Chapter 19: Unfair Judgment
~ Victoria/Anna ~
“We should wait until Michael leaves,” he said.
“What if he stays there until morning? Let’s get out of here. I want to enjoy our time in your house.”
“Wrong!”
I frowned. “What do you mean? Don’t you want us to enjoy our time in your house?”
“It’s our house.” Constantine emphasized the word ‘our’. “It’s no longer only my house.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I can’t wait to fill our house with our pups.”
I blushed and rewarded him with a kiss on his lips. “How many pups do you want?”
“At least two, a boy and a girl.”
“Then we should hurry. Ignore Michael. Let’s pretend we don’t know he spies on us.” He held my waist with an arm. “Don’t search for him.”
“Though I don’t mind if I must kick the jerk again.” I grinned as I caressed Constantine’s jaw.
“You kicked him? What did he do to you?” He whispered in my ear.
“He cornered me and wanted to kiss my lips.”
“He wants his death. So I will beat him until he begs me to kill him.”
I shook my head. “Don’t do that. I have killed him in the past. He is harmless.”
Constantine’s eyes were cold. “Okay, I spare his life only because of your request. If I hear such a thing happens again, I’ll give him a lesson he won’t forget.”
“Yes, Mr. Ruthless.” I giggled as Constantine now and then was quite different. Before, he was sly and manipulative; he cared for none unless himself. While now, he was still mean and unforgiving but clearly showed his care to me.
“What?”
“What’s what?” I asked.
He touched my cheek. “You grinned for no reason.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m just happy since you’re different now.”
“So, I guess I’m better than before. Was I so bad back then?”
“No, but I like the new you. Before, you didn’t care about me.”
Constantine pulled and hugged me. He placed his chin on my head. “If the second life didn’t make me wiser, I would be a doomed man.”
We didn’t talk afterward and only enjoyed our closeness to each other. I loved his scent, so I inhaled deeply and smiled. It was a mix of mint and his natural scent. I tipped toe to kiss his neck and wondered if I could mark him like the past. But then, I stopped.
He should have felt my hesitation since he stared at me. “What is it?”
“I thought to mark you.”
“Oh, why not?”
“But in the past life, I did it without your consent. So now, I want to make it right.”
Constantine sighed. “I want to mark you more than anything. But I want to make it public. I want everyone to see and know that you’re mine.”
It would be great, but did he genuinely want it for our goodness, or did he have something else in his mind? I meant people might change from time to time, but he hadn’t remembered everything. What if he would ditch me later?
He touched my forehead. “What are you thinking of? You’re frowning again.”
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I’m only afraid of our future.”
“Don’t worry too much. Let’s head to our house first.”
Constantine opened the door, and his arm stayed on my waist. He bent his head to whisper, “Ignore Michael. Remember, he is nonexistent.”
I followed what he said though I saw Michael from my eye’s corner. We strolled toward Constantine’s house only to receive so much unwanted attention from our pack members. Some seemed to approve of me, some didn’t show any reaction, but a few disapproved of us.
One of them blocked our way. “Beta Cameron, I wonder when will you settle the problem with the Hurricane Dawn Pack?”
“My dear Elder, soon. Don’t worry.”
The Elder raised his eyebrows and gazed at me. “Really? Then why are you still with her?” He pointed at me.
“What about her? She will be our future Luna. So, of course, I should be with her.”
“What?! But what about the peace treaty? We have promised the Shadows to have a political marriage between Beta Lisa and you.”
“It has been taken care of. Don’t worry.” Constantine smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m our pack’s future Alpha. I think you should start trusting me.”
“I-I trust you.” The Elder stepped back.
“But you confronted me in public. I don’t think it’s a good way to show your trust or respect to me.” Constantine smiled again. “If this is how you will treat your future Alpha, maybe I should consider choosing the new Elder from now on.” His voice was low and threatening now.
“Y-you!”
I immediately grabbed Constantine’s hand and shook my head. Then I bowed a little to the annoying Elder. “Elder, as Beta Cameron said, let’s trust in his plan. He has prepared everything.”
The Elder finally sighed. “I’ll trust you, but only if you immediately fix the problem you created.” He pointed at me while talking with Constantine, obviously ignoring me. “I’m worried that this seductress has clouded your mind. Choosing a mere Omega to a Delta, well, the future Beta, is a bad deal.”
“See? You don’t know the whole facts, yet you jump immediately to the conclusion and judge her unfairly. Anna is no longer an Omega. She is a Mu now.”
“What?! What’s her role? In which place?”
“She will be my housekeeper from now on.”
“I should know better.” The Elder gazed at me from head to toe. Then he stared at Constantine again. “People will think you use this to disguise her position as your mistress.”
“No, it isn’t. My father has given his approval to accept Anna.”
“Really?” Again, the Elder stared at me by raising his chin and frowning. As if he smelled rotten things. Maybe it was what he thought about me. “I wonder if she bewitches our Alpha too.”
“Enough! I always respect all Elders, but if you say another word to belittle my mate, I won’t spare you.”
I patted Constantine’s arm to get his attention. “Don’t fight here. He has a reason for doing this. I’ll prove to anyone that I deserve to be with you.”
“You hear that?” Constantine glared at the Elder. “Even after you insulted and slandered her, she still maintains her respect for you. I think she deserves to be the future Luna.”
The Elder wanted to say something, but finally, he stopped himself. He looked at me one more time. This time his gaze was less hostile. Then the Elder left by saying nothing else.
