Darius’ eye twitched and he stared at his Beta in strained silence for a few seconds. The truth was no, of course, but this was such an absurd question, one he would have never thought would have come out from Ryker’s mouth.
Then, slowly, Darius leaned back in his chair. His fingers dragged over his face, muffling a laugh that bubbled out uninvited. It started low and dry, then built into a genuine, humour-laced sound that echoed around the table. He kept laughing, almost too long, until his shoulders shook and he dabbed at the corners of his eyes with the side of his thumb.
Livia felt as if she had been glued to the seat and watched Darius act. She could not know for sure if he had laid with the rogue or not, but she was vaguely aware that only she knew that Serena and Darius were fated mates. Ryker did not.
Darius rose up from his velvet chair and then laughed again. He had Ryker’s gaze on him and then he shook his head.
"Of all the people I can have in this pack, you imagine it would be Serena? I did not know you thought lowly of me, Ryker," Darius said.
His tone was casual, but his eyes were narrowed. He studied Ryker, watching for the slightest twitch, the smallest tell. The other man dropped his gaze for the briefest second, just a blink, before lifting it again. It was enough.
"Why ask me that?" Darius pressed.
Ryker offered no reply for a couple of seconds before he cleared his throat. "It could be the most plausible reason for the way you are behaving now."
Ryker pushed himself off the chair and looked Darius up and down, like a mother scrutinising a lying child. He walked closer to Darius and sighed. He held his shoulders and looked up at him with his lips set in a thin line.
"Why have you become subservient to a rogue? In a few days I will hear that you decided to put her in as our Luna while you wait to get married to a better prospect."
Darius’ brow furrowed, then he scoffed, a short huff through his nose. "I wouldn’t have guessed you of all people had such a colourful imagination."
Ryker huffed in return, his lip curling as he turned his head to the side.
"Do I really?" he muttered. "When it looks like it could very well be our future?"
Darius glanced over just in time to catch Livia half-covering her mouth, her eyes darting to the side like she was trying to avoid stepping into a fight already raging too hot.
Ryker’s words held some truth. Every night, he argued with himself, questioned what this bond meant, what he really wanted from Serena. A seasonal connection would never be enough. He knew that. He was too greedy, too hungry for permanence.
It might have been better if they had never met.
Darius was not sure how it would be done, but Serena would remain by his side and the consequence of that was to be elevated to a high standing like he was.
"I assure you that you are thinking much too far for my liking. I have been the one spearheading and overseeing the routes and the celebration to be made for the Dawnbreak party."
Darius scanned the room, making eye contact with Livia and Ryker. "We keep arguing over this childish subject even when Iris had me informed that we are over our budget for the year."
Livia gasped and Ryker looked at him wide-eyed. "You cannot be serious?" Livia asked in an exasperated tone.
Darius gazed at her lazily and chuckled dryly. "I am serious, how would I make light of something like that?"
"Ryker, have you looked into Thornridge? I visited recently and your reports do not even match with what I saw, but what is in your mind is who I lay with."
Ryker stiffened. A muscle in his jaw ticked before he licked his lips and straightened his spine. Embarrassment flickered briefly in his eyes. He clasped his hands behind his back, lifting his chin with the forced dignity of a man caught in the wrong.
"Accept my apologies, Darius. I had not meant to insult you," Ryker began. "We are intelligent creatures, dare I say in the whole of the West of Kaldora, so I believe it will be possible to tackle all of our issues in one fell swoop." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel⸺fire.net
Darius lifted a brow. "And what would your brilliant plan entail?"
Ryker’s upper lip twitched into a discreet smile. "The situation in Thornridge must have worsened since my last visit, but I will consider it an oversight on my part. Perhaps I have been wrong in my judgement. So far Serena has been a docile creature for us and we can use her against Dawnbreak during negotiations as you suggested."
Darius folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. The man who once called for Serena’s disposal now speaking like a strategist in favour of her? It didn’t sit right.
"So you have no brilliant plan?" Darius asked in a low tone.
Ryker nodded his head and turned to Livia. "I am sure she shares some of my concerns, and you have remained adamant with keeping the rogue even up to such a critical moment for us."
Livia seized the moment before Darius could respond. Her instincts screamed at her to excuse herself, and she’d learned long ago to trust them when it came to these two. Ryker annoyed her most of the time; he was such an odd man to her, especially in look. She cleared her throat and gave a tight smile.
"We can look over this after Dawnbreak. This is giving me a headache since we keep bickering like mere pups," Livia said.
Darius walked back to his chair and sank into it. He pulled a stack of paper and looked up at them. Silence filled the room for a few more moments before he spoke.
"I hope you both have a good night. Sleepless nights are ahead of us, so enjoy this one."
Darius watched as they both left without a word. He closed his eyes briefly once he heard the door click. He sighed and draped his hand over his eyes. This would be harder than he thought.