The last part of the trip was awkward, to say the least.

Almec returned to the car after our discussion and sat against the window to put as much distance between us as possible. I was sure that if his relationship with the Moon Guardians members was better, he would have gone with them for the rest of the trip.

I stayed outside the car, leaning against the door on my side, to take advantage of the fresh air.

From where I stood, I could feel Almec's gaze fixed on my back. For a moment, I almost fell into the temptation of turning around, however, I was as stubborn as he was and I wasn't going to be the first to give in.

"Everything okay?" Gaspard asked me as he passed me on his way back to his car.

"Wonderful, I just needed some air," I replied, faking a smile.

"Your husband doesn't seem very happy there. I hope he didn't take Romeo's words to heart." Gaspard turned to continue on his way. "It's time to get going, I would recommend you get in the car."

After taking a deep breath, I opened the car door and waited for Almec's reaction before getting in.

He didn't even look at me. He stood still, acting as if he was concentrating, and the role would have come out perfectly if it weren't for the strength with which his hand was gripping the edge of the seat.

I sat down, as far away from Almec as I could, and looked out the window.

Please let the driver come quickly, I prayed.

"What did he say to you?" Almec asked me after a few minutes of silence.

"Nothing important." I didn't move an inch.

"I heard him mentioning me, if he said something about me, I want to know." His hatred for the Moon Guardian members colored every word.

"You have better hearing than I do, I'm sure you heard the conversation perfectly, you weren't that far away from us." I turned around, staring at the profile of his face. "Don't you trust me? Or are you just going to test me now?"

"Why would I do that?" Almec asked me, turning his head towards me.

"I don't know, you're the one who asks the unnecessary questions."

Almec looked down. He did that in only two situations: he was embarrassed or he felt guilty.

"Forget it," Almec said, returning his gaze to the window. "There's no point in arguing with you."

"It's not like you're easy to deal with either," I muttered. "Are you going to keep that shitty mood when we get to Moon Guardians? At least pretend you don't hate being there."

"I know how to behave, I don't need you to treat me like you're my mother."

The tension in the air was so high that one more comment could have ended in tragedy. Luckily for us, the driver returned to the car just in time to save us.

As soon as the car started, I was able to concentrate on the scenery, or at least pretend to do so while my mind kept thinking about Almec.

No one said a word for the rest of the trip, there were just a few uncomfortable glances that disappeared as we approached our destination.

Even the driver noticed the change in the atmosphere and tried to cheer us up a bit by playing music that he gradually turned up the volume.

"We're here," the driver announced, almost relieved.

It wasn't that hard to tell that we had arrived at Moon Guardians either. In front of us was a high wall that could only be entered through a golden gate.

Moon Guardians Pack was very different from Wild Fangs.

To start, we were able to get in with the car since the streets were not as narrow. The houses were more modern, resembling a city and not so much a village like Wild Fangs.

The strange thing was that at the end of the rows of houses, there was a huge castle that looked like something out of a horror movie.

Imposing, black-walled, and even had gargoyles hanging from its four towers.

I was no longer sure if I was in a werewolf pack or a vampire's kingdom.

"Why are they so eccentric?" Almec asked me after we got out of the car. "And here I thought my mansion was big."

"Does it hurt your ego?" I asked him, approaching the huge double doors of the castle and following Yaros.

"Why would I want to live in a place like this?" Almec caught up with me and grabbed my wrist, making me stop. "As soon as we enter we'll be in enemy territory, be careful."

"I know, I'm not a little girl." I tried to free myself from Almec's grip in vain. "Are you going to let me go now?"

"No." He answered. "You better stay by my side, I'll have to work double if you're away."

"I thought that's why we brought some of our warriors," I told him, offended that he implied I was a burden. "You can do whatever you want."

"In case you didn't notice, they're not here yet." Almec pressed the side of his body against mine. "What I'm asking is not that hard. Stay by my side and act like everything is perfect between us."

I was tired of pretending that there was no problem. There was always a new reason to keep up the act. I wasn't sure how much longer I could take it before I exploded.

"Are you sure there's no other way?" I asked him.

"If Ilmos finds a single crack in our relationship, he'll take it as an opportunity to get close to you. I don't want to give him those kinds of signals, and I'm sure you don't want the Moon Guardians members hanging over you either."

"Fine, but don't expect me to forget our conversation on the road."

"I don't remember us talking much." He smirked at me before we reached Yaros.

I bit my tongue, remembering that we were supposed to act like a perfect couple.

Months ago I would have sworn that we were an unbreakable duo, made for each other. A single challenge ended up shattering my illusion and left me trying to glue the broken pieces back together.

Still, I didn't lose my hope. We might not be perfect but we could learn to be happy with our differences.

Perfection was boring anyway.

I pinched my palm to bring myself back to reality. Getting lost in my thoughts when I was about to meet Adrent Ilmos was not a good idea.

"We bring the alpha and the luna of Wild Fangs," Yaros told the warriors guarding the door. "His Majesty is waiting for us."

"His Majesty?" I whispered into Almec's ear.

He looked as surprised as I was at the title Yaros had used. There was no royalty among werewolves so it was strange to hear someone refer to an alpha in that way.

"I hope he doesn't want us to call him that," Almec whispered to me as Yaros spoke to the guards.

Behind us Romeo began to grow impatient, complaining to Gaspard and Priscilla about how long it was taking Yaros to talk to the guards.

"You can catch up with them another time," Romeo called back. "I want to get this over with once and for all."

"My apologies for the delay," Yaros told Almec and me, ignoring Romeo. "We can go in now."

The interior of the castle was just as extravagant as the exterior. The frames on the black walls were made of gold, the carved furniture looked like relics from the last century, and the lights simulated candles; there was even a huge chandelier in the foyer.

Everything in there screamed royalty and I began to think that Ilmos must really thought he was a king.

We walked with Yaros leading us through long hallways lined with ancient paintings.

I was so creeped out that when Almec put his arm around my waist I almost jumped in fright.

"Everything okay?" Almec asked me, lowering his head towards me.

I nodded, "I'm a little surprised, I wasn't expecting something like that."

"Let me know if you need anything," he replied, raising his voice.

I didn't know if Almec did this to threaten the Moon Guardians members or if it was part of his act of being the perfect husband.

It served to calm me down the rest of the way, though.

"A little recommendation before you meet our alpha," Yaros told us when we reached another double door. "His Majesty likes to be treated with respect. Be polite unless you want to end up on his bad side."

"I'm an alpha like him and Valentina is my luna, I'm going to treat him as my equal because that's what we are."

I could feel Almec's outrage through my power without even trying and his anger was slowly building.

"Calm down," I told Almec, squeezing his hand. "We don't want to start a war on our first meeting."

"Right," Yaros said, motioning for the guards to open the door. "My apologies."

It was strange to see him so obliging when during his time in our pack Yaros did nothing but antagonize us.

Perhaps the influence Ilmos had over the members of his pack was enough to bring down their spirit.

I can't deny that my legs began to shake when I took the first step into the giant hall.

The best way to describe the room was a throne room. It was empty except for the large throne and the red carpet that marked the way to it.

Sitting on the throne was Adrent Ilmos. His olive skin and long black hair gleamed beneath the light of the chandelier.

He didn't even make a sign of moving to greet us, instead, Ilmos rested his elbow on the arm of the throne, resting his head on his palm.

Outraged by his lack of welcome, I raised my gaze, meeting his. His black eyes seemed void of any feeling, like a deep pit I was afraid to fall into.

"Your Majesty," Yaros greeted him, followed by Gaspard, Priscilla, and Romeo. "We brought the alpha and luna of Wild Fangs just as you requested."

"Thank you, Yaros, you did an excellent job as always," Ilmos replied coldly. "You can go now, I'll take care of the rest."

"Why do you want to make a deal with me?" Almec asked without wasting any time.

"Easy there, not so fast." Ilmos crossed his legs. "It's rude to talk about business without getting to know each other first."

"A bit ironic, don't you think?" Almec released his grip on my waist. "You were the one who intended for me to sign an agreement without even asking me in person."

"It was a small mistake on my part, but now that I recognize my mistake I think it's best that we clear up the misunderstandings first." Ilmos stepped down from his throne and approached us.

"And what would those misunderstandings be?" Almec asked.

"You know, the horrible tragedy that affected both of us. Ezra was very beloved within our pack, we are still mourning his death. If only I had forbidden him to go hunting."

"You didn't even bother to come to his funeral." Almec stepped forward, facing Ilmos.

I hurried to catch up to Almec, grabbing his hand to reassure him.

"I have a pack to rule and not all of us are lucky enough to have an army as strong as yours. I apologize for not being there, it must have been a very difficult time." Ilmos turned his gaze to me and smiled. "Although having such beauty as luna I imagine that the mourning must be more bearable."

Ilmos raised his hand and brought it to my face as if he was hypnotized.

"If you touch her I'll tear you to pieces, I don't care if I have to face your army alone," Almec warned Ilmos, grabbing his arm.

"A protective husband, I see." Ilmos smiled as if nothing had happened. "I would do the same if I had such an exquisite wife."

"Enough," Almec growled.

"I'm just messing with you," Ilmos told him. "You must be tired from the journey. I better show you to your room now. Let's save the talk for tomorrow, I have a special breakfast prepared for you."

I was glad to be able to get away from Ilmos, although the way he said special breakfast made me think the worst part was still waiting for us.