I blinked. “Hi.”
“I saw you in the stands,” he said, and then offered the barest smile. “You looked... like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
That startled a laugh out of me before I could stop it—soft and small, but real. “You’d be right.”
He tilted his head slightly. “You don’t like tennis?”
“I like watching it,” I admitted. “I don’t like being paraded through it.” Something shifted in his expression. His smile faded, just a little.
“That’s a heavy word,” he said, his light hazel eyes looking into me.
“I meant it,” I replied, and immediately regretted it. I wasn’t supposed to be honest. I wasn’t supposed to say anything meaningful.
But Julian didn’t look annoyed. If anything, he looked... concerned.
“This is Julian Vale,” my father’s voice boomed suddenly from behind me, cutting through the delicate thread of conversation like a blade. “And these must be his packmates. Gentlemen, a pleasure.”
My body stiffened on instinct. My mother was already sweeping forward, her social smile locked in place. “Julian,you’ve met our daughter, Lilianna. The only Omega in the Wycliffe line.Very special.”
I felt a chill crawl up my spine at the way she said it. Like I was a prize horse. A rare breed.
Julian didn’t smile. His gaze flicked from my father, to my mother, then back to me. Something unreadable settled behind his eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” he said carefully, stepping back just enough to put space between us. Not because he was dismissing me. Because he was making room for me to breathe.
The others introduced themselves politely—Nicolaus, the sharp-eyed one; Miles, the quiet one; and Christopher, the charming one with the easy grin. But I barely heard them. My parents had taken over, talking about bloodlines and family legacies, and I was already fading from the conversation like background noise.
But Julian didn’t look away from me.
Not once
My pulse fluttered beneath my skin, but I showed nothing. I knew better.
My parents had requested to meet with the Vale Pack in a more private setting to discuss anopportunity. The idea filled me with cold dread, but once again I showed nothing. It was decided after Julian had changed they would come to our suite.
We waited in the grand living room of the suite for Julian and his packmates to arrive. My composer, just as my mother had trained me, show nothing, being the perfect Omega of good breeding and social standing. I heard the doorbell, announcing the pack's arrival. My father opened the door to receive them.
“Julian,” my father greeted with a tight smile, extending a hand. “Gentlemen. It’s a privilege to have you.”
“We were already in town,” Julian replied. His voice was smooth and low. “Convenient timing.”
“Fortunate,” my mother chimed in as she moved to the bar cart with feline grace. “And what a match. You had the crowd at the edge of their seats. Such stamina—it was thrilling to watch.”
He accepted the compliment with a slight nod, but nothing more. The other three Alphas followed suit—Christopher with a neutral glance, Nicolaus with the stillness of someone always observing, and Miles with a smirk that didn’t quite touch his eyes.
I remained by the grand piano, right where my mother had nudged me to stop. A perfect ornament. Silent. Composed. Useful only in how I looked and how still I could be.
The room was gilded with old money—dark walnut woodwork, navy velvet drapes, bookshelves arranged for aesthetics, not content. Everything here was for display. Including me.
“Let’s speak plainly,” my father began as everyone settled into their seats. “You’re not here for pleasantries.”
Julian leaned back in his chair, one arm stretched lazily along the backrest. “That’s right.”
My mother handed out champagne flutes with a graceful pivot. “We understand your pack has turned down previous proposals. Impressive ones. Status. Fortune. Influence.”
“None of that matters,” Christopher said. His voice was soft, but there was an edge behind it.
“We’re not interested in being leveraged,” Julian added. “We don’t take on obligations disguised as heirs.”
