Chapter Six – A Feast Among Wolves
1381 Words
Ryker pov
The Great Hall had never looked more magnificent.
Hundreds of candles hung from wrought-iron chandeliers suspended high above the vaulted ceiling, their warm light dancing across ancient stone walls draped in the banners of every pack in the kingdom. Massive fireplaces roared at either end of the hall, chasing away the chill that lingered in the mountain air.
Long oak tables stretched from one end of the room to the other, each set with polished silver, crystal goblets and enough food to feed an army.
Roasted venison.
Honey-glazed ham.
Fresh river trout.
Warm bread still steaming from the ovens.
Berry tarts.
Honey cakes.
The best Blackwood had to offer.
As host of the summit, it was my responsibility to welcome every Alpha personally.
Not a single guest could leave believing they had been treated as anything less than family.
Even if, by sunrise, half of them would be arguing over borders.
Elias straightened the dark jacket across my shoulders.
"You clean up well."
"I preferred the armour."
"I know."
"You'd think after six summits we'd stop pretending everyone enjoys these feasts."
He smirked.
"We don't enjoy them."
"We survive them."
---
The herald struck the floor with the butt of his staff.
"Alpha Ryker Blackwood!"
The conversations faded as I entered.
Every Alpha stood.
Not for me.
For Blackwood tradition.
I inclined my head respectfully.
"Welcome."
My voice echoed through the hall.
"Whether you've travelled one day or ten, Blackwood thanks you for accepting our hospitality. Tonight there are no debates. No disputes."
A few amused chuckles rippled through the room.
"Tonight, we eat as equals beneath one roof."
Goblets lifted.
"To peace."
The hall answered in one voice.
"To peace!"
Wine flowed.
Conversations resumed.
Music drifted from musicians gathered near the western hearth.
For a brief moment...
It almost felt genuine.
---
I greeted the first few Alphas as custom demanded.
Alpha Garrick nearly crushed my hand during our forearm clasp.
"Good to see you, mountain."
"You too, old bear."
He laughed loudly.
"You've grown."
"So have you."
"My beard has."
"I noticed."
His booming laughter echoed across the hall.
Stone Ridge always brought warmth wherever they travelled.
The summit needed that.
---
Iron Crest arrived moments later.
Alpha Victor.
Tall.
Broad.
Perfect posture.
Perfect smile.
Cold eyes.
Everything about him appeared polished.
Too polished.
"Alpha Ryker."
He bowed politely.
"Thank you for hosting us."
"The journey wasn't too difficult, I hope."
"Not at all."
His smile never reached his eyes.
"I hear you've invited... everyone."
There was the slightest pause before the last word.
"I have."
"Even Ashen Moon."
"Every recognised Alpha received an invitation."
"Interesting."
He took a sip of wine.
"I've always wondered how much truth there is behind the stories."
"I prefer meeting someone before judging them."
Victor smiled.
"A noble philosophy."
Something about the way he said it made my instincts stir.
Onyx lifted his head.
"He lies as easily as he breathes."
"I know."
---
As more guests arrived, I continued making my rounds.
Listening.
Observing.
The summit officially began tomorrow.
Tonight...
People forgot to hide themselves.
Who laughed too loudly.
Who drank too much.
Who watched instead of speaking.
Politics often started long before anyone entered the council chamber.
---
The great doors opened once more.
The herald's voice rang through the hall.
"Alpha Carley Ashen of Ashen Moon."
Silence.
It wasn't complete.
Just enough.
Enough for every conversation to falter.
Enough for every head to turn.
Enough for whispers to begin.
She stepped inside with quiet confidence.
No elaborate gown.
No jewels.
No crown.
A deep forest-green dress flowed to her boots beneath a dark travelling cloak, the silver clasp at her shoulder bearing the simple crest of Ashen Moon.
Her silver hair had been braided over one shoulder, woven with small white flowers I recognised from the northern forests.
She carried herself like someone with absolutely nothing to prove.
The stories hadn't prepared me for that.
They'd described a conqueror.
A tyrant.
A monster.
Instead...
She smiled politely at the servants who took her cloak.
Thanked the herald.
Stepped aside so her Beta could enter before the doors closed.
Small things.
The kind of things arrogant leaders rarely noticed.
I noticed.
Onyx became perfectly still.
Then...
"Mate."
The single word hit me like a hammer.
Every muscle locked.
"No."
"Her."
"It can't be."
"It is."
"The law."
"The moon answers to no law written by wolves."
Across the hall...
Carley stopped walking.
Slowly...
She looked up.
Straight at me.
Our eyes met.
Everything else disappeared.
The music.
The conversations.
The roaring fires.
Nothing existed beyond those pale blue eyes.
She didn't smile.
Not because she was afraid.
Because she looked just as surprised as I felt.
For one impossible heartbeat...
It felt like we'd known each other forever.
Then someone spoke.
The spell broke.
---
Carley was seated three places to my right on the opposite side of the High Table.
Close enough to see.
Far enough that conversation wasn't expected.
Probably intentional.
The elders loved symbolism.
Across from me, she listened more than she spoke.
She thanked every servant.
Smiled whenever someone addressed her respectfully.
Laughed quietly at something her Beta whispered.
Nothing about her matched the stories.
Nothing.
I caught myself watching her.
Again.
And again.
She seemed completely unaware.
Or perhaps...
She was pretending not to notice.
---
Halfway through the meal, the first spark landed.
Victor of Iron Crest raised his goblet.
"To impressive victories."
The room answered politely.
He continued.
"And to those whose reputations grow larger every year."
Several Alphas exchanged glances.
Victor turned slightly toward Carley.
"I've often wondered..."
His tone remained pleasant.
"...how one Alpha manages to remain undefeated."
The hall became noticeably quieter.
Carley calmly set down her fork.
"I train."
A few nearby Alphas smiled.
Victor chuckled.
"Surely there must be more to it."
"I also sleep well."
More laughter.
Even I struggled to hide a smile.
Victor's own smile tightened.
"I've heard rather extraordinary rumours."
"I'm sure you have."
"Would you care to deny them?"
Every instinct I possessed screamed that this wasn't curiosity.
It was bait.
Carley sipped her wine before answering.
"I've learned something about rumours."
Victor leaned forward.
"Oh?"
"The people who spread them are usually disappointed when they discover the truth."
Several Alphas laughed openly this time.
Victor's jaw tightened for the briefest moment.
Barely noticeable.
But I saw it.
So did Elias.
So did Garrick.
Iron Crest had expected anger.
Instead...
She'd embarrassed him without raising her voice.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
Later, as dessert was served, I noticed something else.
Victor wasn't watching Carley.
He was watching everyone else's reactions to her.
Measuring.
Counting.
Testing alliances.
Across the table sat another Alpha I recognised from the eastern territories.
He gave Victor the smallest nod.
Almost invisible.
Almost.
Onyx growled softly.
"There."
"I saw."
This wasn't random conversation.
It was coordinated.
A question asked to see who defended Ashen Moon...
...and who stayed silent.
The summit hadn't even officially begun.
The game already had its first move.
---
As the evening drew to a close, guests began drifting toward the adjoining hall where musicians played softer melodies beside the fire.
I remained behind for a moment, watching servants clear the tables.
Across the room, Carley stood speaking quietly with her Beta.
She laughed.
The sound reached me despite the distance.
Warm.
Honest.
Nothing like I expected.
As if sensing my gaze, she looked up once more.
This time...
She smiled.
Not the polite smile she'd given the hall.
A small one.
Almost shy.
Instinctively, I smiled back.
It lasted only a second before other guests moved between us.
Yet somehow...
That single shared smile felt more meaningful than every speech made that evening.
Onyx settled contentedly inside my mind.
"The stars have begun to move."
I didn't answer.
Because for the first time in years...
I wasn't thinking about tomorrow's council.
Or the laws I'd sworn to uphold.
Or the weight of being Alpha.
I was wondering why one woman sitting across a crowded hall felt as though she'd quietly stepped into the centre of my world.
And in the shadows beyond the candlelight, Alpha Victor watched the exchange.
His lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
Exactly what he'd hoped to see.
- Writer
