Free Web NovelChapter 171: Chapter 171 Family Dinner
Christina’s POV
I remained silent.
I didn’t know the whole story.
I knew his mother had died when he was young. That couldn’t have been easy.
During our last visit to the Sabreridge pack house, it was clear he could barely tolerate Gwendolyn.
But now he ran the pack, and everyone treated him with reverence—no, with fear. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"I understand," I said. "I’ll ask if he wants to do something for his birthday."
"Don’t ask him directly," Gwendolyn’s voice sharpened. "Come over tomorrow to help set things up. When everything’s ready, call him. Tell him it’s a surprise. He’ll listen to you. You’re basically family now. One meal together—maybe he’ll let his guard down."
I hesitated. "Okay."
I didn’t think she meant to hurt Hudson.
Maybe she didn’t particularly like him, but she wasn’t stupid enough to antagonize him.
Besides, he’d gone all out for me—the Nyx stocks, the fireworks, the cake.
I wanted to return the favor.
After hanging up, I went downstairs for water.
While filling the glass, I wracked my brain for gift ideas.
Nothing brilliant came to mind.
I had just carried the glass back upstairs when Ysolde mumbled that she was thirsty.
I held it to her lips.
She drank some with her eyes half-closed, then passed out again.
I sank down onto the chair beside her bed.
She slept through the night without saying another word.
In the morning, Ysolde woke before I did.
Her voice was raspy but steady.
She said she didn’t remember anything after arriving at Riley’s bar.
Then suddenly remembered ordering too many drinks.
She looked fine. Pale, but upright.
I stopped worrying.
Ysolde promised two, then three times that she wouldn’t go drinking alone again.
Once I was convinced she meant it, I left.
I went straight to the shopping district and had several high-end boutiques send their representatives to meet me with selections of luxury watches. I finally settled on one I thought Hudson might like.
Clean dial, dark leather band, no flashy logos. It seemed like something he would wear.
I spent the entire morning and afternoon customizing it.
I replaced the ordinary clasp with a brushed steel one engraved with his initials.
Then I added a hidden line of black gold foil inlay on the inside of the band, visible only when he took the watch off.
Final touch: I substituted the crown with a custom-cut black obsidian cabochon. It was subtle, but cold to the touch.Others wouldn’t notice, but he would.
With the gift wrapped, I drove to the Sabreridge pack house.
Gwendolyn was already waiting at the entrance when I arrived.
"Christina!" she called before I’d even reached the final step. "Come in, come in quickly. It’s freezing out there."
Technically, she was my mother-in-law. Sort of.
I didn’t particularly like her, but she hadn’t done anything outrageous yet, and I wasn’t about to start a war based on a gut feeling.
Besides, she probably still felt the sting from all the money she’d spent during our last meeting.
"I’ve prepared Hudson’s old room for you. You can stay tonight," she said with a bright smile.
I gave her a vague smile and mumbled something noncommittal, pretending I hadn’t heard.
Staff members were hanging lights in the living room. Balloons and cake boxes were stacked on the sideboard, and the air carried faint scents of nail polish and vanilla.
Once everything was set, I texted Hudson. [I’m at the Sabreridge pack house. Come for dinner tonight.]
He called me before I could even put my phone down.
"Where are you?" His voice was low and tight.
I could hear his rapid breathing, like he was fighting to keep himself from falling apart.
"Gwendolyn invited me," I said. "She mentioned it’s your birthday today. We thought—"
"Birthday," he cut in, saying the word slowly as if it tasted wrong.
From the silence, I could picture his expression—clenched jaw, narrowed eyes, and that distant look he got when holding something he didn’t want.
Did he really hate birthdays that much?
I’d assumed he was like me, just disliking certain people remembering them.
I thought he might secretly appreciate someone remembering.
Clearly not.
My chest tightened. I cleared my throat. "What’s wrong?"
He didn’t answer.
Dead silence on the other end.
I glanced down to check if the call had disconnected.
It hadn’t.
Finally, a sharp intake of breath, followed by his low, flat voice."I’ll be there shortly."
He hung up.
I stood frozen, phone still in hand.
Something felt very wrong.There was no irritation in his tone.This was worse.
"Something’s definitely off here," Akira growled inside me. "I don’t like this."
I headed toward the kitchen, but before I got there, Edouard came down the stairs.
He glanced at the cake box on the side table. "Whose birthday is it today?"
He looked around, then stared directly at me, his tone sharpening. "You’re throwing a party for Hudson?"
Gwendolyn came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a linen towel. "Of course. It’s his birthday. The family is sitting down together to celebrate. You haven’t seen him in so long.
Edouard stopped on the stairs, his shoulders stiffening. "Did he agree to this?"
Gwendolyn smiled at me. "Christina is here. He’ll come. He’s not a child anymore. It’s just dinner. What could he possibly object to?"
Edouard followed her gaze, then locked onto me. His expression crumpled, but he made no effort to hide it.
"Fine, do whatever you want," he muttered. "You two sneak off and get married, don’t even bother coming back to properly fulfill your duties as Luna. Now you sneak back in, planning ambushes..."
He shook his head.
I kept quiet. I’d planned to greet him politely, but that plan quickly went out the window.
I reminded myself that he was Hudson’s grandfather.
But Edouard’s reaction revealed something.
Hudson must truly despise celebrating his birthday, so much that his own family carefully avoided the day.
Edouard hadn’t asked if he would come, but whether Hudson had "agreed." As if it were a loaded question.
Something bad had happened.
I didn’t know what, but it had left its mark on all of them.
They seemed nervous.
"This is a trap," Akira whispered. "They’re using you to get to him."
