Chapter Nine
1372 Words
I shrink into the gamma female, afraid he would strike me down for my defiance.
She looks scared too, but she still tugs me gently behind her tall body and stands protectively in front of me.
The King lets out another earth-trembling roar, sending a wave of fear and unease through the room and leaving me shaking.
My heart plummets to my feet.
I'm afraid for myself and the woman who stands before me. Although she holds an air of strength and trained skill, beside the King, it thins in comparison.
The King's pitch-black eyes pierce through her like a knife. The pack members’ unease grows even further because we all know we are no longer in front of his human side—we are now under the wrath of Eris.
The female gamma bares her neck in utmost submission and respect, a way of telling him she has no intention of challenging him.
I have faced Eris a dozen times, but each time my soul still wants to run from him—and run toward him—all at the same time.
“My King,” a voice from the side speaks. My head tilts of its own accord to find a familiar man standing. He was with the King at the Ravenwood pack.
A heavy rush of breath pumps from the King's lips.
“Look at me,” a dark, rough, and heavy voice commands.
Who's he speaking to?
I can feel the confusion of every wolf in the hall.
“Look. At. Me. Freya.” I jump at the sound of my name being called.
Ripples of gasps fill the room.
My head jerks up to meet the King, my fingers trembling in front of me.
His pitch-black eyes glow and shift until they half return to his beautiful honey-brown ones.
Once he has himself under control, he turns and basically disappears from the hall in a flash, leaving a row of whispers in his wake.
The tension begins to roll out of my body, and I want to collapse onto a surface like hours ago, but I cannot do that. My back remains stiff, knowing the attention on me now is even more crippling than before.
“Oh my goodness,” the female gamma, Aria, whispers, shaking off a shiver and leaning into a strange man who now stands beside her.
My brows crease at the giant figure. He is big but not as big as the Alpha King.
“What the hell just happened?” the female beta, Neila, mutters, her face ashen. Her accusatory eyes fall on me. “He's never just lost control like this before,” she adds, looking behind her.
I notice the man who spoke to the King standing behind her. He isn't touching her, but he stands so close to her.
“It seems to me like the King has just got his panties in a twist.” All our heads turn to find who the voice belongs to. My lips part at her obvious insult.
“Melanie,” everyone choruses in greeting. The lady in question wears a mischievous smile upon her face, her eyes squinting around the circle.
If I thought the women I've met were beautiful, then this woman’s looks are magnificent.
“And you are?” Lost in thought, I don’t realize all attention is now on me, including that of the elegant addition. She is not so tall like the rest, but she possesses more curves.
“V-Valeriana,” I choke out, still processing my surroundings.
“Such a pretty name,” she says loudly, her face switching into one of excitement. She begins to clap her fingers together.
“I'm Melanie. Don’t you worry about him. He can be quite a big bully most times. I'm sure it's not you—he’s just been very restless lately, so it's making him agitated—his wolf, I mean. I'll drag him to come apologize later.” She rushes out all in one breath, switching her facial expressions as she speaks animatedly.
Nobody seems to mind her words. She must have finally noticed my wide eyes staring back at her, and then she lets out a breath of laughter.
“Oh, he's my brother,” she says, clapping her hands to her sides.
What?
“The King is my brother.” My lips part, but no words come out. I didn’t know I said that out loud.
When I finally return to my senses, I open my lips like a fish unsure of water, unsure of what to say.
I've never had to have a normal conversation before. I only spoke when ordered to or when it was extremely necessary.
“It's alright. You don't have to be so shocked—I'm the cool one,” she says with a large smile, looking very pleased.
I nod at her—distracted, my eyes shifting toward the direction the King just walked out from, not understanding why my heart is suddenly worried and restless.
Melanie’s eyes follow mine, and she c***s her head at me.
Every eye in our small circle watches me alongside her, but no one says anything.
I'm itching to head back to the room so badly, it hurts.
“Come on then, dinner is about to start,” Melanie says like she's a child on excess candy.
I instinctively turn to find the female gamma, Aria. She still has traces of worry etched upon her face, but when her eyes find mine, she fixes on a gentle smile and nods at me to go on.
“I'll be right behind you,” she says in that soothing voice.
“I need to go find Mira first,” the beta female, Neila, says, her eyes looking me down. She turns to plant a chaste kiss on the giant man behind her. She gives a blinding smile I didn’t think she was capable of, and I put together the puzzle.
The men were their mates.
I flinch hard when Melanie tries to link her arm in mine. Her eyes widen—startled by my reaction. I can feel the rest of the circle's heated eyes on us.
“I'm sorry—” I begin to apologize.
“No, it’s alright. Don’t worry.” She still has a wide smile on her face, and I begin to wonder how she does it.
Smile—be this carefree.
“Shouldn’t we wait for the King?” I whisper.
“No. He’s the one who stormed out of dinner. He’ll join us when he wants to,” Melanie smiles, and I nod.
“Come, I’ll introduce you to everyone.” My throat tightens at her words, and my feet hesitate.
I'm not sure I want to meet everyone.
I look behind me and, true to her words, the female gamma, Aria, walks behind us, her hands locked with the large man.
We walk through the large crowd again to get to the side of the room where there’s an unimaginably long table filled with countless chairs, but something feels odd—the lingering stares drilling into my skin are no longer there. Instead, it feels like they’re avoiding looking in my direction.
I breathe a large sigh of relief.
“So here we are,” Melanie announces. “I can't introduce you to everyone, but I’ll try my best to ensure you know those of high rankings and family.” Melanie looks like she’s taking the introduction very seriously. I nod timidly at her.
She directs me to sit down on a chair opposite hers, and I hesitate. That’s the first line of seats after the master’s chair.
“I-I don’t think I should sit here,” I whisper, my eyes worried.
Melanie looks up at me like I’m crazy, and then she pouts. “Come on, sit. I can’t speak to you from all the way down there. And besides, no one sits here anyway. That position belongs to the queen.”
My heart slams hard against my chest at her words.
She laughs. “And obviously, she’s not here yet, so please—sit,” she says, blinking her eyes down at me.
My heart feels heavy.
- Writer
