Chapter 40: It Is Not My Problem!

Dante lifted his head and stared at Meris.

He asked, "Tell me the truth, Meris. Are we really mates?"

Meris froze as still as a statue.

Then she shook violently, face turning pale as paper white. "D-Dante, what do you mean?"

"I’m asking you a question," he said sternly. "Are we truly mates? Is there something you’re not telling me? Something I don’t know of?"

She was growing paler and paler.

Her fingers had begun to tremble by her sides.

She swallowed hard again and again, gazing bouncing around the room.

She smiled awkwardly. "W-what are you trying to say Dante?"

"Meris—"

"The first day we met, we sparked like mates do, did we not, Dante?" she interrupted him. "We sparked with each other. So...how can you ask me this?"

Dante balled his hands.

She was right.

When they had first met, they did indeed spark. And that was the reason he found himself even more confused.

Am I overthinking all this?

[Overthinking?] His wolf lost it suddenly. [How can you be overthinking? We react to Selene! She has to be our mate. She is our mate]

I know she’s our mate! But how can I explain the spark?

His wolf went completely quiet.

Meris stared at him. "Dante...are you doubting me?"

Dante raised his gaze and stared at her. "I’m not doubting you."

"You are doubting me."

She shook her head at him.

"That’s why you’re asking me these questions. What have I done wrong, Dante?"

"You haven’t done anything wrong," he said. At least not one that I know of yet. "But there are things that I am questioning."

"Questioning?"

He held her gaze. "My body rejects you completely, Meris."

She stared at him.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.

She tried to hold her smile. "Your body...rejects me?"

"Maybe there was a mistake." Dante relaxed back against his office chair. "Maybe we sparked accidentally. Maybe it was all an accident and we’re not actually mates."

She rapidly shook her head at him. "You don’t actually believe that, do you, Dante?"

"Why not?" He cocked a brow. "My body is rejecting the woman I have always thought was my mate, how can I not doubt it?"

She shook her head at him again and again.

"Dante, there is no way you believe that. There is just no way you actually believe what you are saying to me."

She walked over to the table and crossed around towards him.

Standing next to him, she reached out and took hold of his arm in a pitiful begging manner. "Dante, I understand you, but this hurts me. We’ve been together for two years now and hearing my mate doubt whether or not we are mate, it...it hurts me."

"Tell me," he looked at her, "Do you not feel it? That we might not be mates?"

"Dante—"

"You must be feeling it too."

He stood up and adjusted his shirt, folding the arms at his elbow.

"If my body is rejecting you completely like this, then there is no doubt you feel it as well."

"So..."

Meris swallowed.

"What does that mean? Am I no longer going to be your Luna?"

Dante tilted his head and looked at her. "That will remain pending for now. I will keep investigating and if it does turn out that you are not my mate, yes...you will no longer be my Luna."

"Dante!—"

"I will more than love to make you my Luna, Meris, but I can’t give you that seat if you are not my mate." He shook his head. "That seat is reserved only for the Omega who is my mate."

He watched Meris grow paler than she already was as if she’d seen a ghost.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Dante wasn’t stupid. She was anxious, filled with too much anxiety and he knew that something was definitely wrong.

He offered her a smile. "But don’t worry. If eventually, it turns out that you really are my mate, the spot of my Luna remains yours. No one can take it from you."

Meris met his eyes.

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course." He nodded with a smile. "I do."

Her anxiousness seemed to finally lessen.

She breathed out.

Nodding her head several times, she turned around and walked today. But she paused there momentarily, turning to smile at him.

"We are mates, Dante. I promise you that," saying so, she left the office and slammed the door shut behind her.

Dante stared at the door.

"Since when did you begin lying to me, Meris? What exactly are you hiding from me?"

He was more than sure that Meris had yet to realize he knows who his real mate was.

I’d like to see where this goes, why exactly we sparked in the first place, despite not being mates.

Thinking so, his eyes narrowed knowingly into a thin line.

...

Within her room, Meris picked up her phone and hurried outside her balcony. She glanced from her left to her right before making a call.

[Why are you calling me at this time?] the familiar voice came in from the other side of the phone.

"Maximus." Her tone shook.

[What’s wrong?] His tone changed to one of inquisitive worry.

Meris bit down into her fingers, anxiousness overcoming her. "We don’t have time any longer."

[What are you talking about?]

"He’s doubting our mating bond," she said. "And no matter what I say, he’s adamant about investigating it."

[Why now all of a sudden?]

"It is because of that woman!" Meris spat, losing her cool. "Ever since that incident, Dante has been acting even stranger. And just today, he said these things to me?"

When Maximus remained silent, she said, "Maximus, if this continues, if Dante truly investigates, he will definitely uncover what we’ve done. And if he does uncover what we’ve done...we’re finished, Maximus. Forget that you’re his brother, he will kill you and he will end me as well."

[Shut up. That’s never going to happen]

"Never going to happen? You’re still saying those things so carefreely at this time? Maximus—"

[Nothing will happen because we’re going to speed up our plan. The gala event for manifesting alphas and omegas is coming up soon. That day will be your chance. Find your way with Dante, drug him and force him into his heat much sooner than expected. If we keep waiting for his heat to come at the designated time, we might end up dead]

He said [Dante is a supreme alpha and finding out what we did won’t take him more than a few weeks. We do need to hurry, so get ready! Got it?!]

"Yes." She nodded.

Turning around, she went back into her room, shutting the door of her balcony.

The balcony second to hers the curtains suddenly blew with a heavy cold wind.

From behind the curtains, Selene walked out, arms folded.

"Baby trap him? During an alpha’s heat, they undergo the knotting cycle and there is really a low chance a child wouldn’t be conceived. In fact, the chance of a child not coming into the picture is nearly impossible."

She rubbed her temple.

"Should I warn him? Although I have no evidence and if I do, that would be accusing without proof."

Then suddenly, she shook her head. "No, I can’t get involved in the mess of this pack. This isn’t my pack and even if he is my mate, it is not my problem!"