Cliff's POV
I couldn't help but wonder to myself, what exactly had made me ask to stop the car?
Elliot quickly pulled over, parking the car neatly by the roadside, then asked, "Alpha Cliff, are we picking up Ms. Coleman?"
I fell into silence, feeling a tangle of contradictions within.
At that moment, the wolf within me grew increasingly restless.
Elliot seemed to sense my hesitation and cautiously asked, "Should we call Luna Vanya?"
I looked up at him through the rearview mirror, and upon seeing this, Elliot immediately closed his mouth and remained silent.
At the entrance of Wolfe, I saw Melinda standing with a few classmates, talking about something.
Her expression seemed expectant, and then she ran towards my car with a face full of joy.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Melinda knocked on the rear window, and Elliot rolled it down.
When she saw it was Melinda, an inexplicable sense of disappointment flashed through my heart. I couldn't understand why I felt this way.
The wolf within me seemed to resist this scene, growling in dissatisfaction, reminding me that the true Luna belonging to me was Vanya.
It could clearly sense the soul bond between Vanya and me, and facing Melinda, it resisted instinctively.
"Alpha Cliff, what brings you here? Did you come looking for me?" Melinda asked, gazing at me with anticipation.
I simply said, "Get in the car."
Melinda got in the car, seemingly noticing my unhappiness, but she didn't ask anything more.
I told Elliot, "Let's go."
"Yes, Alpha Cliff."
In the car, I remained silent, and Melinda was used to my reticence.
I've never been good at expressing my emotions.
In fact, my thoughts were already in disarray, stirred by the restless wolf within, urging me to find Vanya, the pull from the depths of my soul growing stronger. It was hard to ignore it.
Melinda asked, "Is there a business dinner?"
At this time, she often accompanied me to various business events, so she guessed astutely.
"Mm-hmm," I responded briefly.
"Should I change my clothes then?" she asked worriedly.
"No need," I replied, still preoccupied with thoughts of Vanya.
My wolf was also conveying its anxious emotions to me. It seemed to sense Vanya was nearby, yet here I was, unresponsive. Its restlessness made me agitated.
Seeing that I didn't want to talk, Melinda kept quiet.
The car soon arrived at the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel, and Melinda, as usual, hooked her arm into mine.
She timidly said, "Is it really okay for me to dress like this?"
"You've been here so many times. You should learn to adapt," I replied, without any warmth in my tone.
Hearing this, Melinda didn't dare to say anything.
We walked slowly towards the private room, located at the end of the hotel corridor.
I was the last to arrive, and when I entered, everyone else stood up, smiling and flattering me with compliments.
Melinda, beside me, straightened her back unconsciously amidst the sycophantic praise.
I could feel she enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.
Although I always brought Melinda to various public events, hoping she could integrate into high society and establish connections with more Alphas and Lunas of the wolf packs.
But for her behavior, I felt somewhat disdainful.
I thought of Vanya, who always remained calm in such situations.
Just then, I heard Derrick's voice coming from the other end of the corridor. "Their baked salmon is very delicious. You must try it!"
"The pan-fried steak is also quite good, mainly because of the cream of mushroom soup!"
I was about to sit down when I suddenly stopped, a strange feeling washing over me.
My wolf became excited and tense instantly, as if certain that Vanya was there.
Its keen perception almost allowed me to "smell" a hint of Vanya's unique scent, faint but real.
I wondered if Vanya was indeed there.
Unfortunately, the door was closed, and I couldn't hear if anyone responded.
"Alpha Cliff?" Melinda whispered beside me, trying to bring my wandering thoughts back.
I quickly regained my composure, my expression returning to its usual calm, and sat down without changing my expression.
I told myself that I must be overthinking. There's no way Vanya would show up here.
But my wolf still stirred restlessly within, unwilling to let go, stubbornly believing that Vanya was nearby.
The connection from the depths of the soul with its mate made it not easily dismiss this suspicion.
But my true mate, Melinda, was right beside me.
I didn't understand why my wolf was acting this way suddenly.