Chapter 102: Just Don’t Die

Benjamin stood unmoving, his chest rising and falling in heavy, suppressed rhythms as he stared a hole straight into Edgar’s face. His empty hand flexed at his side where I had just yanked mine away.

Edgar didn’t flinch. He merely took another slow, deliberate sip from his crystal glass, his golden eyes burning with a dark, triumphant satisfaction as he savored Benjamin’s silent rage.

"Brianna," my mother called out from the dining hall archway, blissfully unaware of the apocalyptic standoff happening three yards away. "Should we set out the seafood crates on the grand table or the kitchen island?"

"The kitchen island is fine, Mom!" I called back, my voice completely steady even as I kept my body firmly planted between the two Alphas. "We’ll be right in!"

Behind me, Jayden and Jordan practically scrambled over each other’s boots to retreat into the kitchen quarters, eager to put as many walls as possible between themselves and the two dangerous wolves.

I turned back to face the pair, my arms still crossed tightly over my chest.

"Benjamin," I said, my voice dropping into an unyielding, deadpan pitch. "Your driver is waiting outside, and you’ve spent enough time around a crowd for one day. Go back and rest."

Benjamin’s gaze flicked down to me. The raw, territorial fire in his eyes didn’t extinguish, but as he looked into my flat, completely unimpressed face, the suffocating pressure radiating off his shoulders began to recede, inch by inch.

He let out a low, rough exhale, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Right," Benjamin grumbled, his voice dark and raspy. "So you’re just kicking me out now that the food is here? How cruel. After I paid for the whole run, I don’t even get a bite?" He tilted his head, his storm-purple eyes cutting sideways toward Edgar. "Besides, I’m already here. How about you invite me to stay for dinner?"

I stared at him, then glanced back at Edgar, whose expression remained smooth, impassive, and thoroughly dangerous.

"You can stay for dinner," I said slowly, crossing my arms tighter. "Both of you can." One is the master of the house and the other bought the food, after all. "But only under one condition: the two of you have to sit at that table and swallow your Alpha instincts without making my parents worry. I am not having my family end up with indigestion because you two can’t refrain from measuring your dominance during a meal."

The silence stretched in the foyer as the two dark-haired Alphas exchanged a long, unblinking look. Edgar raised his crystal glass slightly, a dry, amused curve touching his lips, while Benjamin let out a quiet huff, shoving his hands back into his coat pockets.

"Fair enough," Benjamin muttered.

"Agreed," Edgar purred smoothly, taking a slow sip. "Far be it from me to ruin a family celebration in my own home."

I let out a breath that was half-sigh, half-growl, and turned on my heel toward the kitchen. "Go write a poem about it then. If either of you so much as releases a drop of killing intent over the seafood, I’m throwing the whole table out. Then, no one will eat."

...

The grand dining table was wrapped in a strangely delicate quiet.

Benjamin and Edgar sat on my left, and my right.

Before we even picked up our utensils, Edgar leaned back slightly in his chair, his sharp golden eyes taking a slow, deliberate sweep over the entire spread—plump chilli prawns, garlic butter crab legs, and roasted seafood platters dominating every inch of the table.

He glanced sideways at Benjamin, his expression unreadable, before asking casually, "Are you sure you’re really staying for dinner?"

Benjamin offered a lazy, arrogant grin, resting his chin on his palm. "What? Can’t handle having me here?"

I rolled my eyes, assuming it was just another round of their petty Alpha dominance skirmishes, completely missing the underlying warning in Edgar’s voice. Edgar didn’t bother explaining either. He simply took a slow sip of his amber liquor—which I’m not sure is a good fit for seafood—a dark smirk touching his lips.

"Sure, suit yourself," Edgar purred smoothly. "Just don’t die."

My parents and brothers, meanwhile, were trying their absolute best to act natural, but eating alongside two high-ranking Alphas—one being the Almond heir and the other being Edgar Morningstar, ranked fifth among the pack list—was an exercise in extreme mental endurance.

Valerie looked up from her plate, her eyes glassy with unshed tears as she looked at both men sitting across and beside us.

"I... I just want to say how truly grateful we are," Valerie murmured, her voice trembling with emotion. "To know that Brianna has people looking out for her, taking care of her now... it gives me so much peace."

Bradford gently patted her shoulder, coughing softly into his fist. "Now, now, dear. Don’t start crying in front of our guests. You’ll just make Brianna look awkward."

I sat completely still between the two Alphas, my expression flat as I watched my parents. Even now, surrounded by unimaginable wealth, and a feast they hadn’t seen in years, their primary concern was still me.

They weren’t intimidated for their own sakes—they were just overwhelmed with relief that their daughter was supported, even though they still did not understand the extent of the price I needed to pay back.

Jeez, this family... I thought, my heart thumping with a quiet, grounding warmth. They really do love Brianna to bits.

It made every lie, and every dangerous gamble feel completely worth it.

Of course, my parents had no idea what was actually happening beneath the table surface.

Since I needed both hands to pass the salt and handle my utensils, Benjamin couldn’t hold my hand. Instead, his right palm was resting on my left thigh under the table. On my other side, Edgar’s hand was resting firmly on my right thigh.

I was literally trapped in the middle, feeling the subtle, silent wave of territorial pressure passing back and forth through my lap as they used me as their silent battleground. What are these two even up to right now? I thought, taking a calm bite of rice while subtly glaring at the room.

I could understand Benjamin, but what was with Edgar?