Chapter 13: What She Did Not Know

Clara felt entirely deadpan, completely baffled as to whether Dominic had consumed the wrong medicinal serum today.

Every word escaping his lips defied her logic, leaving his true motives completely impenetrable.

"My sweet girl, do you harbor some hidden resentment toward this old wolf?"

Staring into Matriarch Evelyn's deeply expectant yet fragile gaze, Clara's defenses instantly collapsed. "Not at all, Grandmother. I shall address your presence by that sacred title going forward."

In truth, Clara had never tasted the warmth of familial bonds.

Her human foster parents had abandoned her youth to a distant rural territory, casting her off to a low-ranking grandmother while transmitting a few meager coins each cycle to secure her survival.

That elder, bound by archaic human traditions, fiercely despised female offspring. Even though Clara spent her infancy under her roof, the woman consistently looked upon her with sheer, undisguised revulsion.

Her foster parents spent the seasons migrating for labor, rarely navigating back to cast a sensory glance her way.

The exact hour Clara matured, their focus completely shifted toward securing a male heir, leaving zero space in their lives for her existence.

She had been forced to fight through the wilderness entirely alone, growing wild, fierce, and unbreakable.

When her biological sire finally tracked her lineage down, the reunion only exposed a deeper, colder brand of betrayal.

The catastrophic, drug-fueled night she endured with Dominic Vance was the direct result of her own biological father trading her flesh like a commodity to rival factions...

Yet, looking into Evelyn’s ancient eyes, Clara registered an intoxicating wave of maternal devotion—a protective, ancestral love reserved strictly for a cherished daughter.

Consequently, the exact second the Matriarch commanded her to speak the word 'Grandmother,' her guarded heart yearned to yield.

But the absolute moment her gaze drifted back to Dominic, a sharp spike of irritation corrupted her peace.

How could a male raised by such a wise, deeply compassionate Matriarch possess such an arrogant, insufferable temperament?

It was a profound miracle that Leo had inherited such a brilliant, sweet disposition, completely free of his sire's toxic traits!

"Splendid, magnificent!" Hearing Clara utter the title, Evelyn joyfully patted the back of her hand. "What exotic game does your wolf crave tonight, Clara? Your grandmother shall escort you to the finest feast in the sector!"

Refusing to owe Dominic any unearned debts, Clara interjected smoothly, "A simple home-cooked meal at the tavern beneath the terrace will suffice, Grandmother."

But the Matriarch violently rejected her humble counsel, decreeing that only a top-tier luxury banquet was worthy of her presence.

Left with no alternative, Dominic initiated a secure telepathic link with Gamma Logan, commanding him to clear a private reservation at his exclusive high-tier dining lounge.

"The territory is saturated with high-ranking nobles tonight, Alpha. Their private chambers are entirely locked out, leaving only the central hall accessible."

"Alpha King, should my vanguard redirect the fleet to an alternate establishment?"

Logan's baritone crackled through the communication device, his focus still sounding uncharacteristically fractured and distant.

Under ordinary parameters, his elite assistant would have pre-screened a dozen premium locations before daring to sever the line.

Dominic’s dark brows knitted together in dangerous irritation, his aura flaring as he prepared to unleash a severe reprimand, but Clara cut through the tension first.

"There is zero need for disruption. Do not expend your energy on alternate routes; the central hall is perfectly acceptable."

She was intensely pressured to return to her professional ledger and expand her ancient relic tracking, possessing zero luxury cycles to waste on an empty waiting list.

Dominic’s face turned completely black with suppressed rage. Was this rogue female mocking his supreme authority, assuming his power could not command a private chamber at will?

"Excellent. Since my precious Clara has spoken, the fleet shall advance to those coordinates immediately." Evelyn agreed with a warm smile, leaving Dominic with zero leverage to argue. He could only nod stiffly, his jaw clenched in silent hostility.

Throughout the journey, Clara remained nestled in the velvet rear seating, whispering covert, intimate secrets into the Matriarch's ear.

The bursts of ancestral, joyful laughter escaping their lips formed a devastating contrast against the icy, murderous silence radiating from Dominic as he steered the armored vehicle like a low-ranking driver.

His predatory mind was consumed with dark curiosity regarding the exact words Clara was weaving to enchant his fiercely proud grandmother so effortlessly.

"Grandmother, I never calculated that a ruler as severe as the Alpha King would have suffered a bladder control failure during his eighth winter cycle." Clara listened in sheer amusement as the formidable Matriarch continuously unmasked Dominic’s childhood vulnerabilities, leaving her completely stunned.

"Hmph. Do not let his rigid, untouchable exterior blind your senses, my girl; it is merely a weaponized illusion. Despite surviving so many seasons of rule, that stubborn pup has never once allowed a female's scent to truly claim his heart."