CHAPTER ONE
IVANA
“Dance with me.”
It wasn’t a request so much as a demand, one that had Cillian sighing the moment I materialized beside him in the shadows of the ballroom.
Goading the too-serious Alpha was one of my favorite pastimes. It was almost as fun as sniffing out his hiding spots.
TheElite—a fancy term forpack enforcer—had a penchant for blending into the background, his stealth skills admirable. However, Cillian wasn’t the only one who enjoyed being a chameleon.
Which was how I constantly found him—because his mind worked similarly to mine.
“No.” His response was flat, his tone brooking no argument.
Typical Cillian, always playing hard to get.
One of these days, I would win this game between us.
Hopefully sooner rather than later, as I’d been waiting a long time for Cillian to decide to take a mate.
Maybe now he would consider it since his two best friends had recently chosen their Omegas. Granted, Lorcan appeared to be in a mating of convenience with Kyra. But it counted in mybook. Primarily because it would prove to Cillian that he could be both mated and an Elite.
I respected his choice to protect King Kieran—Cillian’s other best friend—and Kieran’s mate, Queen Quinnlynn. However, Cillian seemed to be under the impression that he had to choose between his own happiness and his sense of duty.
Now that Lorcan had Kyra, perhaps Cillian would realize how ridiculous his sacrifice truly was and consider mating the Omega standing beside him—me.
Alas, that didn’t seem to be on the agenda for this evening, something he told me by shadowing to another area of the room.
I followed him, simply to prove a point. “I know all your hiding places, Prince Cillian.”
“Not all of them, I assure you,” he replied, his Irish lilt thicker due to his frustration. “And it’sCillian, notPrince Cillian.” He finally looked at me, his dark eyes immediately entrancing me in his spell. “But if you feel the need to be respectful, then you can address me asAlpha Cillianand accompany the phrase with,Have a good night.”
“Hmm.” I considered him for a moment. “For that to be a truthful statement, you would need to dance with me. Otherwise, it won’t be a verygoodnight.”
“For you, perhaps.” His gaze left me for King Kieran, his eyebrow winging upward.
“For you, too,” I murmured quietly, aware that he and the Blood Sector King were now engaged in a silent conversation.
Cillian’s ability to read minds and converse telepathically was well known in the sector. It was probably why he didn’t have many friends.
Or perhaps it was his hard approach that scared everyone off.
He and Lorcan both were incredibly intimidating. King Kieran, too. However, I’d never feared them. Maybe it was a result of how I’d originally met Cillian.
Oh, he’d been terrifying then.The way he slaughtered…
I cleared my throat, not wanting to recall the violent memory.
Instead, I glanced at the hero of my past.
Cillian.
His near-black eyes trailed back to me, his ability to hear my thoughts likely catching his attention as I’d mentioned his name.
I simply smiled.
He didn’t smile back.
