The Perfect Show
fifteen
*ROSEA*
Ihave just finished dressing when Forest returns, right on time, not five minutes later than he promised he would be. He really is reliable. He pauses when he sees me. “Wow!”
His reaction surprises me, but also makes me a little happy.
My mom was the one who taught me to dress with intent.
The clothes I am wearing today are simple but well put together.
I am going for refined, elegant. It’s easy, as that’s what comes naturally to me.
What I have learned about Lissa is that she likes to look sweet and approachable, and while there is nothing wrong with it, I need to be a stark contrast to her to make sure the pack realizes how fake she is.
Meanwhile, Forest’s mom likes to dress up, and by looking subtler, it will make me look more approachable.
“It’s a very simple outfit,” I say.
“Yes, but it still looks amazing,” he exclaims. “I feel like I need to make an effort, too, now.”
He is in a good mood. Although there are droplets of blood on his shirt, and he looks like he just got into a fight. “Things went well?”
“Yes, they did!” He grabs his clothes and hurries to the bathroom. “I made up with Griffin. The do-gooder actually forgave me.”
“I bet he was just waiting for you to come around eventually,” I say. “He probably knew one day you would.”
Forest sighs. “That makes me feel even more guilty.”
“Sure, but you can be a good friend now,” I point out.
He nods. “Oh, he will join us for breakfast.” He frowns. “Please tell me I didn’t make a mistake by inviting him. But I thought appearing with Griffin—“
“—will be a punch to the gut for your parents,” I conclude. “Perfect move!”
It really is. They hate Griffin, as much is obvious. While Forest was away, I went through the data again and saw how off Griffin’s schedule was. They obviously couldn’t kick him out of the pack, but they certainly shunned him in all the ways they could.
Forest doesn’t linger any longer and hurries to freshen up.
We do run on a tight schedule after all.
Fifteen minutes later, we are on our way to breakfast. I wanted to catch up with Forest a bit more about what he told Griffin and what I can expect from him, but there is no time for it. I’ll have to wing it.
The packhouse and the dining hall, in particular, are brimming with pack members and their chatter; this is definitely the rush hour.
Forest takes my hand and leads me through the room.
I can feel his tension through the grip of his hand.
If I had to take a wild guess, being surrounded by so many people at once stresses him out.
This is his pack, so he should feel at home instead of feeling anxious.
I slow down a little, forcing him to walk slower, too. I want to give the pack members the time and chance to see us and to greet us.
There is a distance between them and Forest, but it was obvious yesterday when we arrived that they don’t necessarily dislike him.
They are curious, but don’t know what to think about him.
Just like his parents kept Griffin away, they also made sure to keep Forest away.
I’ll need to check his whole schedule. Without knowing it for sure, I am taking a wild guess that there will be a lot of bullshit meetings they constantly send Forest to.
They push all the things on him that make him look unreliable and weak in front of his pack members.
I have only tied my scarf loosely around my neck, deciding to take advantage of that now.
In a seemingly natural gesture, I brush through my hair, accidentally loosening the scarf further, until it drops to the ground.
I pretend I didn’t notice, just tossing Martin a gaze I hope he will understand.
The latter looks a bit surprised, curious even, but then just pretends to look at Forest and not at me, walking past my scarf.
“Luna!” a young woman calls out, picking up the scarf. “I apologize, but you lost this.”
Forest and I stop and turn around. “Thank you!” I smile brightly at her. “That was so attentive of you.” I walk closer to her and accept the scarf back before reaching out my hand. “You are?”
“Emily,” she says. “Emily Harrod.”
Harrod… Harrod… The name rings a bell. “You are part of the accounting team here, if I remember correctly?”
“Yes,” she exclaims. “How… I mean, it’s an honor that you know who I am.”
“Her mate is one of our warriors,” Forest tells me all of a sudden, making my heart take a gigantic leap.
I am so glad he spoke up. I didn’t know he would, but he must have subconsciously grasped the chance.
“He is in the advanced group now, but if he continues the way he does, he will be one of our elites soon.”
Emily turns bright red with joy, while the guy next to her suddenly seems to grow a few inches. This must be the mate Forest mentioned.
“Thank you so much, Alpha,” he stutters. “I did not expect… I mean…”
He must have had no idea Forest was following the training of his warriors, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to say it out like that. It could be considered impolite. Yet, I can’t chime in on the discussion now. This is on Forest alone. I’d just make him look weak if I intervened now.
To my surprise, though, someone else helps, someone who can do it much better than I could. “The alpha follows all training schedules,” Martin explains. “And when he can’t watch himself, I give him a detailed report.”
This certainly piques the interest of his warriors now. I can see some heads perking up, and a lot of male pack members suddenly seem to be more interested in our conversation.
And now I can intervene and help a little. “I didn’t know that,” I say to Forest.
“Oh, as their future alpha, my warriors are the foundation of our whole defense,” Forest tells me.
He is a strong man, and I know he likes to spar and train.
This is exactly his forte now, and I can see how keen he gets all of a sudden.
He loves this! Good to know. It means I can build on that in future interactions with his pack members.
“A pack is nothing without its warriors. The best security system doesn’t help if the warriors don’t know how to fight,” he smiles happily.
“And ours are very good. I have been trying to improve their schedules a bit and make sure they can lean into their strengths. I hope I can be a little more present during training, from now on.”
Good thing he mentioned that, as this was exactly my plan. “Now that I am here, I can take over some of the bureaucratic tasks,” I offer.
Forest’s eyes light up. “I hadn’t thought about that yet, but you are right,” he chuckles. “I tend to forget that there are two of us now.”
“I can help, as well,” Martin offers. “My beta training has been wrapped up.”
“Right.” Forest shows Emily and her mate a warm smile. “I will see you in training soon.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Now, that went well!
When we continue walking through the dining hall, Forest is much more relaxed. Also, the pack members seem to be getting bolder. Many of them greet me and quite a few of his warriors wish Forest a good morning.
We are almost at the dining table for the ranked members and alpha family, when I see a young woman approaching us in strong, quick strides.
Here she comes!
Finally! I was waiting for this!
Now this will be fun.
I have had more than a little experience with Jordan prancing around with his conquests in front of me; unfortunately, I always missed the moment to call him or them out, but now I know how important it is to have the upper hand.
“Forest,” Lissa exclaims, pretending she doesn’t even see me, and makes a show of hugging him. Next to me, I see Martin frown slightly.
Forest pushes Lissa off him, looking at her, confused. “Lissa, what’s gotten into you?” he asks, stunned.
That’s funny. I have noticed that when something surprises him, he reacts naturally. It doesn’t look like he is doing it on purpose either. He genuinely finds her peculiar at the moment. His natural response to these incidents is actually his strong point. It makes him look genuine.
I don’t waste any time. Talking to his warrior was Forest’s playfield, but this is mine.
Pushing past Forest, I approach the young woman. “You must be Lissa,” I say thoughtfully, chuckling slightly.
She stares at me while the other pack members look at us curiously. This is the kind of drama everyone enjoys.
“Forest told me about you,” I continue, my voice dripping with amusement and sarcasm. “And Beta Martin did, too. You must be quite the intriguing woman.”
Despite sounding friendly, it’s obvious I don’t find her intriguing at all. She had an affair with Jordan, and I am sure she is fooling around in the pack. Some of the warriors grin slightly, just making my suspicion grow.
Very sure.
I usually couldn’t care less about who goes to bed with whom. I am not the sex police, but she not only played a part in destroying Forest, she literally played a crucial part in getting rid of his mate.
I put an arm around her shoulder, taking advantage of how much taller I am than she.
I am still an alpha’s daughter after all; a certain power in my aura is part of my nature.
I steer her towards the alpha table, making sure I look superior all the way.
“You need to show me around a little later, Lissa. I’d love to get to know Forest’s friends. ”
I could swear Martin’s lips tug slightly in amusement.
Lissa tries to recover, her lips tugging, but she barely manages to squeeze out a smile. “I was actually here to discuss the next gala with Forest.”
“Ah, the one next Friday,” I say, nodding slightly. I turn to look at Forest. “Have there been any changes, dear?”
“No,” he smiles warmly at me. “Just as we talked about. I can’t wait to show you off there.”
Lissa’s shocked expression nearly makes me laugh. She forces a smile to her lips. “It will be all new to you,” she says softly. “I am used to these events. I think it might be good to take over for you.”
What a bold statement, little snake. It’s a power move, and everyone in the room gets it.
They look curious. Lissa has always been presented as a very competent aide to Forest, while in reality, she probably wasn’t all that.
She only kissed up to Jordan and alphas like him because she knew how to stroke their egos, but that’s not the type of allies Forest wants or needs.
A less experienced luna would have maybe felt bad or cornered, but I couldn’t care less.
“I have it covered,” I tell her. I turn to Forest again, deciding it would be good for him to have the last word.
Especially in the eyes of his pack. I ensure to address him with warm eyes and a gentle smile, so that it’s obvious I respect him. “What do you think, Forest?”
“An alpha and luna need to appear united,” he tells me seriously. Good answer, and to me, it’s obvious that’s something he truly believes in. He sounds confident and composed. “Even if you weren’t prepared, I would without hesitation take you to the event.”
I am not sure he realized what kind of a blow to Lissa this probably was, and what a strong statement to me and to his own rank it was, but the others do. Martin looks happy, while some of the warriors look surprised.
Good.
“But these are important negotiations,” his asshole father chimes in. “We can’t possibly risk them.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Harry,” I address him immediately.
This is the type of asshole alpha I know how to handle.
“I wouldn’t dare to embarrass my new pack.
I’ve prepared for the event already. I have seen the attending guests and the list of most important topics to discuss.
” I finally move away from Lissa and towards Forest, who makes a show of putting an arm around my waist and smiling at me.
His father snorts. “But that’s impossible in such a short time.”
“Alpha Tristan will be there,” I muse. “And Alpha Francis.” I continue, mentioning all the alphas attending and their packs. Finally, I make really good use of the names and packs I’ve studied over the last years.
Forest’s father just looks shocked while Forest looks at me lovingly. “I forgot to tell you, Dad,” he says with a smile. “But Rose comes from a pretty strong lineage of wolves. Her father was of alpha blood.”
“Oh,” Martin’s eyes widen. To my utmost surprise and joy, he comes to our defense for the second time today. “That makes so much sense. She was probably groomed to become a luna or beta female, at least,” he blushes. “I am sorry for being disrespectful, Luna. It’s just… your aura is strong.”
“You weren’t disrespectful, Beta Martin,” I say, making sure to show that I am loyal to him and respect his rank. “In fact, please don’t hesitate to voice your opinion, ever. I know you are Forest’s right hand and his second-in-command. Your opinion is literally the second most important.”
“Is it?” Forest asks, his hand brushing over my cheek. “Maybe it’s the third most important opinion.”
Goddess. Why was he ever worried? He is a natural!
He turns to smile at Martin. “No offense, Martin; obviously I value your opinion.”
“I am very happy to come third,” Martin says with a smile.
It’s that moment I spot a red-haired man coming closer. I have seen his picture in the folder. It’s Griffin, and either he honestly just came at the perfect time coincidentally, or he is much more cunning than I hoped he would be.
“Griffin,” Martin says, sounding a bit surprised. “A rare sight.”
“I bumped into him this morning,” Forest tells me. “He is an old friend.”
“Oh,” I immediately reach out my hand towards him. “You are one of the elite warriors. I remember your name.”
He grins at me, surprisingly confident. Yeah, I can see why Forest’s parents didn’t like him. “Top 5, actually, Luna.”
“So, I have heard,” I say. “It’s you, the Morales brothers, Bernhard and Jo, I believe?”
I know I’ve caught his interest because there is a sudden glint in his eyes.
I don’t know if Forest talked to him or filled him in on anything, but it doesn’t really matter because the guy probably has his own agenda against Forest’s parents.
Anything to embarrass them. “I had no idea,” he exclaims.
“Griffin, you are an old friend, but if you don’t let go of her hand any time soon, our friendship ends here,” Forest says.
Griffin chuckles and raises his hands. “I apologize. You land a hard punch. I wouldn’t want to cross you.”
It’s intriguing how relaxed Forest is with him. Their conversation looks very natural and easy-going. And I take a wild guess that it’s not a normal interaction for Forest.
“Shall we finally eat?” Harry asks, sounding more than a little annoyed.
“I hope you are hungry,” Forest says to me as he pulls out a chair for me, before sitting down next to me.
“Like a wolf,” I joke.
Griffin grins while sitting down to my right. Martin takes the place next to Forest. I strongly hope it will give a sense of unity to everyone who is watching.