Chapter IX — The Right-hand Duke

It was a little past seven and the morning sun was just rising, its golden-yellow rays filtering through the windows of the pack house.

Majority of the pack was still currently in deep slumber and some had just began getting ready for training.

Both of them had entered the dining area of the pack house.

It was agreed the night before that the group would depart early so as to avoid unwanted questions and complications that may arise from Claudius's presence in the pack's territory. They were lucky enough to have manage to do so last night as when they had returned to the pack house, it was well past midnight and the dinner gathering at the pack house had dispersed an hour before that. Hence, there was not much explaining or damage control to be done. Furthermore, the patrol units that were present were given a brief explanation and told not to disclose anything about the event.

Rosalieé whom was already seated at the long table, greeted them cheerily.

"Good morning! Breakfast? Beatrice and her team's not awake yet but there's fruits and cereal and some bread if you did like. Lucas is loading our stuff into the trunk and getting the car ready. Do either of you have anything you will need for the ride?"

Rosalieé asked, offering them cereal and a bowl of fruits to which they both politely declined.

With his sensitive hearing, Claudius heard the sound of a back door swinging open and closing.

When the light footsteps that could not have belonged to the Gamma whom he originally thought they belonged to neared the dining area, Claudius and Cassandra turned towards the hallway that led to the front porch where it came from.

Rosalieé watched them turn simultaneously as if sensing someone's approach.

The one who emerged froze, realising the dining area she had entered was not empty as she had previously assumed it was. There were occupants and all of them had turned to her.

"Oh, morning, Vic!"

Rosalieé was the first to greet the she-wolf whom appeared to have returned from her morning run, drenched in sweat. She had worn a similar outfit — a black and blue sports bra and striped sports wear leggings — as when Cassandra had first met her.

She must have been distracted if she had not detected them until she had stepped into the room. She had gone considerably rigid since then too as her eyes darted around the room, taking in her two friends and the unfamiliar occupant. A combined scent of burnt firewood mixed with spices and a tinge of sour-like lemon, assaulted her.

Victoria saw him analyse her, eyes trailing her body, from bottom up and it left a heated trial she had never experienced before. And when her ocean blue eyes met blood red ones, she felt her breath hitch.

Claudius frowned slightly. The young woman who had walked in had Asian features, she had jet black hair in a concave bob cut and large ocean blue eyes. Something stirred inside him the moment his eyes met hers. She was the average beauty he had seen numerous times, with her lithe and toned body that was evidently reaching the peak of maturity but something else about her was luring him in. However, what confused him above all else was the fact that there was now two distinctly intoxicating scents of blood in the room that clashed with each other. It was overwhelming him with the urge to satiate the craving to drink, despite already having his fill for the week. He shook it off and ignored it, though still watched as the woman's rosy pink lips parted slightly.

Seeing the bewildered and stunned expression on Victoria's face, Rosalieé spoke up.

"Victoria, this is Claudius, he's a friend of Cassandra. He came looking for her last night due to an emergency. Claudius, Victoria."

If anyone noticed that Rosalieé left out the part where Claudius was a vampire in her introduction, they didn't point it out. But alas, she didn't need to, what he was was distinctly obvious to any supernatural even if they were blind as the aura he emitted was the embodiment of the nobility of his kind.

There was no return of greetings from either parties after Rosalieé's introduction, not even from the usually playful and flirtatious vampire which caused Cassandra to frown internally as her eyes watched the scene before her. The uncharacteristically silent vampire simply stared at the she-wolf and vice versa.

None reacted, even for those with enhanced hearing who heard the front door swing open for the second time that morning.

"Hey! Ready to go? Car's out the- Did I interrupt something?"

The Gamma that entered paused mid-sentence, taking in the scene before him, only his mate had turned to him. He noticed the extra occupant he did not expect to be present.

"Err...Morning, Vic, rare to see you here so early."

At the second direct address, Victoria forced herself to snap out of it. She pulled herself out of the trance like state those pair of red eyes seemed to have sucked her into, coughing awkwardly before replying albeit stiffly, "Yea umm...morning...I couldn't sleep so thought I did go for a morning run. Umm...you guys seem to be heading somewhere...?"

Trailing off unsurely, Victoria looked between the people she was in the room, particularly avoiding the pair of blood red eyes she was acutely aware was still on her.

Rosalieé nodded.

"Cassandra and Claudius needs to get to D.C., we offered them a ride. Me and Lucas will be going along. We'll be heading off soon."

"Ah."

"Victoria, it was a pleasure meeting you. I do wish you all the best in your pursuit of your medicinal career."

"Thank you. You're leaving huh? I was kind of exp- hoping you would stay longer but..." Victoria shook her head, before giving Cassandra a genuine smile, "It was pleasure meeting you too, Cassandra. Do take care."

The black witch returned a smile of her own.

...........

Throughout the entire car ride, while she noted that her vampire companion was unusually quiet and was staring out the car window at the passing trees and scenery, she said nothing.

It was obvious his mind was elsewhere. She suspected it had something to do with the encounter in the dining area earlier — something about it got to him far more than he was letting on — but what it was specifically she did not know and she would not ask. If he had wanted to talk about it, he would be the one to bring it up. If he did not, then she was not one to press. Both Claudius and her knew this. It's always been like this — it was how they were and how they worked.

...........

Having arrived in Washington D.C. as the mid-day sun took its place high in the sky, making the unbearable summer heat all the more stifling, Rosalieé had proposed they get an early lunch.

And by the time they were seated down and ordering their food, Claudius was back to his lively, outgoing self. He had flirted up a storm with the pretty, young part-time waitress who could not have been older than eighteen. The latter had left with their orders, blushing beet red while Rosalieé chided him to leave the poor girl alone.

Despite the discomfort he felt with hanging around the nemesis of his kind, Lucas had soon found himself easing into the atmosphere that surrounded him far better than he had expected, for Claudius lighthearted humour and engaging personality was contagious.

In Cassandra's case, she was internally relieved and glad about it though she did not show it other than the occasional chuckle and a rare small smile as she shook her head, watching the mood lighten considerably as compared to previously.

When the four of them exited the two story cafe and headed to where Lucas had parked the car in the parking lots, a tall man with dark skin approached them from afar. The group had stopped altogether upon noticing the shift in the air.

Immediately, Lucas had tensed at the unsettling aura the man radiated. It stirred him restless. He and his wolf were ready for an attack when he felt his mate squeeze his hand.

Rosalieé was tense and nervous as well, however she was better at hiding it, possibly because despite the foreboding feeling that the man evokes, she could hazard a guess at the man's identity, especially after seeing that Cassandra and Claudius gave no indication that the man was a threat as he continued to near them. Hence, she was trying to reassure Lucas as well, sending calming energy vibes to his wolf whom had began to stir restlessly, sensing some form of inexplicable danger.

Lucas blinked in surprise when the dark man stopped before them and bowed slightly.

"Agaliarept, you have returned from Egypt."

It took a moment for it to register in Lucas that the words that rolled off Cassandra's tongue with ease was far from English. In fact, it wasn't something that he could recognise at all, if anything, it sounded remotely like a mixture of different European languages, yet ancient and foreign. Still, he couldn't quite place a finger on it.

The man straightened and his sharp cobalt eyes went to the company behind her, before promptly answering, in the same foreign language and with equal fluency. Lucas had felt a chill run down his spine when their eyes had met. Who was this guy?

"Yes, the matter has been dealt with faster than expected, I have left ahead as I was told I am needed here promptly. Boris and Gusoyn are overseeing the aftermath procedures. It's been awhile since we have met, Princess, it is good to see you. You as well, Sir Claudius. My Lord has notified us of your arrival in D.C. and wishes for me to regretfully inform you that he will not be able to see you any time soon. Should you need anything for the duration of your visit here, I am to see to it that it is arranged."

Cassandra had expected as much.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably as he and Rosalieé watched Cassandra and Claudius return the man's smile with their own and nod at whatever he said.

"Please prepare the necessary accommodations. There will be two more of them arriving in the evening. They are to be treated as guests. We will likely be heading into town — Claudius and I will accompany them."

"Understood. Will you require for transportation to be arranged?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

As the man nodded to whatever Cassandra had replied, Lucas looked to his mate quizzically. His unspoken question of What are they saying? was met with a shake of the head on Rosalieé's part, which indicated she was just equally as clueless and this caused his frown to deepen further. He still could not shake the disconcerting feeling which had only grown since the man was now standing only a few feet away.

"Will Sir Claudius be needing the usual supply?"

Lucas eyes then went to the pureblood vampire standing beside them whom occasionally glanced around and otherwise wore an expression that gave nothing away.

But upon being addressed again, his attention snapped back to them as Cassandra looked to him for what Lucas assumed was, an answer to a question the dark skinned man asked.

Claudius had tilt his head, pondering a bit, before replying in the same language, nodding. "If possible. Thanks, Agaliarept."

Apparently, Cassandra was not the only one who spoke it. Was this a common language among the supernatural species or was it just them? Lucas vaguely wondered.

"Latin. They're conversing in Latin." Rosalieé's telepathic answer echoed through their personal mind-link.

"The dead language?"

Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched his mate nod subtly and return her focus back to the main conversation again. He followed suit.

"Will that be all, Princess?"

"Yes, we will contact you should we require anything else."

"Then, I will take my leave, Princess, Sir Claudius."

Lucas said nothing, as he returned his focus back to the man, to see that he was scanning the group once more, bowing slightly and turning to leave but not before being called out again by Cassandra.

"And Agaliarept."

"Yes, Princess?"

"The wolves do not know of my identity. I wish for it to remain that way for as long as possible."

Her voice, had taken on a less casual and more serious tone, a contrast to her previously warmer one when they spoke, making Lucas wonder what she had said to him.

"Of course, my Lady."

With another bow, he disappeared the way he came and silence ensued.

...........

"It's been a while since I have been to Washington D.C. I have missed shopping here. The last time was when we met — brings back memories, doesn't it, Lucas?" Rosalieé said happily, turning to her mate.

After the run-in at the cafe's parking lot, Cassandra stated that they had 'some spare time until sun down approaches'. Hence, with no one having any particular thing they wanted to do, Rosalieé once again offered her suggestion which has led to the four of them currently strolling along the bustling streets of D.C.'s downtown shopping belt.

"Yea, it does...It's been about a little over a year since we ran into each other here in D.C., but I remember it as if it were yesterday." Lucas agreed, reminiscing nostalgically and smiling back.

"Both of you met in D.C.?" Claudius piped up, asking, as he turned and leaned forward slightly to look past Cassandra, at Rosalieé and Lucas.

Rosalieé nodded, replying.

"It was March last year. Tess made a trip to D.C. for work and I tagged along after my Wiccan Exam — to give myself a break of sorts. Have some time to figure out what next to-"

"Figure out what next?" A voice echoed softly, the inquiry present in the tone.

Cassandra spoke up from next to Rosalieé as they walked. The latter turned to the former, slowly nodding again.

"Well yea...I didn't know if I was ready for the path of High Priestess and didn't really see a need to — I mean I did still continue learning and practicing but....What then, you know? Tess was going to succeed as Head of The House — I admired and am grateful to my eldest sister for she worked hard and carried the weight of it so me and Bri didn't have to. She wanted us to live our own lives, do what we loved. And Bri, she did just that,...Bri's passion and fascination for magic had her planning her whole career out before she even graduated and when she did complete her Wiccan Exam for Priestess and at the same time, secured a position at the Institute's research department, she dedicated her life to research on magic while preparing for the High Priestess Wiccan Exam. But for me, I hadn't really known what I wanted to do at that time. Pa and Ma didn't pressure me so I was free to choose. They too, like Tess, wanted me to do what I wanted."

Cassandra nodded and returned her stare ahead, as Rosalieé continued her explanation.

"So I took time off, followed Tess to D.C., planning to use the time to figure something out for myself. Before, I had never even thought about finding a partner or having a family or anything — I had no plan at all — and meeting Lucas that day it was completely unexpected but...it was almost like fate.-"

"How did you two meet?"

Claudius asked curiously, interrupting the couple whom by now were gazing lovingly at each other — Lucas only had eyes for his mate as she told her side of the story, and she had smiled brightly up at him when she mentioned his name. The looks full of affection caused something deep to stir in Claudius but he pushed it down, before it could have the chance to surface.

The couple simultaneously turned to the vampire, with matching happy grins.

"We met while I was out shopping with Tess.-"

"-Me, Jayden and Dylan were in D.C. for that last week of March to attend the meetings to conclude the financial year.-"

"-It was a Friday afternoon, and we were walking into a boutique, similar to that one over there,-"

Cassandra and Claudius both turned to look to where Rosalieé had pointed while Lucas picked up from where was left off by his mate.

"The three of us were across the street heading for a late lunch when I saw caught sight of the flaming red hair and tiny figure that disappeared into a shop, and before I even realised it, I was already moving towards that direction. It didn't even occur to me that she might not have been a werewolf or might have been human. I was so focused, a car would have run me over and I wouldn't even have noticed — thank god there was no traffic," Lucas shook his head, but a wide goofy grin was tugging on his lips, as if recalling the memory.

"I was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and the contact made me feel tingly zaps.-"

"-It was then I knew I had finally found my mate.-"

"-My head shot up and I was staring at him with such wide eyes.-"

"-She smelt the most amazing smell of daisies and bakery. And one look into her eyes, I could tell she knew what I was.-"

"Bakery? I never knew that. Daisies huh...And of course, I knew you were a werewolf. Tess too! And so did you!"

"To be honest, I didn't know how — I just did. Something in my gut told me you were a witch."

"You didn't even notice that Tess was ready to hex you!"

Lucas chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's cute how they're complementing each other by filling in each of their parts of the story." Claudius whispered to Cassandra, as they watched the couple bicker. A small bemused smile tugging on Cassandra's lips as she chuckled lightly at Claudius's comment, agreeing with it.

...........

Rosalieé emerged from the dressing room in a pastel pink dress with long, puffed sleeves. The material was incredibly soft and lightweight as one would expect of a high-end branded dress. Lucas watched mesmerised as his mate twirled in front of him, barely registering her question, his previous pondering abandoned.

"What do you think, Luke? Think I can wear this to Eli's and Beatrice's baby girl shower next month? Or should I go with the dark green floral lace patterned one?"

She looked up from where she was inspecting the dress, and when she caught his reaction, she giggled lightly. She smiled, finding her mate's expression adorable.

It was the fifteenth dress she had tried in the last two hours. They were in the third store since they had arrived at one of the city centre's infamously busy shopping mall.

"Both. Both is good."

He answered immediately after snapping out of the trance.

She rolled her eyes though playfully and shook her head, while suppressing a grin as well as a blush at his response.

"Where's Hig- where's Cassandra? Maybe she can help pick one since we both clearly can't make up our minds." She said with a hearty laugh while looking around for the said black witch, wanting to ask her for her opinion.

"Just get both." Lucas insisted and it earned him another playful eyeroll.

As much as she loved both dresses, there was no way she was getting both — their prices were astronomical; one in the high-end of the three figure price and the other an average four digit one would see in any popular luxury fashion brand goods. While money was not entirely the issue, it still made no sense to blow it on a dress that she would only wear for certain occasions once in a while. It would be overly-excessive.

A wolf-whistle caught both of them by surprise.

"Lucas is right, Rosalieé. You should get both. You look beautiful in them."

Their heads turned to Cassandra and Claudius whom had entered the private fitting area and was walking towards them.

Lucas narrowed his eyes and glared at the vampire who wolf-whistled and was currently gazing at his mate appraisingly, before turning to Cassandra. He noted the black witch was once again empty-handed just like she had been in the previous stores they were in — clearly, she had no intention of trying anything on this time either.

He vaguely wondered if she was the type to even do shopping in the first place but stopped not allowing himself to think too much of it. The woman before him was as mysterious as she was dangerous.

From the moment he had first met her in the woods, she had not revealed much about herself. There were many things that were still unknown about her — no, it was safe to say, that there was far too little that was known about her — not even her family background which Lucas had tried to look up in the history book Rosalieé had given him, after he had found out she was a black witch. It was an attempt to find out more about the woman whom could potentially be his future Luna and one of his best friend's mate. However, his efforts were futile as it was simply impossible to narrow down which of the thirty or so black witch's families she was from when he had close to no other leads or clues. It didn't help that his mate's lips were tightly sealed on the matter as well.

On the contrary though, it was extremely hard to dismiss that there were signs which suggested otherwise — that she was indeed a frequent patron to these stores.

The four of them had received a warm welcome in the stores they had visited so far. The moment they had walked in, they were served refreshments and presented catalogues of the brand's latest season's collection.

In addition, Lucas had also noted that the store managers were present for all, and would have brushed it off as a total coincidence if not for the fact that the one attending to them directly was always these said store managers that had two other store assistants at their sides awaiting orders at the snap of a finger. The remaining staff were then left spread out to attend to the rest of the customers; though granted there were not many other patrons in the first place.

Still, Lucas had found it not the norm — he had been with Rosalieé to similar such boutiques in malls before during their visits to D.C. but to receive attention to this extent...While he admitted, this might have been the expectation for the customer service of branded stores, Lucas was very well-aware it was usually reserved for those akin to possessing gold-class memberships as well as VIP status — the top, most frequent and highly valued patrons.

He suspected — no, he knew, it had to do with Cassandra, though, he doubted it had anything to do with her bewitching allure.

When Rosalieé has opted to forgo the newest limited addition designs and trends of the season which they were shown to immediately when they stepped into the shop, and opted to go for designs that suited and matched her own preferences and style, the request was immediately seen to personally by the store manager. Within minutes, the store manager had her staff successfully assemble together a whole line of clothes that matched Rosalieé's description of her preferred style, and had it sorted in accordance to the type of design followed by color while she herself wasted no time in giving them an introduction and rundown of each varying collection and the season they belonged to.

The first time it happened, it took him and Rosalieé by surprise but by the third store they were currently at — having gone through similar processes — they had grown accustomed to it. And, it hence allowed Lucas to come to the conclusion that not only was Cassandra no ordinary patron to these stores, but also that their arrival was expected as well as planned and prepared for much ahead of time.

"Miss Cassandra, we have been instructed to give this to you."

Receiving the neatly wrapped, black present box tied with a golden ribbon bow, Cassandra nodded in thanks to the store manager and her assistant whom had presented her the parcel and proceeded to excuse themselves.

The rest watched as she looked curiously at it. Claudius felt his lips twitch, musing darkly, as he could guess its gifter.

"Well aren't you going to open it, Cass?"

She looked up only to be met with Claudius's grinning face before her eyes went to Lucas and Rosalieé whom looked equally as curious before looking back down at the parcel in her hands. For a brief moment, she had an internal debate but her curiosity soon won out so she pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid, peering inside.

An all-too-familiar crimson, blood red rose accompanied by an old pale white envelope lay atop white chiffon layers of soft pristine white fabric decorated with sequins. Only the semi-translucent and embellished design of the top was visible, but from its design and weight, Cassandra could tell the gown was of substantial length — floor-length if she had to guess.

She knew who the gown was from — if the odour-less rose was any indication to go by; but the purpose or occasion of it was to be worn was a mystery left unsolved and the only thing that might contain the answer was the last remaining item in box.

Hence, setting the opened parcel down on the nearest couch, she tentatively picked up the letter, broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter that slid out. And while Cassandra paid no mind to the vampire whom was busy peering over her shoulder, her eyes began to read through its content, her reaction was one that left her audience save for Claudius in complete astonishment.

Lucas and Rosalieé were mind blown away and amazed as they watched Cassandra's sharp, ice-cold features slowly began to soften and her lips curve into a genuine, breathtaking smile. The former even swore he saw the black witch's eyes light up and sparkle as her gaze looked down to the opened box in front of her in between reading the letter.

He had never seen her smile like that and the look in her eyes was one he knew all-too-well and recognised instantly. It was one he would see very often exchanged between the mated couples in the pack — it was a look one would only show when their lover was involved.

Lucas felt his gut twist as his thoughts went to his Alpha and best friend.

"It's because she already belongs to another."

Rosalieé's words echoed in his mind. He felt a squeeze in his hand, and he looked down to see Rosalieé attempting to send him a reassuring smile — she could sense his discomfort through their mate bond as he gradually allowed the significance of the gift and the plausible origins of it to sink in.

"Will you be trying it on?"

At Rosalieé's question, Claudius whom threw his head back, guffawing with laughter, and answered Rosalieé, "No, she won't. Not unless she wants every occupant in this store to be dead by the end of the day. That includes us by the way."

Lucas's brows furrowed at the implication of the vampire's odd response as the latter still wore an extremely broad grin even under Cassandra's withering glare. Lucas then turned to Rosalieé whose confused expression morphed into one with understanding, her mouth forming an adorable O shape before it turned into a small smile.

"Besides," Claudius added, in cheeky tone that made Cassandra's head snap up again from where she was focusing on placing the letter back in and closing the box, her glare hardening.

Unfortunately for Cassandra, Claudius was immune to such of her glares — he also knew that though she may not have shown it but she was internally elated, like how every other girl who receives a present from their lover would be — so he continued, "She doesn't need to either. It's custom fit and he never gets her measurements or sizes wrong. It's been customised to perfection, one could say."

A feeling of incredulity passed over the other two in the audience, as red tinged the black witch's pale white cheeks at the vampire's comment.

She coolly picked up the parcel and ignoring Claudius, she turned to Rosalieé and shook her head, answering the former's previous question about trying it on before informing all of them that she had to make some arrangements and that she would see them at the main entrance of the store and excused herself.

When she left, there was a beat of silence before Lucas cleared his throat, turning away from the grinning Claudius to his mate and tugging on her hand, told her softly, "You might want to consider changing out so we can pay for it, Rose."

Truth be told, Lucas didn't feel like staying in the store any longer than he had to. What he had just witnessed did not sit well with him in the slightest. He had no idea how or whether he even was going to tell Jayden regarding it.

"Oh, yes," She glanced down, startled, seeming to realise she was still wearing the designer pink dress that had yet to be paid, and hurriedly headed to a fitting room to change out of it.

This left the the werewolf and vampire in extreme awkward silence once again. While Lucas shifted slightly trying not to show the obvious discomfort he was in, he didn't turn but heard a small sigh, one that he would definitely have missed if not for his enhanced werewolf hearing. It caused him to look quizzically at its source.

Gone was the cheerful, teasing vampire from mere moments before, instead his shoulders had dropped slightly as he gazed out through the store window to the outside bustling streets, seemingly paying no mind to the nemesis of his kind that he was left alone with. It was obvious something was on his mind. A listless yet inexplicable expression had crossed his face but it was gone in a flash before Lucas could decipher it.

Claudius shook his head, as he forced himself to get a grip.

He mumbled something about waiting for everyone at the main entrance to which Lucas only nodded numbly.

They made it to the counter when Rosalieé looked back to the two dresses she had been contemplating on; she was back to square one.

"May we wrap them up for you, Miss?" A polite voice asked, causing Rosalieé to look to the brunette shop assistant whom had been attending to her before.

"Oh yes, please but we'll only be taking the pink one." Rosalieé began saying as she handed over the two dresses, deciding to settle for the pink one.

"But our instructions were to have them both wrapped up, Miss. The cost has already been covered as well."

Rosalieé blinked in surprise at the answer and her and Lucas looked to each other. Neither had to ask on whose instructions it was, as they both simultaneously looked to the black witch whom had finished her conversation with the store manager and was heading out the store to meet Claudius outside, before looking back at the smiling shop assistant.

Rosalieé could only manage a dumbfounded nod in response accompanied by an "Oh."