Louisa's POV
"What do you mean?" I felt half tipsy, half confused.
"I need you to go sit next to him like a fucking little doll and talk to him. Do whatever you can to make him occupied, so he doesn't bid for anything during the auction." Lucas organized my hair for a little bit and said.
"But... Why?" I stared at him in bewilderment.
Lucas seemed to be pissed.
"There's no fucking why," he grunted. "I'm asking you to distract him during the fucking auction and you do whatever I fucking tell you to do."
I tiptoed so I could move my head closer to him.
"Are you fucking sniffing me again, you little pervert?" He frowned.
"You smell fishy." I narrowed my eyes and said, "You must be scheming on something. I won't help you if you don't tell me why you want me to distract him during the auction."
Lucas looked outrageous.
"Helping me?" He raised his voice, but immediately lowered it down. "I'm not asking you to do me a favor. You're supposed to carry out my instructions without fucking bargaining with me like this!"
I looked at him and said, "If you don't tell me why, I'll take Will and walk away right now."
After putting my feet down, I started walking away from him.
"Oh, fuck. You're such a fucking pain in the ass." Lucas stopped me by grabbing my arms. Then, he rubbed his forehead with his slender fingers and grumbled, "I want to bid for something in the auction. I don't want that fucking gigolo to have it. Normally, I would send Lucian to distract him, but he told me to fuck off. He's like a fucking genie of the lamp that only grants me one wish per day, and I've fucking used up my wish for today."
"He wouldn't refuse to help you if you hadn't been an asshole to him!" I grunted.
Lucas looked a bit offended and said, "Have you fallen in love with him or something? I saw the way you looked at him. Do you want to run away from me with him?"
Is he... being jealous now? I thought to myself.
Well, that was a bit surprising... and very disturbing.
"Don't be stupid," I dodged his stare by turning away from him. "He's got a mate, who's bearing his baby. He's about to become a father, but he's still busy working for you all the time, doing mean things to others. And you're the only one who's too blind to see his loyalty."
Lucas turned me back and said, "Why this much grievance? I have never asked him to do any fucking things that he doesn't want to do." Then, he paused and said, "OK, so there might be one or two things that he disapproves of from time to time, but I don't give a shit."
"You're so full of yourself and that's so stupid. Lucian doesn't have to work for you to make a living. He's supposed to be royalty, just like Alpha Zackery..."
Lucas interrupted me.
"What the fuck are you talking about?!" He grabbed me and lifted me up in the air to eye level.
I looked at him and said, "I'm just saying, don't take Lucian for granted."
"Why the fuck do you care about him? And why are we talking about Lucian right now?!"
He seemed to explode, but as soon as he looked behind me, he immediately put me on the ground.
"Listen," He lowered his voice and shook me, trying to make me sober. "That fucking gigolo is walking towards us right now. I don't want to threaten you, but since we're running out of time, let's go through this fucking shit really quickly. Your father is still alive and he's in my hands now, Louisa. If you want him alive, do as you've been told. Tell him that you've been ignored by me and you want to have a shoulder to cry on or shit like that. Do not let him fucking bid for anything. You've heard me?"
I recognized the look in his eyes. The look of a murderer. A blend of hatred, anger, and danger.
I would normally be intimidated by this look. But on that day, well, I was going through a very abnormal situation under the influence of alcohol.
So, I jumped at Lucian and started to strike him with all my force while shouting at him -
"Fuck you, Lucas! You are shameless of a b..."
The soldiers immediately walked up and tried to peel me off Lucas, but they froze because Alpha Zackery approached.
Lucas pushed me away and I fell right into Alpha Zackery's arms.
"Look at you two love birds. You can't take your hands off each other," Alpha Zackery said. "Isn't that lovely, Lucian?"
I turned my head behind and saw Lucian standing among the soldiers with Will in his hands.
Will jumped into my arms and held me tightly.
His body was trembling and he looked at me in tears without saying a word. I knew he must be frightened, so I lowered my head and kissed him on his forehead.
"Are you OK? You look as pale as a ghost, little girl." Alpha Zackery looked at me and said.
"I'm fine," I whispered. His staring made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
"And you, little young man. Are you going to change into a little bat and kill everyone in this room?"
"No. But I will bite anyone who dares to hurt Louisa!" Will narrowed his eyes while looking at Lucas.
"Wow. That sounds quite unpleasant." Alpha Zackery smiled. "Why don't you join me in the box during the auction?"
I shook my head and said, "I don't want to go into a box."
"It's not technically a box," Alpha Zackery said with a wry smile. "It's a room where you can find a comfortable chair and all kinds of beverages. What would you like to drink? I can tell them to prepare it for you."
I gave Lucas a dark look and said, "Anything with alcohol."
Lucas clenched his jaw and tightened his fists. Then, he didn't say anything and walked away with the soldiers.
Lucian bowed slightly at Alpha Zackery and said, "Your Excellency, I apologize for..."
"You don't have to apologize, Lucian," Alpha Zackery tapped his arms and said, "It's been an exhausting day. I totally understand. I would like you to know that I will take very good care of Miss Louisa Reeds..."
"I'm not going anywhere without Louisa!" Will exclaimed.
"... as well as her little companion." Alpha Zackery smiled gently.
Lucian still looked concerned.
"Your Excellency..."
"Come on, Lucian. You can call me Zack," he said.
Lucian continued, "Your Excellency, I'm afraid that Miss Reeds isn't in the state of consuming any alcohol..."
"You need to relax, Lucian." Alpha Zackery rubbed the back of Lucian's neck, "You're carrying too much weight on these broad shoulders of yours and you can use a great massage tonight. You know what? Come to my tent tonight and we'll enjoy some quality tropical oil massage together. It's been so many years and we really have to catch up with each other."
"Your Excellency, I do have some other duties to perform tonight, so..."
"It's a date." Alpha Zackery cracked a big smile on his face and wrapped his hand around my waist.
"Do you want to hear some funny jokes, little girl? It's hilarious." He walked off with me and said. "Why did the wolf stay in the shade?"