishes are docume
“These,” he declared, holding the papers up, “are the official merger agreements between the Crescent Pack and the SilverCrest Pack, signed by none o
A collective gasp arose from the assembled wolves. Petrov lunged forward, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and dawning dread. “Let me see those!”
Ivan held the documents just out of reach, a steely glint in his eyes. “Not so fast, Petrov. There’s more.” He flipped through the
pages,
his gaze
fixed on a specific section. “Here it is,” he announced, his voice resonating with quiet authority. “The agreement clearly states that in the event of Daniel’s
“But…but Daniel never mentioned this,” Petrov stammered.
“Perhaps,” Ivan countered, his tone laced with a hint of amusement, “because he didn’t think it would happen this soon. But as these documents clearly progress for quite some time. Daniel simply wanted to ensure the future of both our packs.”
Petrov shook his head, a desperate edge creeping into his voice. “This can’t be right. There must be some mistake. This is all a setup, some elaborate s
A wave of anger surged through me, but before I could voice my outrage, Ivan cut in, his voice hardening. “Why would she want to steal a position that is
Petrov hesitated, his bluster fading further. He darted a nervous glance towards me, his eyes flickering with a flicker of guilt that quickly morphed back in
“Regardless of that,” he argued, grasping at straws, “these documents could be forgeries. We need to verify their authenticity before we blindly accept th
A smirk played on Ivan’s lips. “Of course, due diligence is important. But fear not. I’ve already taken the liberty of having these documents verified by a third party, a completely neutral source outside both our packs. Here’s the conf
He produced another document, this one thinner, and tossed it onto the table in front of Petrov. The room held its breath as Petrov hesitantly picked it up
“So,” Ivan continued, his voice low and dangerous, “do you still question the legitimacy of these documents? Or are you finally
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ready to accept the will of your Alpha?”
Petrov slumped back in his chair, defeated. The fight had seeped out of him, replaced by a dull resignation. “I…I suppose not,” he mumbled.
A triumphant glint lit up Ivan’s eyes. He swept his gaze across the room, taking in the stunned faces of the pack members. “Then,“” he boomed, his voice Alpha of this newly formed pack.”
A stunned silence descended upon the room, broken only by the soft rustle of movement.
I had watched the exchange in silence, my mind flying everywhere. My father seemed like the type to just relinquish his power, no matter what the circum that was the whole reason behind my father’s marriage proposal with Ivan. But the way Ivan had just blindsided me, turning the tide of the entire power scales in mine moments before…it left me feeling utterly disoriented.
As Ivan delivered his final pronouncement, his gaze swept across the room, taking in the stunned faces of the pack members. My own expression, howe itself, trying to reconcile the Ivan I thought I was getting to know with the man who had just orchestrated this elaborate power play.
“Amaya,” Ivan’s voice finally cut through the fog in my head, his tone gentle as he addressed me with a smile. “We did it.”
I blinked, momentarily brought back to the present moment. “What?”
A flicker of surprise crossed his face, then a hint of amusement crept into his eyes. “You’re supposed to acknowledge what I just said, Co– Alpha,” he teased softly.
“Co–Alpha?” I repeated. My mind raced. Co– Alpha. Merger. All these words swam before my eyes, a dizzying concoction of emotions threatening to boil over. I forced myself to nod, the gesture stiff
The words felt hollow on my tongue. My stomach churned with a cocktail of confusion, betrayal, and a flicker of something else… was it fear? Without another word, I turned on my h
He followed close behind, a heavy silence settling between us as we walked outside. We reached his car, and I climbed in without a word, the leather se
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he broke the silence,his voice laced with a hint of caution, shattering the suffocating quiet. “You are upset with me,
I remained silent, refusing to acknowledge his question. It wasn’t a matter of being “upset.” It was a full– blown maelstrom of emotions threatening to erupt.
He let out a sigh, the sound heavy with resignation. “Alright, I understand. I’m sorry, Amaya. I truly am.” Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
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“Sorry?” I finally snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. “Sorry doesn’t even begin to cover it, Ivan. You completely blindsided me in there. How coul
He flinched slightly at the harshness in my tone, but his gaze remained steady. “I… I didn’t expect Petrov to react the way he did. Honestly, I had no plan
“No plans?” I repeated, incredulous. “It looked like you thought about the whole thing ahead. Documents and all, and you’re telling me you had no plans
“The merger was always going to happen. Daniel
approach the whole co–Alpha thing with you. I didn’en working on it for months. But I admit, I wasn’t sure how to
to think I was trying to overstep or take away your authority.”
I scoffed. “Well, you did a fantastic job of achieving exactly that, didn’t you?”
He winced. “I understand why you’re upset, Amaya. I should have talked to you about it beforehand. Explained the whole plan but things got so heated w leading the pack, merging with another pack, it’s a big change. But trust me, Amaya, this is the best thing for the pack. It will strengthen us, give us a better chance against anyone who dared question us.”
“Maybe,” I conceded grudgingly, the anger simmering down to a low hum. “But you could have included me in the conversation, Ivan. Made me feel like
His shoulders slumped. “I know. I just.. Well reacted and I’m really sorry. I thought it would be a good thing.”
A part of me understood his reasoning. The merger would undoubtedly bring challenges, and having an experienced leader like Ivan on board could be b
“Maybe,” I said finally, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “Maybe you have a point. But next time, Ivan,” I leaned forward, fixing him with a playful glare, “try including me in the gr
A genuine smile broke across his face, erasing the tension that had been hanging heavy between us. “Deal,” he chuckled, the sound warm and genuine
Despite the forced lightness of the moment, a pit of unease settled in my stomach. The smile I wore felt brittle, a mask I donned to hide the lingering app
Had I just made a big mistake?