The Breaking Point of Mate: Giving Up on My Alpha novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Third Person’s POV

This statement was tantamount to making decisions on Archer’s behalf.

Several noble Alphas exchanged knowing glances. The Haines family’s confidence in speaking for Archer suggested a relationship far closer than ordinary acquaintance. The quiet undercurrent of speculation drifting through the room immediately grew more intricate.

At the same time, although some guests had departed early following the earlier disturbance, the banquet of the Willis family continued without further disruption.

Monica stepped onto the main stage.

Her presence was gentle yet resolute, radiating the quiet authority unique to a seasoned Alpha female. She delivered her speech with calm composure, thanking the guests for attending and offering a graceful apology for the mid–banquet incident.

Applause rolled through the hall like a rising tide.

As she stepped down from the stage, Chad signaled the hotel manager to begin serving the meal.

Just then-

Elmer spoke.

“Alpha Chad, may I have a moment?”

Chad paused, slightly surprised.

Elmer’s tone was mild, yet carried unmistakable firmness.

“There is another guest on the way. They should arrive in about ten minutes.”

Chad and Monica exchanged a glance. Both understood the near–familial trust Elmer shared with Melanie.

Chad nodded.

“Will this guest be arriving alone? There’s still room at the main table. If he doesn’t mind, he’s more than welcome to join us.”

Elmer smiled.

“He won’t mind.”

Only then did Chad instruct the kitchen to begin serving the other tables first, with the main table to follow shortly after.

Several exquisite dishes had just been placed on the table when Elmer glanced at his phone, then gently tugged on Melanie’s sleeve.

“He’s here. Come with me to greet him.”

Melanie nodded. She had just turned-

when a deep, cool male voice sounded behind her.

“No need.”

“I’m already here.”

Melanie stiffened slightly as she turned.

“Mr. Norman?”

Chapt

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Marcus acknowledged her with a faint nod.

For a moment, it felt as though the air had been pulled from the room. The remaining guests in the banquet hall froze almost in unison.

Marcus Norman.

A name frequently appearing in national technology forums and financial news. A man rumored to possess extensive political and capital influence.

And such a figure-

had personally attended a private birthday banquet.

Monica and Chad, momentarily stunned, quickly rose to greet him.

Marcus’s stride was steady. His Alpha aura was not overt, yet it carried a suffocating weight, like deep ocean currents pressing silently from below. He walked directly to Monica’s side, leaning slightly as he spoke with rare courtesy.

“There’s no need to stand.”

He gently guided Monica back into her seat.

Monica smiled warmly.

“Mr. Norman, it’s an honor to have you here.”

“You’re too kind.” Marcus took his seat. “It’s been years since my last visit. My apologies for staying away so long.”

He accepted the gift box Elmer handed him and personally placed it into Monica’s hands.

“I arrived in a hurry and didn’t have time to prepare properly. I hope you’ll like it.”

Monica accepted it with a soft laugh.

“Your presence is the most precious gift of all.”

They exchanged a few polite words before Marcus’s gaze shifted slightly. He noticed Melanie and Elmer standing quietly behind them, their posture carrying the restrained respect of students before a mentor.

He gave them a brief, impassive glance.

The two immediately took their seats in silent understanding.

Monica spoke gently,

“Thank you for guiding Melanie all these years.”

Marcus’s tone remained even.

“She earned it.”

He paused before adding,

“Her recent research progress is promising. At the very least, she hasn’t wasted her talent.”

Years ago, Melanie had interrupted her studies for a companion bond. Neither he nor Monica had interfered.

A wolf’s growth always required enduring destruction before rebuilding. Only those who had truly tasted the bitterness of falling could learn how to rise again.

A flicker of relief slowly surfaced in Monica’s eyes.

Chapter 95

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“That’s good,” she murmured softly.

Melanie was seated beside Marcus, yet this Alpha–equally formidable in scholarship and influence–was engaged in a quiet conversation with Monica. His voice remained controlled and steady, like an underground river flowing deep beneath a forest, inaccessible to outsiders.

She shifted slightly and leaned toward Elmer, who sat across from her.

“Thank you.”

Elmer shrugged, his tone casual but carrying the effortless confidence of Alpha lineage.

“Don’t thank me. Mr. Norman responded after reading your previous project proposal. I only mentioned tonight’s situation in passing. What truly brought him here was you.”

Melanie opened her mouth to reply.

Suddenly, a hushed voice thick with shock rose from a nearby table-

“Holy… Is that Alpha Archer?”

The air seemed to rip apart under invisible claws.

Melanie’s breath hitched instinctively as she turned toward the entrance.

A familiar patchouli scent–one that made her body tense on reflex–slowly spread through the hall. The Alpha pheromones were not deliberately released, yet still carried an inherent dominance, like a blizzard quietly descending over a winter forest.

Archer stood at the entrance.

Light cast sharp shadows along his shoulders and jawline. Without pausing or acknowledging the crowd, he moved forward with measured steps. Guests parted automatically, as if obeying an unspoken command, clearing a path before him.

He stopped directly in front of Monica.

“Happy birthday.”

His voice was low and level, devoid of excess emotion, yet it silenced several nearby tables.

After speaking, he presented a gift box with both hands.

“I prepared a gift earlier, unsure whether it would suit your taste, so I brought another as well. I hope you’ll like it ”

Monica clearly had not expected his arrival. Her expression froze for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure. That restraint cut sharper than any Alpha pheromone lingering in the hall.

She understood perfectly well

Without Archer’s tacit approval and the support of powerful forces behind him, the Cummings family would never have dared to behave so brazenly in the capital.

Yet in a setting like this, no one would publicly tear away the veneer of civility,

She accepted the gift box, her lips curving into a faint, distant smile that remained perfectly dignified

“Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”