Silas’s P.O.V
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the difficult conversation that lay ahead. With determined strides, I made my way towards Anika's living area, my mind focused on the weighty decision I was about to make.
The guard had walked me down the familiar hallways and stopped in front of the room, leaving me right outside. He had then bowed and disappeared down the hallway to only Goddess knew where.
As I approached the end of the long hallway, I could hear the muffled sounds of excitement and anticipation emanating from outside, signaling Anika's preparations for the impending feast. Entering the room, I found Anika surrounded by her loyal pack members, their eyes gleaming with joy as they sat all around her, looking up at her with loyalty and adoration in their eyes as if she was their goddess.
In fact, Anika was their goddess for all I knew. And she was gorgeous. I had seen her before, the day she had come to meet me inside my pack. There hadn't been a single flaw I could find on her body. She had been beautiful and the mere sight of her had made me feel aroused in a way I shouldn’t have, not when my own mate had been in an accident only a few moments prior.
"Silas, you're here." Anika's face lit up with an infectious smile as she caught sight of me, though it was not me that was infected, but rather her packmates.
I cleared my throat, capturing Anika's attention. The room fell into a hushed silence as all eyes turned to me, waiting for me to say something to her. With a steady, measured voice, I spoke, my gaze locked with Anika's intense stare. “I’d like to speak with you, urgently.”
"I assume you have already come to a decision?" Anika asked, raising an eyebrow as she stood up from the couch and faced me directly.
"Yes, I have made my decision. I am ready to accept your conditions," I declared, the weight of my words hanging in the air.
Anika's excitement spilled over, and a triumphant grin spread across her face. "Well?" she addressed her pack. "Let's celebrate tonight! Then we shall prepare for battle!" She wasted no time in giving commands to her pack, instructing them to finalize their preparations and ready themselves for the upcoming battle.
However, as I moved to leave, my intent clear in my determined strides, hoping that was the end of it, Anika's voice, tinged with a seductive allure, stopped me in his tracks. She moved closer to me, a calculated glimmer in her eyes.
"But Silas," Anika purred, her voice low and seductive, "there is one final condition I require. To seal this alliance, I need to know that your commitment runs deep, that you won't back out once you've gained control of my pack."
“That wasn’t what we discussed earlier.” I told her, feeling my heart racing with conflicting emotions. “We agreed to you becoming my Luna. I have agreed to it. What more do you need?”
I knew this was a pivotal moment, one that could tip the scales of my fate. My eyes searched Anika's face, searching for answers in her intense gaze.
"I'm sure you know what I need, Silas," she whispered into my ear, and I could see her packmates looking at us and smirking. Her fingers trailed my forearms in a seductive manner.
I didn't answer. I didn't want to, because I knew exactly what she was hinting at.
“Marriages or mating…need consummation.” Her eyes looked into mine and I felt my breath leave me as I saw the liquid desire in her eyes. “I’m not your Luna unless we consummate this deal, Silas. You can change your word at any moment. But once this deal is sealed…we belong to each other. You’re the Alpha, and I’m your Luna.”
Unlike Zoya, who barely reached my shoulders, Anika was taller, allowing her to easily look into my eyes. I knew there was no escaping this, no way to turn her down now that I had agreed to all the terms. So I nodded.
“Fine.”
"Everyone, please begin the preparations and enjoy the feast. Silas and I… have something to discuss." She spoke with authority, instructing everyone else to leave and granting us the privacy we needed.
They all grinned as they left, some even whistling and hooting. As they filtered out, the weight of the situation settled heavily upon me, stirring a mix of emotions within.
Internally, I was torn. Doubt and conflict waged a battle within my mind, but I knew deep down that I had no choice but to comply with Anika's wishes.
The fate of my pack, the safety of Zoya, and the intricate web of alliances all hinged upon the bond I was about to forge with her. And she wasn’t wrong. Words meant nothing unless this ‘arrangement’ was consummate. Because just like she said, I could change my mind at any time, I believed the same about her as well…that she could change her mind at any given moment and I would once again be left in the dirt without anyone to turn to.
Anika took my hand and lead me down another set of hallways, guiding me into her room, the door closing behind us, sealing off the world outside.
The atmosphere was charged with anticipation, the air thick with a heady mix of power and desire. The room itself exuded an alluring aura, adorned with deep hues and plush furnishings that spoke of luxury and dominance.
To say that I wasn’t aroused would be unfair to the both of us. I was. Anika was a sensuous woman and her confidence in her own skin astounded me.
She sat on the bed, and when I didn't follow, Anika, exuding confidence and authority, smirked at me in provocation. "Oh, come on," she said, patting the mattress. “Don’t be shy, now. I thought you were more experienced and fun.”
“And where did you learn that?” I raised my eyebrows at her questioningly.
“Everyone knows your days of partying and debauchery, Alpha Silas.” She laughed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ve heard it all. When your lover had turned out to be your half-brother’s mate…you had practically started living in clubs all over New York. The gangbangs, the threesomes…you didn’t discriminate between human or wolf or otherwise. You became quiet famous then.”
Yes, when Lily had turned out to be Ezra’s mate…I had spiraled. The constant drinking and the sex kept my mind off of the heartbreak and I fucking enjoyed it…until I didn’t. I understood that deluding myself into a false world wasn’t the answer.
But how did Anika know about all of this?
A sudden realization hit me at her words. “You planned ahead, didn’t you?” I asked frowning. “You knew about me and you thought to take advantage of the situation.”
She shrugged. “You got me. But I hadn't imagined the circumstance that you are currently in. I was hoping to get to you sooner, propose an arrangement of an union where power was all that mattered. And I was hoping that you’d want to agree just so you could make your ex feel jealous.”
"No," I said, shaking my head. "None of that would’ve worked. I prefer the agreement we have now."
She smirked, wrapped her arms around my neck and attempted to pull me closer so she could press her lips against mine, but I refused to give in so easily.
She huffed, then shifted her target to what was under my shirt, her hands expertly moving to rip my top off, but I held her wrist to stop her, so she settled for sliding her hands underneath instead. "Fine," she said. "But are you gonna be the submissive one in this round and sit there while I do all the work?"