Chapter 9


    Chapter 9


    Daisy


    I sit frozen for a moment, caught between the urge to retreat and the desire to rise up to his challenge.


    What do I do?


    The tension around the table is unmistakable. I can feel my mother’s shocked gaze and my sister’s


    worried one. Alphat Xavier, however, seemspletely at ease, an arrogant smirk ying on his


    gorgeous face as if he’s greatly enjoying this unexpected turn of events.


    *L.” I begin again, trying to collect my thoughts while maintaining myposure. His smirk widens. I


    realize with a jolt of anger that he’s waiting for me to stumble. Well, not today.


    “A proposal shoulde out of love and respect,” I shoot back, surprising myself with my sudden


    boldness. “Not as a joke in front of others.”


    My family remains silent, which isn’t a surprise. I didn’t expect them to say anything, but Alpha Xavier’s


    reaction is interesting. His expression freezes for a moment before he blinks slowly as if processing my


    words.


    When my mother notices the Alpha’s shock, she stiffens beside me, her stern gaze fixed on mine.


    “Daisy, apologize immediately! You can’t talk like that to an Alpha.”


    Before I can respond. Isabees back from the bathroom,pletely oblivious to the tension that


    has built up in her absence. She throws herself onto Alpha Xavier again with a delighted squeal,


    effectively breaking the spell that had nketed the room.


    “Did you all miss me?” she coos, snuggling into Alpha Xavier’s side as if they weren’tplete


    strangers.


    He wrinkles his nose, but his eyes never leave mine, even as Isabe loops her arm around him.


    “Alpha Xavier,” she whines with a pour “You need to be more lovey-dovey with your future wife.”


    I smirk and Alpha Xavier grunts before reluctantly wrapping his arm around her, but it’s clear that his


    attention is still on me. There is something in his gaze now – respect? Or is it curiosity? His previous


    amusement has vanished, reced by an almost unreadable expression.


    “Daisy,” my yother sister, Lina, silently growls. “I believe’ an apology is in ce..”


    *Nonsense,” Alpha Xavier finally states, looking from my burning face to my family’s horrified ones.


    “The girl has guts; I will give her that.” He grudgingly acknowledges me while sipping on his whiskey


    again.


    Suddenly, he chuckles, a low rumbling sound that seems to shake the rooftop bar itself. “Well, Daisy,”


    he says. “You’ve certainly made this evening more interesting than I initially anticipated.”


    His gaze lingers again on me before he stands up and pulls away from Isabe. She protests with a


    pout, but he silences her with a quick peck on the check and a promise to return.


    But before leaving the table, he stops by my chair and looks down at me as if taking in every detail of


    my flushed face and flustered demeanor. Smirking, he leans in close, his hot breath fanning against my


    cheek, causing goosebumps to erupt over


    my skin.


    “By the way,” he whispers so only I can hear. “I like your spirit, but if you intend on winning me back,


    you must dare to be honest even in front of your family members.”


    Then he pulls away and strides toward the bar to order another whiskey without another word.


    Chapter 9


    1 blink several times, trying toprehend what just happened while my mother throws worried


    nces at Alpha Xavier, Isabe slumps back into her seat, a sullen look on her face as she processes


    her fiance’s abrupt departure.


    “Why is he so interested in you?” she looks up at me with her arms crossed over her chest. “Alpha


    Xavier is supposed to be my husband, not yours.”


    Is she delusional? Alpha Xavier isn’t interested in me. No, that b a st a r just enjoys getting under my


    skin.


    Lina snorts, rolling her eyes at Isabe’s dramatics. “Right, because Alpha Xavier is so interested in


    picking a weak Omega that can’t shape-shift instead of a powerful werewolf like you,” she mocks.


    Ignoring her, I look toward Alpha Xavier. He’s surrounded by admirers at the bar but doesn’t seem


    interested in their attention. His


    is eyes are scanning the crowd until theynd on me again, a smirk ying on his lips as he raises his


    ss in my direction.


    Our mother sighs in her seat. “That’s right, Isabe,” she chimes in. “Alpha Xavier would never pick


    your sister as his future Luna. She isn’t strong enough.”


    Though her words sting, I simply shrug. “And I wouldn’t want him to. Alpha Xavier isn’t my type,” I


    retort, even though he is exactly my type: tall and muscr.


    My mother res at me, but it’s Lina who replies, “You’re just saying that because you couldn’t be


    Alpha’s first pick even if you wanted to be.”


    Isabeughs at Lina’s words. “Not every girl can be as lucky as me,” she boasts, puffing out her


    chest under our mother’s approving gaze.


    “Or as unlucky.” I mutter, which causes my mother and sisters to gasp at me.


    “How dare you!” my mother exims. Alpha Xavier is the most powerful Alpha there is your sister has


    done well in catching his interest. You deserve to be punished for uttering such disrespectful words!”


    “Mom, it’s fine,” Isabe says, cing a hand on our mother’s arm before smirking at me. Daisy is just


    jealous and too afraid to admit that she wants what she can’t have.”


    The sour taste of resentment builds up in my mouth, but I swallow it down since I know better than to


    challenge my sisters. I’m not strong enough to take them on.


    “I don’t me her,” Lina suddenly says. “If I were the pack’s Omega, I wouldn’t dare to dream of being


    with an Alpha, either.” Sheughs cruelly, her eyes t w i n k li n with mirth.


    “No one asked you,” I retort, my cheeks burning


    Isabe giggles, sharing a knowing nce with Lina. “Oh, Daisy. You’re so easy to tease,” she says


    sweetly. “You need to learn to be less sensitive.”


    Before I can formte a retort, Alpha Xavier returns, his expression unreadable as he sets down a


    whiskey ss in front of


    He takes a seat again, this time beside me instead of Isabe, leaving her with a stunned expression


    as he turns to me. The smell of his cologne is intoxicating, mingling with the scent of whiskey from theN?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ss he puts in front of me. It makes my heart hammer against my chest in a rhythm that I’m afraid he


    can hear.


    “Drink,” hemands lightly, and there’s a hint of amusement in his low voice.


    I look at him skeptically but pick up the ss anyway, the smoky amber liquid sloshing slightly as I hold


    it up to my lips. A couple of swallowster, I am coughing and sputtering while Alpha Xavier watches,


    an entertained grin on his face.


    Chapter 9


    “It’s strong.” I wheeze out, and he chuckles.


    “That it is.” He agrees and takes a sip from his own ss.


    His attention is solely on me now, and I can feel the weight of my sisters’ and mother’s envious gazes


    on me. Their disapproval used to bother me, but now, strangely enough, I find myself not caring.


    Alpha Xavier turns to them then, his gaze cool and detached. “Your little sister has more spirit than both


    of youbined.” It’s not quite apliment but it feels like oneing from him.


    All traces ofughter die out from their faces, and a satisfied smirk curls at the edges of my lips. Even


    my mother has turned into a quiet statue beside me.


    “Now, shall we order our food?” Alpha Xavier asks,pletely unbothered by Isabe’s jealous re.


    “Of course, Alpha Xavier, Isabe stammers, her previous confidence gone. She’s flustered,


    scrambling to regain herposure but failing miserably. Everyone at the table knows it, but no one


    mentions it.


    The Alpha simply gives a small smile in reply and picks up the menu, his eyes quickly scanning over


    the extravagant dishes


    listed.


    “Lamb stew for me,” he states simply, and his choice surprises me.


    “Not a steak kind of guy?” I ask, my tone teasing. I’ve always imagined Alphas to like their meat raw


    and b l o o d y.


    Alpha Xavier chuckles again, and I’m starting to like the sound of that. Just who is this guy?


    Sometimes, he is cold and brooding, and other times, he is confident and se


    x y-it’s like he has a split personality.


    …or am I able to bring out the true Xavier?


    “like to change it up every now and then” Alpha Xavier says.


    My family ces their orders with mumbled and stuttered words, clearly throw n off by Alpha Xavier’s


    surprising show of favoritism towards me. The waiting staff quickly scrambles away with our orders,


    and silence descends upon our table.


    No one dares to say anything as we eat, but once my mother and sisters excuse themselves to go to


    the bathroom-probably to plot something sinister, Alpha Xavier turns back to me.


    “Now, Daisy,” he begins, a thoughtful look crossing his devilishly handsome face. “What made you say


    I’m not your type?”


    I freeze slightly at his direct question but recover almost instantly. “Well, I begin, my voice surprisingly


    steady, “You rejected me, and I want a mate who treasures me.”


    A bark ofughter escapes him, and he throws his head back in amusement. “Treasures, you? Now


    that’s hard to belic ou didn’t strike me as the romantic type on the ne,” he grins, shaking his head in


    disbelief.


    and


    By now, my heart is contracting painfully in its cage, but I refuse to let my nervousness show on my


    face. Instead, I shrug nonchntly. “There areyers to a person’s personality, you know, I might be


    funny and direct, but I’m also a person, just like everyone else, I’m someone who craves love and


    attention.”


    My sincerity takes him aback, but he recovers swiftly with an impressed glint in his eyes. “True, most


    people crave love and


    attention.


    “Don’t you?” I dare to ask.


    “No,” he looks away with a bored expression. “Love isn’t for me.”


    “A life without love? Geez, what a boring life that must be.”


    18:08 Wed, 15 May 0


    Chapter 9


    “Or easy,” he counters. “Love makes thingsplicated…”


    The rest of the meal goes by in a blur, with Alpha Xavier allowing my sister to talk about the dress she


    wants to wear for their wedding. It looks like he is listening, which has brought back some of my sister’s


    carlier confidence, but his eyes keep shifting to me. It’s not a tant show, but I notice it and feel the


    pull of his gaze every time he nces my way.


    Once dinner is over and the tes have been cleared away by the waiting staff, Alpha Xavier stands,


    smoothly pulling on his suit jacket buttoned over a broad chest. His eyes flicker to me as he says,


    “Daisy, would you join me for a walk?”


    His request sends another wave of shock around the table. My mother shoots me a look filled with


    warning, but I ignore it. Rising from my chair, I wipe my sweaty palms on my clothes in an attempt to


    seem more collected than I feel.


    “Of course,” I reply, offering him a small smile.