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Alpha Dominic’s heart skipped a beat.

Was she inviting him on a romantic getaway? A honeymoon cruise?

Elara had no idea about his misunderstanding as Dominic’s eyes darkened with intensity, a meaningful smile playing at his lips.

"I like this gift very much," he said, his voice dropping to a husky whisper.

"Though I need to inspect some of the packs under my territory this Friday. I’ll be back on the weekend. We can go after I return."

Three neighboring packs had requested his presence to resolve territorial disputes, and as the Alpha King, his authority was needed to maintain order.

But knowing he had something special to return to made the tedious political meetings seem more bearable.

Elara was surprised by his thoughtfulness in sharing his schedule with her.

She gave him a quick smile. "Sure, go ahead. You can decide on the timing after you finish your pack business."

Noticing his bare chest and suddenly feeling flustered, Elara quickly made an excuse to leave his bedroom.

Linda had assumed the couple’s relationship was warming up, but was puzzled when the Luna rushed out of the Alpha’s room after less than ten minutes.

The next morning, Elara discovered Alpha Dominic had already left the house.

"Luna Elara, the Alpha will return in two days," Linda informed her. "He caught an early flight this morning and asked me to let you know."

Elara nodded calmly, unbothered. After all, he had already told her his plans yesterday.

Her mind drifted to Zack. It was funny how even a fake husband could manage to keep her informed about his schedule.

Meanwhile, Zack had always appeared and disappeared whenever he wanted.

She shook her head, pushing thoughts of that cheating bastard out of her mind.

--

By afternoon, Elara received a phone call from Alpha Enzo.

"Hello, Uncle Enzo," she answered.

This was the first time Alpha Enzo had called Elara directly since she’d become an adult.

"Elara, it’s been too long since you’ve joined us for dinner," he said warmly. "I remember how much you loved our family dinners when you were little. Why don’t you come over tonight? We can catch up."

Elara was about to decline when Alpha Enzo continued, "Your mother was hard on you the other day, wasn’t she? I told Nadia to stop messing with your work. Don’t blame her. She just speaks her mind. Don’t take it personally."

With the conversation having reached this point, Elara could hardly refuse.

"Alright, I’ll be there tonight," she agreed.

Elara grabbed some gift baskets from her car that would work as a decent hostess gift. The car dealership had given her several of these as complimentary gifts when she bought the car a few days ago, and she’d been keeping them in her trunk for occasions exactly like this.

Wine, artisanal chocolates, and some gourmet coffee - nothing too fancy, just enough to be polite.

When she arrived, she called for the Vance mansion’s housekeeper, coincidentally running into Anthony returning home.

Anthony barely acknowledged Elara, his eyes immediately zeroing in on the modest gift baskets she’d brought. He gave a contemptuous sniff before entering the house.

He still remembered his fourteenth birthday when Elara had given him a pair of limited edition Air Jordans that cost her probably two weeks’ salary.

Meanwhile, Selina had gifted him a brand new BMW convertible.

Even though he couldn’t legally drive at the time, he could still show it off to his friends at school for months. The car had been the talk of his prep school.

Those expensive sneakers had been shoved into his closet and forgotten within a week.

Elara was used to Anthony’s attitude by now. Her twenty-year-old self might have cared what her little brother thought, but at twenty-three, she was over it.

As she entered, Alpha Enzo welcomed her to the dining room. "Elara, you’re here! Your mother was just about to call you. I told her you wouldn’t be late."

Anthony glanced at Elara with contempt, muttering under his breath, "Dad, I thought this was supposed to be a family dinner. Why’d you invite her?"

Elara’s eyes flashed dangerously. "Invite me? To my family’s house? How generous of you to grant me permission, little brother."

Alpha Enzo gave his son a disapproving look. "Watch your attitude. Elara is your sister. How is this not a family dinner?"

Nadia came to her son’s defense. "Enzo, he’s still young. Don’t scold him the moment he gets home."

She gave her daughter a cool look. "Go wash your hands and join us for dinner."

"Selina is out on a date with Alpha Zack today, so it’s just us," she added with a pointed look.

Elara’s wolf bristled at the deliberate provocation. Elara wasn’t sure if Nadia knew about her past with Zack, but she definitely felt like that comment was aimed right at her.

"How wonderful for them," Elara replied sweetly, her tone dripping with false cheer. "I hope they’re very happy together."

"Elara, you’re hardly eating anything. Come on, have some more. A young woman needs to keep her strength up," Alpha Enzo said with unusual enthusiasm.

Elara thanked him politely, but his attention made Anthony increasingly angry.

Anthony kept kicking her chair and even "accidentally" knocked her fork to the floor.

"Oops," Anthony smirked. "Clumsy me."

Elara bent down to retrieve her fork, then straightened up with a razor-sharp smile. "No worries. Accidents happen when you lack proper motor skills. I’m sure you’ll grow out of it... eventually."

Finally, Alpha Enzo lost his patience. "Anthony, if you can’t eat properly, go to your room."

Anthony’s face turned red. "Why are you taking her side? She doesn’t even belong here!"