28. Schemes
Michael's furious gaze was the first thing she noticed after her little confession. He could be furious that she solved this mystery before him or maybe he was upset to hear her praising someone else, specifically his all time enemy; it could be jealously as well. But she didn't have time to resolve this mystery named Michael, she had a task at hand.
She looked over at Donovan who appeared curious and impressed with her brain. "In the Knighthood pack, no man can claim the position of an alpha without being mated." All the eyes shifted towards Donovan as Evelyn braced herself for the next. "My father's going to be retired soon and thus I'll have to suit myself with a mate as soon as possible."
"Was it my father who proposed the offer?" Evelyn asked, getting impatient with her curiosity. She needed to know which one of the old men choose to enclose her fate with such a firm knot so she couldn't escape.
"Yes. William came to our house and proposed the hand of his dearest daughter in the holy matrimony." Sarcasm and anger dripped from his voice but she couldn't have cared any less, she was flaming red herself at this moment.
"But your father declined right?" Michael asked, slightly scared and angered considering the probable respond.
"Nope he was more than happy to turn his friendship into a family relationship!" Donovan chirped like a toddler clearly annoyed as per by his tone and the moderate sarcasm his tongue held.
"William knew from the beginning that I'm on your side and he knows the moment my father retires, I'll turn the entire pack against him." Donovan ruffled through his hair, feeling agitated and troubled by all the scheming just like Evelyn
"He wanted you to mate with me, so in future you wouldn't be able to turn your back on your mate's pack and would be forever stuck to support his actions." Evelyn finished for Donovan and a growl erupted from Xavier.
Feeling the need to protect his mate, he clasped her hand in between his and squeezed it comfortably. However he needed that comfort more than her.
Donovan who was witnessing this didn't take long to figure out what was happening.
"You two are mates!" He chimed unbelievably. The shock in his tone however didn't veil the hatred and disappointment he felt at that sight of her.
It was impossible to imagine William's daughter being Michael's fated mate even for Michael himself. Out of every she-wolf in the world, Moon Goddess decided to tie his string with his most hostile enemy's daughter.
"Are you sure that it's not just a huge misunderstanding?" Michael gave Donovan a deathly glare and it was enough for him to take the clue as he fell silenced, not uttering a single word.
An awkward silence draped them closely like a shawl in winter. None of them had the enough courage to get free from those invisible restraints and yet at the same time, they all wanted to. It became impossibly unbearable until Lucas decided to start a conversation twice as awkward.
"So when's the mating?" Evelyn's head swiftly snapped at him for a momentary glance for confirmation and then at Michael's direction who was staring at his father, just as bemused.
"Dad what's with the rush?" Michael spoke for the both of them.
"Mike you're twenty-five and an alpha, mating now with your destined mate isn't a rush." Lucas elucidated and Evelyn's heart paced louder and quicker. Could she have a say in this?
"But we've just met. It wouldn't hurt to wait a few days . . . weeks . . . or even months." Evelyn tried to sound reasonable but instead earned either a spiteful or a skeptical look from each one of them.
"You don't want to mate?" It was Zoey.
That girl didn't leave out the slightest chance to make Evelyn feel bad.
"I want to mate. I don't want to mate now, not with the schemes and violence—" Evelyn shook her head as Zoey scoffed and their faces filled with disappointment. Was it that bad to delay the mating?
She looked over at Michael and he seemed . . . hurt.
"What I'm trying to say is that I don't want to spend everyday overthinking about our future. When we mate, I want it to be a promise of forever." Evelyn looked at Michael with a stern look in her eyes. She wasn't lying, she wanted to mate with him but she wanted it to be perfect, just perfect.
"Michael you know we can't mate." She privately mind-linked him, thinking she might've ruined the only chance she had to make a place for herself in this house.
"Not until that rouge is still alive. Then you'll be forever mine" He mind-linked her back with a devilish smirk creeping on his face. He looked scary and truly a Satan with such evil and deceitful traits. His brain was cooking up something malevolent and his thoughts troubled her even though she couldn't hear them.
He'd kill for her? Was he that obsessed with her? Or did he really love her that much?
"Guys back to earth." Donovan had to literally yell before they both paid him a glance of their days. They'd been lost in the looks of their misery and love and scheme that they missed out on a little bit of information.
Michael cleared his throat, trying awfully to hide that smirk and play cool. "Is that all you had to inform Donovan?" He questioned.
Donovan nodded and stood up to leave as Kyle and Lawson accompanied him outside the room. Everyone had left except Jasmine, Lucas, Evelyn and Michael.
The entire room fell in silence again as the two men seemed to be engulfed by a raging anger in the pit of their hearts. They're busy in a mind-link when Jasmine lowly cooed for Evelyn to follow her outside.
Without waiting for permission, Evelyn stood up and left the room with Jasmine on her heels. As soon as the two women were out, Jasmine let out a huge sigh. Evelyn turned to check on her but everything seemed fine.
Jasmine tugged at her arm, pulling her closer, "The father wanted to have 'a chat' with his son." She said.
Evelyn gazed at her, not knowing what to make out of this. What kind of chat was she addressing at the moment?
Jasmine rolled her eyes and playfully wrapped an arm around Evelyn's small waist. "We're going to have a long chat." She cooed in Evelyn's ears, shining brightly with a childish smile.