Chapter 43: 42

Chapter 42

As soon as Severus arrived at the dining room, the vacant seat had immediately caught his attention.

'I see.'

Amber usually goes home before dinner time.

She respects the schedule being implemented in the pack house, and doesn't want to upset her Luna by not showing up over meals. However, Xyla has gone to visit her parents from another city, so she's not here.

Amber's absence tonight shouldn't be new to them.

Lately, she has been skipping meals, and her purpose for doing that is quite easy to figure out.

Severus pulled himself a chair, and sat down quietly. There was no need for him to make a fuss over one person's stubbornness.

He liked to think that Amber was just acting up, and given the circumstances she had been facing recently, he wouldn't take it against her if she still didn't have the heart to forgive him.

'I guess she was serious when she said she had lost her respect for me.'

"Shall we start?"

Lukas was here today.

Oddly.

'I don't know why he suddenly decides to join us, but he somehow looks expectant.'

"Let's eat."

The atmosphere was thick and heavy—it was almost palpable. The ladies tried to save the ambiance by initiating random topics with each other. Meanwhile, Brandon had been spouting something business-related, and his Beta just kept a passive expression the entire time.

Salt and Pepper were here, too.

It has been a long time since everyone is present in the table, yet some face is undoubtedly missing.

Nobody has the courage to point that out, though.

"Can we throw a party for our birthday?" Pepper suddenly interrupted. She looked excited—as if she couldn't read the room at all. "Salt agrees with me, yes?" She gave him the stinky eye. That brother of hers would probably utter something out of this world again, and she refused to let him ruin things for her!

"I'm fine with cash—"

Pepper jumped to cover his silly mouth. "Yes, we'd really appreciate it if you allow the party."

Salt swatted her hand away, irritated. "What's wrong with you?"

She released a nervous laugh in front of everyone, and kicked Salt's foot under the table—hard. 'Must you be difficult all the time?' she mindlinked him.

'You should have told me in advance. Personally, I'd prefer Dad's cold, hard cash,' was Salt's quick rebuttal.

He looked pained for having his foot ruthlessly stepped on by the girl who was sitting just beside him.

'We'd still receive cash gifts from the Alpha and Uncle Trent. You're being greedy. Money is the root of all evils, okay? I really want to host a party this time. Can you let me do it?'

'You can host your party. I can have my money.'

'No!' Pepper wanted to scream her head off. 'The budget… Dad will take away half of the budget.'

'As he should. That's my share anyway.'

Severus looked at Pepper intently. "Your birthday is coming soon. Have you both decided on a party?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, Alpha." She elbowed her brother's side to force him to speak up as well. "Right, Salt?"

Salt sighed, defeated. "A party doesn't sound bad."

Pepper grinned widely. At least, he didn't throw her under the bus. That's good enough.

Brandon put down the knife, and lifted a brow at his daughter. "Who are you planning to invite?"

"School friends."

"Are they all from our pack?" Pepper couldn't respond right away, so he added, "I guess that's a no."

"Eh?" She muttered, frowning. "It's not like I can only be friends with people from the same pack?"

Severus cleared his throat, making the whole table fall quiet. "I'll allow it. In return, I expect that they're mature enough to let their own family know about their plan to visit my pack."

Pepper squealed in delight. "Thank you, Alpha. I'll make sure to remind them."

"And your estimated number of guests?" Brandon further queried. "Is Salt bringing his friends over, too?"

Salt shrugged lightly. "I can invite some."

Brandon nodded, then glanced back at Pepper. "So? How many?"

"Twenty?"

"Your guests alone?"

"No, Dad. Mine and Salt's combined."

Lukas decided to cut in. "Can I invite some of my friends, too?"

Severus eyed his son cautiously. "Is it your birthday?"

The question threw Lukas off, his cheeks turning pink. "I guess not," he muttered.

Pepper's eyes glinted knowingly as she observed her friend's strange reaction. "You can bring your friends, too, if you want."

Still, Lukas looked hesitant after hearing that confirmation.

His own father called him out, after all.

"Are you sure?" he asked Pepper.

"I'm sure Salt won't mind either."

Salt gave him a small nod. "It would be boring if you didn't know anyone."

"Thanks," murmured Lukas curtly.

Severus cleared his throat. "I heard the rankings were out. Is that true?"

It was Lukas who answered his father's question. "Yes."

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"So, how was it?"

To be honest, Severus wanted to be more specific.

However, asking Amber's friends how she was doing lately would only make him look like a coward.

Also, he didn't want to give them the idea that he was concerned about her well-being because first and foremost, he was the main reason why Amber rarely joined them in the table these days.

Inquiring about her situation means he's lowering his pride.

He can't do that.

"I was able to maintain my rank, Alpha!" Pepper said proudly.

Severus smirked briefly. "How about you, Salt?"

"Two spots higher than the last time, Alpha."

Brandon laughed, pleased by the news. "You deserve a turkey, boy."

"No, thanks."

"That's for the overall ranking, correct?"

"Yes, Alpha. When I went over to check the bulletin board earlier, the top students were actually the same people from the last quarter."

"Tough competition, huh?"

"Lukas was able to keep his spot, though." Pepper threw a thumbs-up his way, and wagged her eyebrows. "Tell us more, Lukas!"

Lukas glared at Pepper. She was so talkative, and now she was trying to drag him into this awkward conversation. His father won't appreciate to hear that his rankings haven't moved at all.

The man may appear proud on the outside, but what he truly feels is different.

Alpha Severus is a strong man.

Though 'steadiness' sounds good, he's a firm believer that there's no other way but up for his pack—including his members. His frustrations over maintaining the tenth seat in Akkad and not being able to rank up any higher after many years weren't revealed publicly for people might think he was a sore loser.

Lukas clenched his jaw. "Nothing has changed—third placer in all categories."

"Hey? You didn't have to sound so down! You're making us think there's nothing to be proud about that! You did well, Lukas," Pepper scolded.

"Listen to her, Lukas." Though Severus was grinning, Lukas could tell that his father was far from being amused. "You did a good job. Don't discredit yourself in such a manner."

Brandon hummed in agreement.

Then, there was an awkward silence after that.

Trent's wife pinched his thigh. 'Come on. Go ask about her. The Alpha wants to know for sure. We don't have the courage to bring up her name unless he speaks of it first, right?'

Trent grunted inwardly. 'And what made my wife think that I was an exception?'

'You're his Beta! He'll forgive you. Besides, that's what he wanted to ask about from the beginning, right? Amber…'

'I'll tell Brandon.'

'Don't you dare pass the responsibility to him, Trent!'

Damn it.

Fine.

"Got some news about Amber Santiago?" Trent asked no one in particular, his deep timbre making everyone stiffen up in their seats.

Brandon entered his mind. 'Are you serious?'

'No, just got threatened.' By his mate.

Severus, on the other hand, didn't react at all. He went on to finish his meal without meeting anyone else's eyes.

Going by how he turned rigid all of a sudden upon hearing the girl's name, it seemed like he was pretending to not look interested—yet deep down, he was listening.

Everyone thought it was Pepper who was going to break the silence.

They didn't expect that her twin brother, a wise man, would actually dare discuss Amber's business.

"Amber ranked up on practical exams. She's the fifth placer now, Uncle Trent."

Trent stole a quick glance from Severus, and decided to carry on with the act. "Should I be surprised?"

"If I remember it correctly, she replaced a third-year student."

Trent nodded as he chugged down a glass of water. "Her theoretical grades… have they improved this time?"

"I'm afraid I haven't checked that part, Sir," Salt confessed.

"Let's ask Pepper, then. Do you know something?"

Pepper bit her lip anxiously. "Amber doesn't care about theories and written exams. So, I never bothered asking about, and checking her standing myself."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Sir."

"If that's the case, then I'm guessing that she couldn't care less about her overall ranking. Am I correct?"

"You're exactly right, Sir."

"Do you have anything else to share?"

Pepper blinked at the Beta, confused. "M-me?"

"Aren't you two close enough to know each other's secrets?"

"Amber doesn't have secrets, though…"

"You sound so sure."

"It's because she has always been honest. All we need to do is ask, and Amber is going to clear our confusion without hesitation. I… I don't think I have anything else to share. The four of us had lunch at the rooftop, and I think Amber was considering to join the club meetings from now on."

"Interesting," Trent commented. "Why would she do that?"

"It wasn't for a complicated reason, really. She wants more friends—one who could trust her unconditionally, and have confidence in her actions.. One who would only see her in a good light…" Pepper hinted.

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