Chapter Nine

Gina's POV

For a sickening second, the hall was quiet. Dagen cast a murderous glare at me. What do I do now?

The ceremony began again, and Diane was by my side throughout. I mingled around with the crowd and had a few introductions with some of the Council members, but they were as brief as possible, especially with the males. Somehow, they were almost terrified to approach me. I couldn't blame them though; Dagen was across the hall, blazing murderously.

After a short while, seven elders stood in front and announced it was time for the Luna coronation. Dagen and I were asked to stand side by side before everyone, while the elders performed the ritual before crowning me the Luna of Shadowclaw Pack.

As soon as the elders were done, Dagen stormed out of the hall leaving me rooted in the middle of the crowd. I spent the remaining hours of the party in complete boredom. The guests were the types that liked to party till dawn. Not even once did Dagen return to the party. I tried not to care, but I couldn't shake off the image of Dagen in bed with his lover.

The elders had long left the party, and so had some guests from the castle. I sighed, holding one more faux smile, bidding farewell to some of the pack members, then Diane and I left the hall, heading to my chamber. I couldn't help but reflect on tonight's event. I was reminded of those deep hazel eyes of that stranger, Tyler. He didn't seem like a bad person, even though it was as clear as day that he and Dagen had some kind of history. I became curious. Too curious.

I turned to Diane, who was beside me, accompanying me to my room. “Who was that man?”

Diane folded her brows, questioningly.

“Tyler,” the instant I bit out his name, Diane stiffened. Her eyes shot up to look at me.

She shifted her gaze away from me and said, “He's a wolf and a witch; he's also a Dagen cousin.”

“They both seemed angry at each other -” Before I could complete my words, Diane stopped walking, turning to me. She seemed nervous.

“That’s simply because Tyler's father killed Dagen's parents and sent him into exile, but a few years later, Dagen came back and challenged his uncle. He killed his uncle and all his family, but chose to spare Tyler's life.” She answered quickly to me before we continued walking. There was something she wasn't saying. Deep down I knew it, but I didn't push further, so I decided to change the topic and we talked about something else.

As soon as Diane left in front of my room, I sauntered inside, and to my surprise, Dagen's blazing Ice-blue eyes came into view. He was in my room, sitting at the edge of the bed. It looked like he had been waiting for me.

He was staring at me, and I couldn't understand why. His penetrating gaze seemed to see right through me. More than ever, I wish I could hide away. I looked away from his biting glare, roving to the dressing table on my right, where I took out the hairpins that held my hair perfectly in a bun. Immediately, my long brown hair fell down my shoulders.

“How do you feel?” Dagen's menacing voice echoed in the walls.

I turned to face him, glowering hard. The skin on my forehead folded confusingly. “About what?”

Dagen was on his feet, but he didn't take a step closer to me. He was smiling as usual. His plump lips pressed against each other in a grimace.

“Do you crave the attention of men so badly that you're willing to jump into bed with the first a**hole you meet here in my castle?” His voice highlighted his last few words, making me flinch abruptly.

“No, I don't,” I replied, trying my best not to upset him.

“Don't lie to me, Gina.” He snapped at me, swallowing the wide gap between us. He pressed my shoulders tightly against his chest. “If you don't crave the attention of men, tell me exactly what you were doing in the hands of that bloody a**hole.”

He was talking about Tyler. My brain registered, but my eyes were round and unmoving from Dagen. In my few days here, I had never seen him so angry like this. Dagen was literally on fire, and his flames were directed at me, threatening to burn me.

“Dag…” On a fearful thought, my intended word was immediately replaced with “Alpha. I was only, no, Tyler was only helping me.”

“You damned liar!” His hold on me tightened. A sweet sensation spread through my body. I felt the rapid beating of his heart thud against my chest while I inhaled more of his scent.

My senses clouded with stupidity, and I rested my eyes on his lips instead. I felt a growing urge building in the pit of my stomach, and I wanted nothing more than to press my lips on his and have that strong body of his have me pinned firmly on the bed while his lips and hands did wonders to my body.

This man's scent was capable of driving any woman insane; he was simply desirable.

Dagen's eyes darkened even more, his breathing became more labored. “Control yourself, Gina.” His voice was breathless and, in a whisper, with his lips at the surface of mine. “I can smell your arousal.”

At his words, I broke free from the bubble of insanity that surrounded me, my cheeks coloring red from embarrassment. I managed to escape his grip, stalking the far end of the room.

“You know nothing about me to be accusing of things like this. So, what if I do love the attention of other men?” I said turning around and removing the earrings from my ear.

I said something that seemed to have angered him the more. I could hear his constant growls, almost as if he was having an inner fight with himself. I couldn't turn to look at him out of fear.

I released a sharp gasp when Dagen's large hands grabbed my waist possessively, slamming my back to his chest. I felt my body pressed against the hardness of his core, which only made me release another gasp. Dagen's lips found my ear, his teeth grazing my earlobe.