“No,” she said.
“I could make you.”
“You could, but you won’t.”
“I will if I have to.”
“You won’t because you know I’ll hate you for the rest of my life. Don’t risk losing one of the few people who loved you before you were alpha.”
He stared at her, unblinking. “You don’t realize how important you are to the pack. An alliance by marriage with another primary pack member would strengthen our numbers and our position in the society.”
“Oh, I understand that.”
“If you did, you’d never be this difficult.”
She shrugged. “I understand. I just don’t care. It has nothing to do with me. You don’t need me. You are all the leader Fireborn will ever need. Alex’s dead body proves that.Youcan marry to unite the packs.Youcan sire pups to fill our ranks. You don’t need me.”
He placed his hands on his hips, looking defeated. “You will attend the ball tonight. Seven o’clock. Formal dress. That is a direct order from your alpha.”
She raised two fingers to her forehead and saluted him, ending the motion by flipping him her middle finger.
“And you will act like the princess you are.” He gave her a smug grin before turning on his heel and leaving the room.
“Ooh! You asshole!” She stomped her foot. With a glance at her watch, she headed for the sink to wash up. She’d have to ask Becca to call Kyle and cancel their date. If she was going to make it to Rivergate Manor tonight, properly attired, she’d have to leave now to prepare. She couldn’t be late, and she couldn’t say no. Silas’s direct alpha command meant she had no choice. If she tried to disobey, life would get extremely uncomfortable.
ChapterFour
The dress Laina wore to the ball was a style she’d never have chosen for herself. Stephanie, her Zafka, had picked it out for her. One of the benefits of having an employee who resembled you well enough to be your twin was that they could shop for your clothes. Laina was thankful Stephanie had made the time to obtain the dress on short notice, even if the midnight-blue strapless gown was more revealing than she preferred. Still, she understood the cut of the dress served a greater purpose than flattering her figure; it revealed the phoenix tattoo on her upper-right shoulder, the sacred emblem of Fireborn pack. Tonight, everyone at this party would proudly display their pack ties.
“Princess Laina? Is that you?” Evelyn, the matriarch of Crescent Star pack, adjusted her bifocals and reached out to grip Laina’s right hand. “I expected to see a ring on this finger by now, dear. After the horrors of the last year, nothing would cheer this old soul like a royal wedding.” Crescent Star had lost seven males to Alex before Silas had taken him down. Laina’s heart ached for Evelyn’s loss.
“I guess I just haven’t met the right male,” she said softly.
“Since when did that ever stop anyone?” Evelyn whispered. “Look around. Anyone in a tie would jump at the chance to have a beauty like you on his arm.” She winked before crossing the veranda to enter the ballroom, passing Silas as he walked out to meet Laina.
“What did Evelyn want?” he asked.
“Nothing more than to dig for gossip.”
“As if she doesn’t have enough tales of her own to tell.”
“What she wants is to have happy stories to talk about—something other than the tragedies that have been all too common among her pack. I can empathize, but she’d have better luck reading a romance novel than looking to my life for inspiration.” Laina sighed.
“You look beautiful, by the way.” Silas leaned against the open archway of Rivergate Manor’s ballroom. “I love the hair.”
“Stephanie did it.” Laina shrugged. Her mahogany hair had been smoothed into a glamorous pomp with a high ponytail. Along with the mani-pedi and salt scrub she’d endured at Spa Stephanie, the hairstyle was enough to make her appear a proper princess.
“It suits you.”
“Don’t bother buttering me up. You’re on my shit list, brother. How dare you alpha me here.”
“Would you have come otherwise?”
“Of course not.”
Silas stared into his glass, swirling his vodka and tonic. “Then, I did the right thing. It would look ungrateful if you didn’t show. Like it or not, you’re a princess. You have a duty to your race.”
She groaned. “Silas…”
