Chapter 579 But he’ll do anything for Sera

“Can we come in?”

Alpha Brad stood at the doorway with the other two Alphas right beside him. Jaron waved them inside just as Jasper stepped out of the study, his expression grim and his jaw locked tight with leftover frustration from the argument.

Alpha Killian didn’t waste a second getting straight to the point.

“I told them you gave Corvine the chance to compete, and they’re not happy about it at all.”

Jaron caught the uneasiness sitting clear in Killian’s eyes, and disappointment washed over his face right away. “Alpha Killian, are you honestly afraid of a mere Beta?”

It would pain him more than he cared to admit if Corvine somehow managed to defeat any of these Alphas. Deep down, Jaron wanted them to crush Corvine so thoroughly that the defeat would humiliate him in front of everyone who mattered.

Before Killian could even open his mouth to answer, Alpha Curt stepped forward.

“He’s now the co-Alpha of the Grimroot Pack and he’ll have an Alpha wolf just like the rest of us.” Curt’s mouth tightened before he added, “Besides, the princess is already interested in him.”

Jaron understood exactly what they were trying to get across.

If Voren went ahead and performed the rituals needed to make Corvine co-Alpha, Corvine would be granted a full Alpha wolf. He wouldn’t be stuck with the same Beta wolf he’d carried when he was inaugurated as the Beta of the Centenary Pack.

Once a wolf was born into the rank of Beta, its nature stayed locked in place unless the position was revoked or upgraded. Even in the situation of a revoke, it would depend on if the beta committed a crime. If not, the title could be taken but the wolf remains.

Only Lunas were different. Their wolves never changed no matter what position or rank they ended up holding.

“Are you telling me you’re giving up?” King Jaron’s brows pulled together in clear displeasure.

A week was far too little time for Corvine to fully adjust to a brand-new Alpha wolf even if Voren went through with the process. That meant these three Alphas still held a major advantage over him.

To Jaron’s relief, all three of them shook their heads.

“Far from it.” Alpha Brad’s lips curled into a faint smile. “We’re only asking for your permission to use our own methods of convincing her. After all, your way doesn’t seem to be working. If it was, she should’ve been back here by now.”

Jaron studied them carefully, confusion creeping into his expression as he tried to figure out what they had in mind.

“What methods do you intend to use?”

As angry as he was with his daughter, he still loved her dearly. He didn’t want any of these men crossing a line just because they were growing desperate to marry her.

“King Jaron, don’t you think it’s unfair that Corvine is already getting the opportunity to court her while we remain here waiting?” Alpha Brad asked. “I already know about her fashion empire in France, and she has a runway show in a few days. I want to be there for her.”

Brad had already talked everything through with the other two Alphas, and they’d agreed to work together against Corvine. They’d even reached quiet agreements that would benefit whichever one of them succeeded in marrying Athaliah.

After all, Alpha Voren had refused to form an alliance with any of them, and Corvine had done the exact same thing.

They couldn’t allow the crown to end up under the Grimroot Pack’s influence.

“If that’s the case, then I agree.” A pleased smile spread across Jaron’s face. “I gave Corvine one week to report here, so all of you should plan on returning around the same time.”

The three Alphas nodded before heading out for Paris.

Each of them had his own plans for winning Athaliah over, but none of them expected her to prove so difficult, even with Corvine nowhere near her.

Athaliah arrived at the hotel she’d rented for the fashion show and was immediately greeted by her assistant, Elodie, who started bringing her up to speed on everything that had happened while she was gone.

“Liah, it’s good to have you back.” Elodie greeted her in French before continuing, “The models are on their way, and some of the important guests have already started arriving.”

Athaliah’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I should go welcome them.” There were certain guests only she and Elodie could personally attend to, while the rest would be handled by the staff.

“If you’re up to it.” Elodie glanced down at the schedule in her hands. “But the makeup artists and backstage crew will all be arriving in an hour. I was thinking you should take a look at the runway setup first.”

The mention of the runway setup immediately brought back the software Athaliah had been working on with Corvine.

This would be the perfect place to launch it.

Her fingers hovered over her phone screen, ready to reach out to him, when someone familiar walked into the conference room where she was sitting.

“A—”

A displeased look crossed her face as she nearly addressed him as Alpha, but she quickly remembered they weren’t at the pack anymore.

“Mr. Curt Shawn, what are you doing here?”

Her gaze drifted toward Elodie, who immediately understood and excused himself from the room.

Athaliah would’ve preferred for him to stay, but Elodie was human. There were certain matters that simply couldn’t be discussed in front of him.

Curt smiled and strolled toward her, opening his arms as though he expected her to rush straight into an embrace.

“Why are you speaking so formally when we’re going to be getting married soon? I came to offer my support.”

The smile on his face weakened when Athaliah stayed right where she was.

She made no attempt to hug him.

Curt’s gaze swept across the conference room, and a mocking expression settled onto his face.

“That Corvine couldn’t even sacrifice a little of his time to be here for you, but he’ll do anything for Sera.” The comparison was gut wrenching.

Athaliah’s fingers curled into her palms, but she forced a polite smile onto her face.

“Curt, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have a show to host tomorrow, and there are things that need to be done.”

Curt’s expression hardened immediately.

The fact that she was dismissing him so easily clearly didn’t sit well with him at all.

“Liah, I can be very nice, but if you make things difficult, trust me, I can mess up your entire show.”

The threat hung heavily between them as his eyes locked onto hers, challenging her to see whether he would actually dare to follow through.