Owned By The Alpha Brothers
Chapter 7

Alden.

"What do you think?" I asked as she threw the piece of cake into her mouth.

My heart tingled as she munched on it, relishing the taste. She licked her lips and nodded with childlike excitement, throwing the remaining slice of cake into her mouth all at once.

"It's so good. You really should consider becoming a chef," she said.

I chuckled. "That's impossible for someone like me, but thanks for the suggestion. I'm glad you enjoyed it," I said.

"Nothing in this world is impossible, trust me," she replied with a beautiful smile.

I looked at her for a little while, knowing I should say something, but clueless as to what I was supposed to say.

We held eye contact for some time, but then, the memory of her kissing Liam appeared in my mind, and that was all I needed to do to shift my gaze and begin to pack up the dishes I had made for my father.

"Do you think you could give me a tour around the palace?" she asked.

"Blake should be practicing his fencing. You can ask Joan to take you to him," I stated.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Do you want me to ask Blake for the tour instead? Well, I can't do that. You already saw what transpired between us earlier, he probably doesn't ever want to see me again," Ciara said. The tray was fully loaded by now and I simply smiled at her. "You can't avoid him forever. I'm sending you to him so you guys can settle your misunderstanding and believe me, he definitely wants to see you," I told her firmly. She appeared thoughtful for a while and eventually, she heaved a deep sigh and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I suppose it's worth a shot. Thank you so much, Prince Alden," she said to me. "There's no need for unnecessary formality."

"I don't think it's unnecessary. I'll take my leave now," Ciara said, and with that, she turned around and left the kitchen.

I regretted sending her off to Blake as soon as she left, and I kept staring back at the door, hoping that for whatsoever reason, she would show up once again.

However, she didn't show up despite me delaying things just to get a chance to be with her again. I liked Ciara a whole lot; she was beautiful, unintentionally funny and she made my heart race. "Alden, have you lost it?" my mother, the Luna, suddenly barged into the kitchen, and I could see anger written clearly all over her face.

"Mother, is everything okay?" I was perplexed.

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"No, Alden, nothing is okay. You already had the girl in the palm of your hands, so tell me why you pushed her over to Blake! Do you know the gravity of what you have just done?!" she screamed, almost at the top of her lungs.

I smiled and placed my hands on her shoulders. "Come on, mother. I'm sure it's not that serious. She and Blake weren't on good terms, and I believed the right thing to do was to help them sort things out," I explained.

"As what? Their peacemaker? I already know that she kissed Liam which got on Blake's nerves, but that was just fate working in your favour. That was your opportunity to step into her life and never let her go. That way, she would lean on you and end up selecting you as her mate," mother explained.

"So, you sent people to watch me. Typical."

"Yes, and I don't regret it. At first, I thought you were doing a good job with the painting and cooking thing because it seemed to be working, but acting all soft and giving her up to your brothers who are much more stronger and more daring than you won't help you get her. You must hurry up now and tell her you were joking, then take her on a tour around the palace," mother commanded.

"What if I don't want to?"

"Nonsense! You have to. How else would you become the next Alpha King?" she retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "I've told you severally, mother! I have no interest whatsoever in holding that position!"

She was enraged. "So, what would you do with your life then? Become a Chef or an artist? Does that make sense to you? Listen carefully, Alden. I didn't come this far to become the Luna despite my poor background just for my son to turn around and have no interest in becoming an Alpha."

Planning your weekend reading? Ensure you're on 000005s.org for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click away, exclusively available on our site. Happy reading! "But-"

"No buts. I worked so hard to get us here, and I won't allow you to make a mockery of my hard work," she interrupted.

I scoffed. "This is what you say all the time. This is how you always deem it fit to blackmail me emotionally. How did you work so hard? Tell me, mother, was sleeping with your mistress' husband that hard to do?" "How dare you!" she yelled, giving me a resounding slap on my cheek. "I did what I had to, and you of all people, my son, cannot shame me for it."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "That decision you made has haunted me all my life, from when I was a child up till now. I was interested in Ciara, not because of the throne, but because I really do like her. You needed to see the look on her face when Liam told her my mother was a servant who committed adultery with the Alpha. I know you did what you thought was right at the time, but because of what you did, I do not wish to be the next Alpha. I don't deserve it, and I do not wish to be known as an Alpha who is only partially royalty. No matter what I do, that's all I'm ever going to be known as," I stated, looking her deeply in her eyes.

She swallowed. "In that case, pardon me for being such a pathetic mother," she said, and with that, she stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

My chest felt heavy and I felt a pang of guilt overtake the rest of my emotions the moment my mother left. I was used to being the understanding and kindhearted son, always locking my feelings away just to make others happy. For the first time, I had talked back at my mother and shamed her for giving me the life she never had.

Why did I say all those things? What could I do to make it up to her? Perhaps, I should go to Ciara this very minute and do as mother had said.

I could hear her laughter outside the walls, and when I ran to the window, I saw her linking arms with Blake as he showed her around the palace.

It was too late for me, and I might never have a chance back to claim her seeing as I was always the one in the background. Games like this didn't sit right with me, and I was most likely to lose, especially considering the fact that unlike my brothers, I wasn't strong and daring just like my mother had pointed out.

I turned my back on the window, afraid that I might feel even worse than I did now. I shouldn't have let her go so easily. Yes, the throne wasn't worth fighting for, especially with a background like mine; but Ciara? Ciara was worth every fight.