Chapter 22 - 022

Chapter 22: 022 Tristan sighed in relief as they finally let him go after hours of grooming. The sky had finally darkened and he was feeling sleepy. "It’s not time to sleep now," his maid said while gently shaking him awake. Tristan looked at her with half closed eyes and almost groaned in discomfort. Today has been busy enough for him already. "Woah, you look even cuter now" Mariah waltzed inside and fawned over his look. Tristan looked away shyly from her, she was a pole apart from Mitch and she reminded him of Nita. He was dressed in a white silk shirt and white trousers. His hair was also given a makeover and it now sits as an array of waves instead of its usual straight nature. "You also smell so good" Mariah exclaimed and took a whiff of him by coming close to him. Tristan moved back, shocked by her sudden closeness. As an Alpha she found him appealing but not in any way sexual or offensive but as someone that keeps to himself Tristan looked at her with wide eyes. "If you don’t get your nose away from him, I will make sure you never make use of it again". Turning to the direction of the voice, the faces of the two of them lighten up visibly. "Mitch! What took you so long!" Mariah exclaimed in an excited voice. But narrowed her eyes at him again in suspicion. "Were you thinking about running away? That would have broken his heart, Mom believes you don’t deserve him". Alpha Mitch ignored his sister’s remarks and focused his eyes on the Omega that looked like a fairy or a character out of a painting. It was as if he would disappear into nothingness, his delicate feature seemed like a fragment of a dream. It feels surreal. "What is wrong with me?" Alpha Mitch thought as Tristan smiled at him softly. He was restraining himself, he didn’t want the Alpha to know he had been waiting for him for hours since all faces around were unfamiliar to him it was difficult to feel comfortable. "Are you okay?" Alpha Mitch asked as he got closer to him. Mariah took a step back for them and watched in silence as they looked at each other. She noticed the maids leaving quietly and sulked immediately. "Hey! Both of you should stop that now!, the ceremony would start soon anyways. Keep that till the end of the ceremony" she yelled, pushing at Alpha Mitch. "What do you want?!" Alpha Mitch turned to glare at her with an arm around Tristan. His gaze shut her up and she fled out the door without looking back. Tristan gulped after she was gone and it was just the two of them left. Alpha Mitch gently caressed his cheek with the back of his hand and rubbed his thumb over his lower lip. Tristan’s breath hitched and his lips parted to let out a soft moan. His moan and parted lips made Alpha Mitch grit his teeth. Tilting his head upward, he planted a soft feathery kiss on his lips. Tristan’s eyelids fluttered, he felt his knees go weak and he leaned closer wishing to feel his lips on his again. "The mating ceremony will start soon, someone will come to escort you out." Alpha Mitch said suddenly while putting some distance between them. Tristan’s weakened knees made him wobbly briefly as the Alpha was suddenly gone from him. He looked ahead in a bewildered and confused state. *** Meanwhile, outside the pack house, the moon had risen to the highest point and everyone was in a jolly mood. Guests had already arrived and they were all at the opening behind the pack house that leads to the forest. Some were eating, drinking or partaking in different activities. The number of Alphas around was uncountable and Omegas tripled that number. Alpha Mitch watched from afar as he waited for the pack elders to arrive so that the ceremony could begin. "Mitch! Where is Tristan?!" Mariah popped out of nowhere and asked in a happy tone. "Why?" "A lot of people want to meet him and I want to introduce him to my friends too," She replied. "Do not disturb him!" Alpha Mitch warned lowly and Mariah scoffed before walking away. The pack elders arrived and everyone had finally gathered and paid all of their attention to the speech of the elders. They stood on the high part of the clearing and the rest of them stood just some distance below. Pack members waited with baited breath and their excitement grew. "Alpha, everything is under control. Alpha Raul sent some men" Gale whispered to Alpha Mitch and that made him look at him sharply. "Why did he send his men?". "They came with gifts to congratulate you," Gale replied. "Just make sure no one makes any unusual move, I don’t want anything to go wrong" He ordered and Gale nodded. While discussing with him, Mitch’s eyes were on the entrance of the pack house. Tristan would arrive any moment from then since the maids had gone to get him. But he wasn’t coming and soon the few minutes were stretching. "Where is Tristan?" His Mom and sister came to him to ask and he frowned at them in confusion. "I asked the maids to get him but they could not find him in his room" His mother said in despair. Alpha Mitch didn’t wait for them to finish what they were saying before he hurried into the pack house. He climbed the stairs in speed as his heart hammered against his rib. His mind was blank and he had no idea what to think but when the empty room appeared before his eyes his panic increased. He tried to use his scent to find him but only a subtle scent was left behind and it was also vanishing quickly which means he had been gone for a while "Where is he?!" Alpha Mitch yelled in a loud voice at the empty room. "Tristan!!!" He called out repeatedly as everything was beginning to blur around him.