I couldn't believe my ears. How dare he call me 'his bitch'? It had been less than five minutes since I met him, and he had already managed to get on my nerves.

Would it be bad if I slapped that half smirk off of his face?

I inhaled sharply and crossed my arms so I wouldn't have the urge reach up and plant my palm on his face.

"Alpha Alrik, I understand that you have never attended these meetings before, but I do hope you know that in a professional environment as such, you must refrain from disrespecting your comrades in such a manner. We are both leaders and should have mutual respect for each other. Calling me your bitch is one way to lose my respect."

He tilted his head a little as if he was confused by my reaction, "I wasn't disrespecting you. You are my bitch."

My eyes widened, and I yanked my wand out of my hair, causing it to unravel from the elegant bun and tumble down to my waist.

I was no one's bitch, and especially not his.

With a steady hand, I placed the tip of my wand against his Adam's apple.

It was at that moment that I realized he standing less than an inch away. His breath was grazing my forehead lightly, and every time one of us inhaled, our chests would brush against each other and little tingles would erupt wherever he touched.

My body was enjoying his close proximity, but my mind wasn't.

I tilted my head in the same direction as his and stared at him calmly, not betraying a single emotion of what his body was doing to mine.

"Step away," I said, using my deadly calm tone that would scare most people, "Unless you want to be turned into a pig and oink your way through the meeting."

He gazed back and forth between my eyes before taking the world's tiniest step back.

I blinked and glanced at his feet incredulously, "That's it?"

His face hadn't changed one bit, and he didn't even seem slightly bothered by my wand at his throat.

"Stepping away doesn't do much. You're still my bitch."

The nerve.

I gripped my wand even tighter and narrowed my eyes to focus on his face, "So–"

"Jaslynn!"

The Minister had awful timing.

He rushed over to me and gently pulled my hand away from Alpha Alrik, "What are you doing? You can't cast a spell on him."

"Not even for an hour? He'll change back plenty of time before the meeting."

The Minister seemed amused but shook his head nonetheless, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Let me talk to him. Why don't you go cool down at the gazebo? It's a beautiful day to sit outside."

I lowered my arm and turned around to grab my now cold cup of tea. With one last glare at the somehow-still-amused Alpha, I marched out of the dining room with my head held high.

All my life, I have never given my attention to a female or she-wolf who wasn't my mother or my commander. After all, most of them were too scared to even lift their heads to speak to me.

Yet here was this female, who not only defied me but was also my chosen partner, my bitch.

I never thought the Moon Goddess would grant me a partner because of my nature and reputation. It was why I didn't ever think to go search for her or even dwell on this topic.

But low and behold, she had been standing right in front of me, and I didn't even have to go find her. She came to me.

My eyes didn't leave her back as she left the dining room, flicking a lock of her caramel brown hair behind her.

I had to admit that I was a bit stunned that I didn't feel angry or irritated when she talked back to me. If it was anyone else, their head would have been torn off and on the floor.

"Alpha Alrik, I must warn you not to disrespect Jaslynn. She has the power to turn you into whatever she wants or even to remove you from power. Don't underestimate her because of her kindness."

I turned my head to face the Minister, "I had no idea telling her she was my bitch would offend her."

The Minister seemed taken aback for a moment before his eyes lit up with understanding, "Jaslynn is your mate."

I frowned, "Mate? Is that what they call it these days? I assumed most wolves still referred to their chosen partners as bitches."

"No, no," the Minister chuckled, "Terminology has changed as society has changed. The term 'bitch' has a negative connotation which is why Jaslynn was offended. Perhaps if you had called her your mate, she would have been more receptive."

I parted my lips in understanding, "Good to know then."

"Now, you wanted to see me?"

"I did," I put the plate back on the table and crossed my arms, "I want you to tell me what this meeting is about because no one appears to know except for you."

The Minister's face was grave, "It's about a letter that I received earlier this week. It needed to be addressed so everyone is aware."

"Does it have anything to do with the werewolves?"

"Not directly–"

I picked up my pen and papers from the table, "In that case, I shall take my leave. I have pack matters to deal with. If anything new comes up that has to do with the werewolves, you may call my Beta."

As I turned my back to leave, the Minister stopped me once again.

"You may choose to leave, Alpha Alrik. However, this letter does pertain to your mate."

I froze and pursed my lips. The Minister had a bit of a smug look on his face as if he knew he had cornered me. I pinched the bridge of my nose and exhaled deeply.

"Then I shall take my leave tomorrow, Minister."