Winter removed her black dress, she needed to change for the diner tonight with the other alpha's and their respective beta's. She had mind linked Blade a few seconds before entering her room to let him know that he needed to wear a suit.

As she rummaged through her bag she stopped at the long silver dress. She went in the bathroom to freshen up and to change. She pinned her short hair messy on her head, leaving the cutout visible. She did her make-up and pulled the dress over her head.

Her fingers twirled over the charms around her necklace as she studied herself. She let the fabric brush her finger tips while looking in the mirror. The long grey dress was covered with a see-through fabric covered in white lace flowers. They were dense at her bust and back and spread out towards the bottom of the dress, accentuating the deep back of the dress.

At that moment there was a soft nock at the door. Winter walked over and opened her door to let Blade in. His eyes roamed over her body and he seemed speechless.

"Wow" he replied.

"I am just going to grab my shoes and then I am ready." Winter replied.

She grabbed a pair of black heels and placed them on her feet. Blade held out his arm and together they walked downstairs.

"You are nervous." He softly said.

She knew she needed to tell him about Arsen, but right now she wasn't sure about how he would react, how her pack would react.

As they walked in the dining room, all eyes fell on them. Winter felt more nervous than before as she saw how Arsen's eyes roamed over her body. They held a possessiveness Winter had never seen.

Blade escorted her to her seat, as her eyes trailed over the names at the side of the plates, she felt even more nervous. Not all seats were filled yet but she had discovered a pattern, it was always an alpha next to a beta, only alpha Arsen seemed to mess up that order.

Before Blade was able to pull out her chair Arsen had done so. Winter had politely smiled at him and had taken her seat. She felt how Blade eyed him suspiciously. Her eyes went over the other alpha's in the room, all dressed to perfection.

Arsen looked even more beautiful than in the meeting she tried not to look at him, all the while she felt how his eyes burned over her body. He was wearing a dark blue suit that radiated power. His broad muscled chest was visible since the top buttons of his white shirt were open.

Winter tried not to look too much at him even when she sat down. Blade looked curiously at her.

"Are you going to avoid me all night?" Arsen softly whispered so only she could hear.

A blush crept up on her face as she looked at the handsome man next to her.

"I haven't decided yet." She tried to answer as confident as possible.

A smirk played over his lips as his eyes lit up at the challenge in her words.

Aster walked in and cleared his throat everybody around the table looked expectantly at him. He raised his glass.

"May we toast to new alliances and so much more."

His eyes looked mischievously at Winter.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked over at her brother. Without anyone noticing he pointed his head to where Arsen was sitting and raised his eyebrows accompanied with a smirk. Winter rolled her eyes at him.

Alpha Emmerson sat right in front of Winter and she felt how his eyes were on her body, she tried to control the anger. She couldn't snap at him again. Suddenly he cleared his throat and everybody turned towards him.

"After the meeting this afternoon I have still some questions." He said with a smirk.

"Alpha Emmerson, this is no time for business." Aster tried to divert the situation.

"Not business, but I would like to see Alpha Winter in action." He answered with a smirk.

Winter felt how her blood started to boil, she had enough of this poser. Blade wasn't so pleased either with the suggestion and on her other side Arsen was fuming as well. Winter didn't move she simply stared at him.

"Sweetheart we need to know the truth about you." His voice was soft and coated with silk.

Winter hated it.

"I am not a price pony to parade around." She answered.

A smile formed on Arsen's lips and she felt how his leg brushed against hers under the table. The small gesture sent a shiver over her spine.

The first course was served and the waitress placed a plate of soup in front of all the guests. Blade took advantage of the change in atmosphere and moved closer to Winter.

"What's his problem?" he asked, referring to alpha Emmerson.

"I don't know, he has been going for me since the meeting." She replied.

"He is definitely intimidated by your power" Blade answered.

"And your beauty" Arsen completed.

"He has been provoking me from the moment he met me." Winter softly said.

"He just wants to fuck you." Blade replied.

Arsen smashed his fist on the table and looked with a death glare at Blade.

"Looks like he isn't the only one." Blade answered with a smile.

"There will be no fucking."

Arsen spelled word for word in a tone that sent a shiver over Winter's spine.

"Except for you, isn't it?" Blade looked amused at alpha Arsen.

"Guys can we not do this here?" Winter tried to diffuse the tension.

Blade smirked.

"You really thought you could hide that from me?" He looked amused at Winter.

"Hide what?" she blushed.

"That you somehow, miraculously found a mate a couple of days after we met the mate that rejected you in the first place?" He smirked at Winter.

A low growl escaped from alpha Arsen's throat as Blade looked amused at him.

Diner pass further uneventful, with everybody making friendly conversation. Arsen however made it a sport to touch Winter without anyone noticing. As dessert was served, Winter felt how Arsen placed his hand on her thigh. She felt how her cheeks turned crimson.

"Remove your hand." She hissed between her teeth.

"Why should I do that?" he asked amused.

And instead he moved higher up her leg Winter gasped.

The feelings were running wild inside her, she didn't know what to do. And then alpha Arsen went one step further. Arsen's hand moved over between her legs and he pressed it against her core. He softly brushed with his finger up and down.

An indescribable feeling rushed through Winter's body. She had never felt like this before, not even by Charlie's touch. But at the same time she could feel what it did to her body, she couldn't let anyone notice.

"Remove your hand." She said between clenched teeth.

Arsen looked amused at her, even challenging.

"Don't make me use you as an example for Emmerson." She said in an icy tone.

Arsen pulled his hand back in seconds.

"Don't test me." She said stern and ignored him completely for the rest of the meal.

Alpha Arsen saw how Winter talked with different members of her old pack. Her beta by her side at all times. The whole time she moved his eyes were on her. He wanted her so bad, but he knew he needed to be careful. Underneath her hard shell, the pain of the rejection had still impact on her.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" Someone said to him.

Arsen turned around and he stood face to face with Alpha Aster. His teeth clenched a bit, knowing that he didn't do anything about that mutt.

"She is." He answered.

"But she is fragile." Aster said.

"Yeah and you didn't do shit about it."

Before Arsen had realized what he had said the words had slipped from his mouth.

"I let her leave, there was no way I could hold her here." Aster answered.

"I am not talking about letting her leave, I am talking about that mutt that is still part of your pack. Did you know that after he rejected her he screwed someone else? Which psycho does that?" Arsen felt how he got angry again.

Aster studied his sister.

"If it was up to me I would have killed him, even at the time he was my beta and best friend." Aster responded.

Arsen looked at the alpha in front of him.

"Why didn't you?"

"Winter, she said that she understood his motives and that I didn't need to punish him." He answered.

"What reason could he possibly have?" Arsen asked.

"That's not my story to tell, that's one she needs to tell you. I didn't kill him, I just stripped him from his beta position. It always felt as if that wasn't enough, but I had already lost my father and my sister that night."

Aster looked up at Arsen.

"She deserves to be happy, she deserves a mate. Even if right now she is too afraid to let someone in. Please be gentle with her and have patience. She seemed happy at the table right next to you." He said.

"You did that on purpose? Didn't you?" Arsen asked amused.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." Aster replied before he walked away.

As Arsen turned back around he noticed how Winter was gone. His wolf panicked immediately, until he caught a wimp of her scent.