Eye Candy

Wh– what?! Me!?" Karl was flabbergasted.

Everyone gasped as all eyes turned to Karl.

"Reana! Have you lost your mind?!" Karl blew up as he shot to his feet, pointing his finger at Reana. "Y– you're sending me to my death!"

Beta Ryan pursed his lips as a glint flashed in his eyes. Karl was right; Reana was sending him to go die.

Having Karl follow the delegation was good news for Ryan's plan B. If Karl died, Kael would go all out to make sure he killed Reana. And the pack warriors and the council would retaliate against him, in turn, removing his two greatest obstacles from the picture. Then, Ryan, the beta of the pack would become the next in line for the Alpha position.

Thinking of this, he lowered his head and smiled, already sensing victory in the air. If Reana wouldn't make him the Alpha, then she was better off dead.

Unbeknownst to him, Reana had been watching him and his sneaky reaction didn't go unnoticed. Reana snorted, only if he knew what she had in store for him.

"Ehm, Luna, why are you sending Karl? He has no business ideas and he's not a good warrior either. He would only become a burden to be protected." Elder Collins reasoned. Karl was his nephew and Katherine would be mad if he didn't stand up for Karl.

"When did I say he was going there to fight or give business ideas?" Reana tilted her head and raised a brow. Seeing everyone staring at her in confusion, she propped her head into her palm, her elbows on the table. "Karl has a glib tongue. He was able to convince the Crimson Caravan to trade with us for a little amount. Isn't that wonderful? Karl is blessed with negotiation skills and this is the best time to use it. I'm impressed," she gave an insincere faint smile.

Everyone blinked. She was right to say Karl has a glib tongue, but negotiation, Karl was a dead fish! But when you talk about Kael, he was a genius. So obviously, negotiating with the Crimson Caravan could only be Kael's doing.

Reana knew that much. But what nobody knew was that Reana was punishing Kael for making other merchants stop their trading agreement with their pack, only to bring Crimson Caravan for his own selfish reasons. Since Kael wasn't in the pack right now, his beloved little brother would suffer on his behalf.

After a back and forth argument, Reana refused to change her mind. She never did. Once she set her mind on something, there was no changing it.

"Luna Reana, about your mate…"

…

Reana was strolling along the corridor, heading to her quarters after the meeting, when suddenly, a movement caught her off guard. A figure darted out of the hallway, colliding with her and sending them both tumbling through the air. They rolled down the corridor, picking up speed, until they spilled out onto the open field, their bodies entwined in a tangled heap.

"Luna!" Her entourage screamed and poured into the field, but before they could get close, Reana raised a hand, halting them in their tracks.

Reana was on top of this person, staring down at him. His eyes were a deep shade of blue, almost indigo, and they sparkled with a hint of mischief as he also held her gaze. His features were chiseled, with sharp cheekbones and a strong jawline, and his dark hair was mussed from the fall.

Reana was captivated. This fellow was an eye candy, one that could make women purr.

The man watched her entranced face in silence. His lips slowly curling into an arc. Just then, his hand moved, circling around her waist. The subtle action snapped her mind back to reality and her green eyes narrowed. She leaned in, her voice low and commanding. "Who are you? You're not a member of my pack…"

She sniffed him and her brows creased.

He smelt like a member of her pack.

"I–" he cleared his throat but didn't avert his gaze. "I am Ryder, a servant."

"Oh…?" Reana tilted her head as she tried to connect his face to a servant's, an omega but no, they didn't match.

"Luna!" Suddenly Beta Ryan's angry roar tore through the 'romantic' atmosphere before his presence even got there, but Reana didn't feel shame or guilt. She was still perched on top of that person.

This was the scene Beta Ryan met - they were in a compromising position, to say the least. Reana, still straddling the stranger, their lips mere inches from each other!

The air was thick with tension as Beta Ryan's face darkened with unchecked fury. He couldn't just pull them apart. Reana wasn't his mate yet, and also, she was the Luna of the pack and doing something against her will could get him in trouble.

"Luna, this is inappropriate," he said, trying hard to control his temper, which he failed miserably at. "And you, get your hands off her!" he growled.

Ryder reluctantly withdrew his hand from Reana's waist. She slipped off his chest and rolled onto her back, lying beside him on the field as they watched the evening sunset for a while.

With a sigh, Reana turned her head towards the seething Ryan, "What were you yelling about, Beta Ryan?"

"It's improper to—" Beta Ryan began.

"Know one of my pack members?" Reana finished his sentence, her tone laced with amusement. She sat up, her hands planting firmly on the field beside her, as she raised an eyebrow at the beta. "Improper to slip and fall?" Her gaze challenged him. "What's improper, Beta Ryan?"

Beta Ryan swallowed, lost for words. Maybe it was his anger, or Reana's calm, innocent-sounding questions that left him speechless. But he knew she wasn't innocent. She clearly knew exactly what she was doing, as that was; provoking him.

She wanted him to be jealous and she won.

But unfortunately for Beta Ryan, Reana didn't care enough to make him jealous.

He turned his attention from Reana to Ryder, who was now standing, brushing the grass off his clothes. When he lifted his gaze and locked eyes with him, Beta Ryan's eyes enlarged, and for a moment, he was taken aback.

Ryder was undeniably handsome, with a chiseled chest and abdomen that seemed sculpted from marble. The torn shirt revealed smooth, taut skin, and Beta Ryan felt extreme envy and jealousy racing in his heart.

Reana's dreamy voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You see that too, huh? He's very good-looking. An eye candy worthy to be kept."

"Wh– what do you mean?" Beta Ryan's eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets.