38. Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Dante
I tried my best to avoid this day, but I knew I’d have to do it at some point.It was my turn to take Celeste on a date. In some ways, it was a good idea. My other two packmates clearly had issues keeping their hormones in check around her, so it might as well be me. Although, after that day when I found her creeping around in the nesting room - that she had no right to be in - I was nearly boiling over with desire to rut.
Something about the way she challenged me that day, her real nature revealing itself through her jabs at me, made my desire to show dominance take over. And in that room that had been sterile and locked for so long, suddenly filling with the scent of her slick - well, the irrational part of my brain took over. I just had to get a taste.
And that’s all I allowed myself. Just a bit of her taste to get me through the next few weeks, until this whole thing was over. I’d been pleased when her body acquiesced to mine so easily, when I made her come at my hand and tongue over and over, almost a punishment for her. But really, I was punishing myself. I almost let myself have the one thing that my body was crying out for, the one thing that would finally clear my mind and stop the persistent, aching need that burned my body every moment. But I stopped myself from going all the way.
Tasting her was one thing, but letting myself find pleasure in her was too much. She was the enemy. No matter what my pack was thinking.
And today, I was taking her on a solo date.
I took my third cold shower of the morning, in a futile effort to stop the reaction my body had every time I was around her. Trying to dampen my desire with cold showers was becoming a part-time job at this rate.
I planned something that was in a semi-public place, but not one where we’d have much of an audience. That way, we were fulfilling the contract, but it would be easy to ignore her for most of our time together.
She was already waiting by the car when I finally stepped outside. She was punctual, of course, unlike me. I’d lingered too long in my room, pacing like a fool, stalling. Not because I was nervous, but because I hated this. I hated her . The way she twisted her words, the way she got under my skin.
But most of all, I hated how my body reacted to her, even now.
She looked over when she saw me, surprise flickering across her face. Good. Let her be unsure. Let her wonder if I regretted what happened between us. I didn’t speak; I just gave her a curt nod and opened the car door. I’d requested a driver, because no chance in hell I’d risk another moment alone with her in close quarters. Not after the nesting room. Not again.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” she huffed, slipping into the seat with a little too much attitude. I said nothing, ignoring her tone, ignoring the way the cotton of her white milkmaid dress clung to her figure when she shifted. It was hand-stitched with delicate pink and blue florals - exactly the kind of look that used to make me lose focus. Of course she’d worn it. Of course she knew.
“Yes, the nature preserve.” I answered in a clipped tone. I’d warned her we’d be outdoors, but I was sure she would find the date boring. No alcohol. No parties. No shallow socialites to drown in. Just silence, trees, and time. A test, really, to see what she’d do when there was nothing to manipulate. Nothing to seduce.
And maybe a test for me, too. Because the more I tried to keep my distance, the more my traitorous body remembered the taste of her skin, and the way she moaned my name like it meant something.
Speaking of control, I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off of her. Ever since I knew how good her forbidden slick tasted I’d been tortured by dreams of more. It was the worst part of having a scent match. My body was convinced she was the cure for everything that plagued me, but the reality was much different. And the way she kept fanning herself, I was thinking it might be just as difficult for her.
The driver pulled up to the preserve, and I felt a secret rush of relief once I was outside of the stifling forced proximity of the car ride. Celeste looked around, seemingly impressed at the location. What a joke. This type of date, compared to what she was used to, was like visiting a dollar store compared to her designer boutiques. We walked up to the massive dome, but despite my attempts to ruin the mood, I realized something.
This was a mistake.
I knew it the second we walked through the glass doors of the nature preserve and into the butterfly garden. Celeste’s face lit up in pure, unguarded wonder as warm, floral-scented air wrapped around us. Golden light filtered through the glass ceiling, illuminating the hundreds of butterflies that slowly moved their wings on the vines and blossoms that surrounded us. It was magnificent, a feat of nature to have so many varieties of butterflies and plants, looking like living jewels in a painting.
All I could see was her.
The way the sunlight hit her hair. The way her face reflected the awe that I knew I’d felt the first time I saw this wondrous place. The way she spun slowly, taking everything in and appreciating it in a way that I was so sure she was incapable of. The flowers inside were in full bloom, but instead of distracting me, it reminded me of her warm, intoxicating scent.
My body - traitorous and starved - urged me forward, toward her, toward the woman who was mine by every instinct and biological law. I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms. I would not touch her. I would not claim her. I would not give in to the pull that made my bones feel hollow without her near.
Celeste moved ahead, drawn in by the way the butterflies danced through the air. A few landed on her outstretched hand, their wings shifting in slow, hypnotic movements. She laughed, light and breathless, like this was the most magical thing she had ever seen.
And I - gods help me - I wanted her even more now.
I should have taken her somewhere loud. Chaotic. Somewhere I could keep my distance, somewhere I wouldn’t have to watch her like this, so soft and open and absolutely nothing like what I’d made her out to be.
“You act like you’ve never seen butterflies before,” I muttered, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her.
She turned, arching a brow. “Not like this. Not like…” She gestured around us as a few more landed in her hair. “...a fairytale.”
I softened my voice a little. Everyone should get a chance to see the world beyond just our immediate surroundings. “It’s an enclosed ecosystem. A controlled environment, carefully monitored. Everything in here, the plants, the water, the sunlight, the insects, all of these work synchronously to survive. Give and take.” I said, explaining to her how the whole system worked.
She just hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head. “Okay, I’ll admit it, you actually picked a beautiful place.”
I hadn’t meant to. I had picked the first public place I could think of, somewhere neutral, somewhere impersonal. Instead, I’d brought her here, where the world was beautiful and endless, where she looked like she belonged among the flowers and the sunlight -and everything I wasn’t allowed to have.
“You seem surprised that I have taste.” I said, turning to look at one of the blue and gold winged creatures that landed nearby.
“Dante, I was saying that despite how you think of me, I really appreciate this date. It’s unique, and I’m having a good time.” She said, her voice still slightly in awe as she looked around.
I looked around, trying to remember why I’d thought this place was a good idea. She finally stepped in front of me, a butterfly in her hair as she frowned. “What is it?” She asked, her brow furrowed. “What is it that makes you think so poorly of me? I don’t know if your pack told you, but we’ve resolved quite a few misconceptions. Unless you like to hold a grudge for eternity.” She remarked, crossing her arms while looking like she belonged here, a forest nymph from the old tales.
She had no idea how much of a grudge I could hold. But it was still too early to broach the real issue, so I decided now was as good a time as any to really put her on the spot. I faced her, trying not to let her distract me.
“Then tell me about what happened in Tedena. You covered up an accident instead of taking responsibility. For all your talk of ethics and how you want to make things better, I find it hard to believe that just a few years ago you found it suitable to pay off the mayor and suppress the story.” I said, my voice sour as her eyes grew big.
“Excuse me? That’s what you’re stuck on?” She asked incredulously.
“Yes, Celeste, I’m very much not willing to move past a lack of accountability for illegal activities.” I said, lowering my voice as I stepped closer to her. She looked up at me defiantly. Just like she had the last time I ran into her. I had half a mind to push her into the green foliage and give her a few more orgasms until she begged for mercy.
“God, you alphas are so bone headed!” She said, huffing as she glared at me. “You know, the only reason we are in this mess is because of Arnault. He’s the one who was in charge of that account. He’s the one who profited off of the incident in Tedena, and he forged my signature on the paperwork!” Her words came out indignant, but I was processing them in real time as she spoke. What was she talking about?
“You mean to tell me that the man who was a witness to your signature was the one behind the whole thing? That’s awfully convenient. How would a low level employee like him be able to pull the shots?” I asked, skeptical of her story.
“Gods, yes! Arnault knew that if I found out the buildings weren’t up to code, I wouldn’t be as forgiving as my father. The fire had nearly caused lost lives, and all of it was preventable. It would be a fireable offence. So he paid off the mayor and swept it under the rug. We only found out later, and he was removed from his position the same day!” She said, exasperated.
I rocked backward with this information. If it was true then it meant he’d gone behind her back and made an executive decision, then covered it up and blamed it on her. My focus snapped back to her.
“How did you find out he forged your signature?” I asked, suddenly feeling off kilter as the possibilities came roaring through my mind.
“Only because I’d visited there myself. The mayor mentioned something to me, assuming I had given the okay. Otherwise, I’d never have known. Arnault is a traitor, and he profited off of his misdeeds. Either way, I’m sure he made even more money for himself by keeping the documents as leverage!” She said, and my world felt different from a moment before. If Celeste truly didn’t know about Tedena… then what else didn’t she know?
She was still looking up at me with her blue eyes, now more green as they picked up the colors around us. “You still don’t believe me, do you?” She asked quietly. But she was wrong. I still didn’t trust her, but her story checked out. Elijah had mentioned Arnault when he obtained the documents. I shook my head.
“It’s possible I was wrong.” I finally admitted. And maybe I was - about Tedena. But for everything else, it remained to be seen.
“Wow, a humble alpha! Now I really have seen everything today!” She said with a teasing tone, and before I could help it, a smile formed on my face.
I turned toward the open archway that led to the larger nature preserve beyond the glass dome. “Come on. There’s more outside.”
Celeste followed, checking herself for butterflies, until we stepped into the clearing. The glass walls gave way to rolling meadows, thick with wildflowers that swayed in the breeze. She inhaled deeply, arms outstretched as if soaking in the warmth. “It feels so refreshing to be away from everything. Peaceful, really.”
She had no idea I’d grown up in a place where I was surrounded by nature. It really was a privilege to be around so much life. But now, when I thought about my home, only an aching bitterness remained. I watched Celeste, conflicted about what I knew. Could it be possible that she wasn’t responsible for what happened on Arkala?
I was about to say something to her when movement caught my eye. A flash of brown and gold against the sky. A falcon, sleek and deadly, cut through the air above the meadow. It hovered for a moment, almost serene, then it dove. Celeste gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she watched the falcon’s talons close around its prey - a smaller bird, something helpless and unaware until the very last second. One moment it was flying, the next it was gone.
I turned to her, expecting her to be bemused. Maybe even impressed. That was nature, wasn’t it? The strong consume the weak. The world as it was meant to be, especially in Celeste’s world.
But her face…
Celeste wasn’t amused. She was stricken .
“That was so fast,” she murmured, voice oddly small.
I frowned. “That’s how hunting works.”
She shook her head, still staring at the sky. “I know. I just - I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t like violence.”
Something unsettling shifted inside me. Celeste had grown up in the corporate world. She understood power plays. Ruthlessness. Predators and prey. But watching a falcon hunt had shaken her. If she truly was behind the attacks against my people, if she was as cold and calculated as I believed, would she really react like this ? She was practically queasy at the thought of violence. Would someone who could order destruction with a single command truly be moved by the small, quiet death of an animal?
I wanted to hate her. I had built my rage against her like armor, layer upon layer of distrust, of certainty that she was the villain in this story. But every second I spent with her, every smile, every scent-filled breath that pulled me closer - cracked something in me.
I had spent so long convincing myself she was the one responsible for all my anguish. But what if she wasn’t?
What if Celeste Harringday, my enemy, my scent match, wasn’t the predator in this equation?
What if she had been the prey all along?