As we dined, I could feel Arnold's gaze lingering on me intermittently. Yes, he is undeniably attractive, but my Drew outshines him. They both embody contrasting energies—Arnold radiating light while Drew exudes a darker allure. Each has their own charm, but my heart belongs to my mate.

Once we finished our meal, the alpha turned to me and said, "Felicity, I trust Drew has informed you about your upcoming mating ceremony in eight days. For now, your focus should be solely on that, as you will soon be preparing to become the future Luna of this pack. I've spoken with the Luna, and she will assign you mentors to guide you, along with her own teachings. So, my dear, you will have a lot on your plate." The suddenness of it all caught me off guard, yet deep down, I yearn to bond with Drew right away.

The Luna clapped her hands, capturing our attention. "Let her savor her time with her mate for a few days before we dive into her training as a Luna. The mating ceremony is our priority right now, and I can hardly contain my excitement!" I found myself fond of the Luna, but then I felt Drew's hand slip beneath the table, intertwining with mine. I glanced at him, but his gaze was fixed on Arnold, his expression a fierce warning that said, 'Look at her again, and you'll regret it.' Oh dear.

What’s going on between those two? I tightened my grip on his hand, prompting him to open the mind link. "Are you and Arnold not getting along?" He shifted his focus from Arnold to me. "Our relationship is a mixed bag. He tends to measure himself against me. Now that he knows I have a mate and he doesn’t, he probably feels a sense of inferiority creeping back in." This wasn’t the first time, clearly. "He has a habit of wanting what belongs to me." Just then, the Luna cleared her throat, likely realizing that Drew and I were communicating silently. "Now that we’ve finished our meal, let’s retire to our rooms, shall we?" she proposed.

The alpha rose to his feet, and the Luna, Drew, quickly followed suit. It seemed he was engaged in a mental conversation, as he turned to me and said, "My father wants to see me. I’ll be back." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips, right in front of the siblings, before making his exit.

"Apologies if I made you uncomfortable," Arnold said, while Abigail stood with her arms crossed, glaring at me as if I had taken something that belonged to her. "Maybe you shouldn’t stare so intently, even out of curiosity," I shot back at him, and the nerve of him to chuckle! "If you say so, but I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Arnold Barry, the future alpha of the native pack." He extended his hand, which I shook with reluctance. "And this is my sister, Abigail," he added, gesturing to her. She merely scoffed, making it clear she wasn’t fond of me, but I shrugged it off.

"Well, I’m Felicity Walker. Nice to meet you, but I really must be going," I replied, excusing myself. As I walked away, I could still feel his gaze lingering on me, he does gives me the creeps, I don't like him one bit and Jane seems to agree.