Chapter 10

                                    

                                          
Bold of him to have his back towards the door after what happened.
The shoulders of the gray suit swayed and rolled and, when done, turned around with two tumblers of brown liquid and a curl of orange.
"I brought in some of my favorite whiskey and restocked what I used while here. I hope you enjoy it." An outstretched arm indicated they should move in the direction of the sitting area he just basically proposed to his female in. Not his female, but still his female.
"That was generous but not necessary."
"It's as delicious as yours but different."
Shuffling of shoes across the mosaic, swish-swish of pant legs passing each other. All very civilized sounds that covered the internal yelling and blood lust Dominic was taming.
Placing the glass to indicate the seating assignment and then taking the same seat he had before, all was getting even more sophisticated and friendly.
Lucas, quite proud of himself, was delighted with the drink he had created. And if Dominic wasn't in such a bitter mood, he would have appreciated the whiskey with bitters more.
"I have been out here several times and never picked up on how little you liked me, Dominic." The glass was placed on a leather coaster. The use of his first name indicated that this was to be a casual conversation but could still be used against him in a court of law, as the humans would say, perhaps.
"You have never tried to take something from me before."
A thumb crossed to his pinky and fidgeted with a thick gold ring. The engraving combined Lucas's mark and the king's emblem. Signifying the good gentleman in front of him was authorized to speak on behalf of the king.
"I appreciate you not wasting time with platitudes about how I must be wrong, and you adore everything about me." A slight chuckle signified the one-sided appreciation of this comment. "To honor you, I'll get to the point. I never tried to take anything from you."
"Then what was all of this for? Did you fake your offer just to see if she would take it?"
The lycan's eyes zoned out as he looked on the far wall, still here, still engaged, but no threat at all. "She is not a 'something,' and I made her an offer you are unwilling to make. I wouldn't have taken her. I would have embraced her."
These bullshit semantics... oh, wait. Fuck. He might have a point.
"You have a problem on your hands that only you can solve." The blonde became nearsighted again and looked at the alpha in front of him. Probably obvious as hell that he was still coming to terms with what was being told to him. "She wants more than what you have given her. Few can make an offer to break her assignment. She can still leave absent a better deal, even if she physically stays with you."
The orange peel twirled in the gifted whiskey, dancing around the ice cube. Neither are to be consumed, but both are there to enhance what was to be imbibed.
"If she considered my proposal for even a second, and you know if she did or not, then whatever life she is living is not enough. I have not created the cracks in your foundation. I exposed them."
"I don't want to corner her into being my mate." The raw vulnerability revealed how close to his heart this confession was. A rare show of honesty for Dominic towards Lucas during this visit, and he wasn't sure if he was happy he did.
"I don't think that is an appropriate solution either. The standard protocol for a breeder exclusive to an alpha is: Assign, produce heirs, and when your mate comes along, release her of her obligation and provide for her should she not be able to find another or secure a career. Somehow you ended up with an actual lycan breeder, and further, you fell in love with her."